Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Happy Friday All! I am ecstatic to be guest blogging today and sharing a few basic pieces that I made.  I truly enjoy the creative process of sewing but writing a detail blog post has been quite challenging the past few months.  Hopefully after this one, I will find more time to document my creations as it helps going back and reading how I created the look.     I have been wanting to create a few basic pieces but kept procrastinating as it is often times cheaper to buy than make.  This summer, I have been truly disappointed with the quality of the tank tops in the department stores and I skipped buying them.  I have been eyeing the ponte knit section for a while on Fabric Mart to buy more colors to add to my stash.  When I saw the beautiful range of colors that were available a month ago with various shades of nude, I knew a few yards wouldn’t hurt my pocket.  I absolutely love the quality of ponte knit that is sold at Fabric mart, especial...

This time of year is one of my favorite times, the season of Autumn. I love the colors, the layering of clothing and the styles. The Fall months are when it’s perfect for a Michigander like myself to break out in those wool blend outfits or maybe even a suit. With this outfit it was a combination of both.  I’m loving this Wool Glen Plaid Suiting fabric in the colors Gray, Royal Blue and Garnet Red (DFB3437) . I actually love plaid but sometimes I choose not to sew with it because of the hassle of matching at seams especially if the garment has darts, but this one was a win for me. I love the different colors in this plaid, not only because they compliment each other but also how I can change how I accessorize this outfit every time I wear it.  I chose to start my Fall wardrobe with a skirt suit, but of course I didn’t want the traditional suit coat. I chose the McCall’s 8155 view “C” long vest suit coat and paired it with my self-drafted high waist skirt. One thing about me...

YouTuber's Dee & Dory are back on the Fabric Mart blog today with their most recent Fabricista Makes. Make sure to click play on the video below to hear all about their fabric choices & how their projects turned out! Dee This wrap dress is made out of Butterick B 6703, view C and an easy pattern!  My fabric of choice was a DTY Polyester/Lycra floral paisley print. This fabric has a silky soft hand, lightweight with a fluid drape. The fabric laundered well and sewed up beautifully for perfect early fall beautiful dress.  Dory I chose this super soft Double Brushed Polyester/Lycra floral knit to make a cute fall dress.  I used McCall’s M7353 with a small cowl neck. It just screams autumn to me. I loved the print and it was super easy to sew on. I used Fabric Mart’s iron on interfacing for knits on the neck edge and also on the sleeves. When it came time to put the cowl neck on I had to get out of my own head, because I kept thinking I needed to put it on differentl...

Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a great week! I am here to share my latest make, a Tamarack Jacket from Grainline Studio . This pattern has been out for a while. I am so late to the party, but better late than never, right? I am super happy how my Tamarack turned out! Are you ready? Let's go! Fabric Making an olive color jacket was one of the items on my wish list for a while. Unfortunately the quilted jacketing I used has sold out. When I saw this plaid flannel , I thought it would be pretty if I placed the red on the cuffs. I wanted the red to peek out when I fold over the cuffs. Pattern Alterations I used size 6, shortened 2" for the bodice, and shortened 1" from the sleeve. If I make it again, I would add 1" back to the sleeve. (I am 5'1")  That way, I can fold over cuffs, but I don't lose the length of the sleeves. Also, I would probably go with one size bigger to wear with more layers of clothes underneath. When I made the sample jacket,...

Happy to be here again! Every couple of months, when it is time to plan for my next post, I think of challenging myself. Being on this blog allows me to try new things while feeling the pressure to get good results or learn from my failures! This time, I chose a project that needed some stripe-matching skills. Before jumping into that project, I made a sample with a flowery knit. Let me share my "aha!" moments with you.  Aha moment #1: I am learning to appreciate patterns! I used to feel that the process (having to study the project, trace the pattern on paper, cut the paper and fabric) delayed my favorite moment: sitting on the machine and sewing! So, I preferred to freestyle, improvise, or copy existing garments. I still love that, but now I know that if I enjoy the process and like the result with a pattern, I will be able to reproduce it, which is reassuring! This time, I chose the Hélène Shawl Collar Cardigan . It has a smart way of creating pockets, and it is a straigh...

Hi everyone!  Fall is here & even though it’s technically fall, the weather in Indiana hasn’t caught up yet. I’m not really complaining though, because this is my favorite time to wear all my favorite fall dresses, before it gets too windy & cold.  Today I am sharing one of my new favorite dresses. This dress can easily be worn in a dressy style on date nights or to weddings, or even dressed down with sneakers for a walk in the park. I made this dress using a very beautiful floral bubble crepe . The fabric is a light lavender purple with flowers going multidirectional. This made it simple when considering pattern matching & cutting pieces out. For this particular dress I used 3.5 yards & had no fabric left after cutting. I would not consider this crepe to be a beginner’s fabric, because it was very slippery when cutting and also when sewing, however with patience and ample time many things can be achieved. There are also ways to help stiffen a fabric when cutti...