Made By A Fabricista: Peach Skin Penny Dress

Have you ever lost your sewjo, or just taken a long break from sewing after a really hard project? After spending months altering a wedding dress, I just needed a bit of a break from sewing. Alterations are not my cup of tea, so I treated myself to a well-deserved few weeks off.

After my sewing hiatus, I was ready to jump back in with a new sewing pattern I hadn't made before. The Sew Over It Penny Dress has been on my "have to make" list for a long time so it seemed like the perfect pattern to help me ease back into my usual sewing routine.

After browsing the Fabric Mart website for the perfect fabric for my Penny Dress, I noticed this beautiful black, shadow blue, and off-white floral peach skin fabric. If you haven't worked with or worn peach skin fabric, you need to get some right away! It is the softest, most delightful fabric ever! It's lightweight and has a beautiful drape, but isn't see-thru!

In addition to my peach skin fabric, I also ordered some elastic, black pellon fusible interfacing, and the cutest little Kylie and the Machine labels! I've been eyeing up the "Circa 2022" labels for a while because I love the idea of dating my makes to be able to look back and know what year my me-mades are from!

I didn't make any alterations to the Penny Dress pattern because I liked the way the pattern looked straight off of the printer. Since the bodice isn't very fitted and doesn't have darts or princess seams, I didn't even have to do a small bust adjustment. It's fun when you get to just sew a pattern without alterations!

Everything went well while I was sewing my Penny dress until I went to insert the collar. The collar seemed to be about 3 sizes too large to fit into the bodice neckline and it just wasn't going to work! In an effort to try to fix whatever mistake I unknowingly made, I watched the free online Penny Sew Along. Unfortunately, it didn't help me discover what was wrong with the collar.

Next, I joined the Sew Over It Facebook Group hoping that I would find another person who made the same collar mistake that I made. After a few searches of group posts, I found someone sharing about their issues with fitting the collar into the neckline. Thanks to this post, I discovered that I left out an important pattern piece in the bodice. I completely forgot to add the shoulder panel pieces that attach to the front and back bodice. No wonder the neckline and collar didn't fit!

Feeling a bit like a crazy person and wondering how on earth I could have missed this important pattern piece, I spent about 30 minutes seam ripping in order to add these pieces to the bodice. Have you ever left out an entire pattern piece? I'm still not entirely sure how I managed that, but I'm so grateful for Facebook sewing community group members and their help!

Once I added the shoulder panel pieces back in, the whole project came together really easily. It also came together rather quickly after the shoulder panel hiccup. I picked some beautiful mother of pearl buttons from my button stash, added my Kylie and the Machine label to the back facing, and attached the full circle skirt.

I love how easy to wear this Penny Dress is. With the elastic waistband, loose-fitting bodice, and lightweight peach skin fabric, it could easily become my favorite dress to wear for hot summer days!

It feels great to be back today sharing a new make with you after what feels like one of the longest stretches I've gone without sewing! Now that my sewjo is back, I know I'll be sewing up a storm in the new few weeks, perfect for using more of my Kylie and the Machine labels!

SHAINA | @shaina_sews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category BLOUSEWEIGHTS.
You can shop our collection of Sew Over It patterns HERE.
And our selection of Kylie and the Machine clothing labels HERE.

Made By A Fabricista: Pattern Emporium’s Lyrical Top Featuring Fabric Mart Fabrics

Sewn in a lightweight rayon challis , this top combines style, comfort, and fluidity. There’s one thing I love in a summer sew: effortless drape—and the Lyrical Top by Pattern Emporium delivered just that. This pattern is a new release, and when I spotted this dreamy rayon challis from Fabric Mart Fabrics, I knew it was the perfect pairing. Lightweight, breathable, and with just the right amount of movement, the fabric really brought the pattern to life. Today, I’m sharing all the details—from fabric choice and construction to styling and fit—plus a few thoughts on why this top might just become a repeat sew. Pattern Overview: The Lyrical Top by Pattern Emporium The Lyrical Top is a relaxed-fit design with bloused sleeves and a gently flared frill cuff. It comes with three sleeve lengths and two neckline variations. I chose the tie-neck view, but there’s also a collar option for a slightly different vibe. I’ve been looking to add more stylish tops to my wardrobe this year, a...

Made By A Fabricista: Oversized Jenna Shirt for Summer Fun

I may or may not have had several meltdowns during the making of this Closet Core Jenna Shirt… But let’s back up first. During the month of May, I promised to wear handmade garments every single day for the popular sewing challenge “Me Made May.” I really enjoyed thoughtfully putting together my outfits each day. While I was doing this, I was taking notes of the gaps in my wardrobe. Particularly, I don’t have many transitional shirts that could work for on-camera work attire and be comfortable for the weekend. When I saw this delicious cotton lawn on the Fabric Mart website, I knew that I wanted to make a button up shirt that would be both work appropriate and a nice overshirt for summer evenings over my tanks and tees. I have made a few button up shirts before using a vintage Stretch & Sew pattern but I decided to try my hand at the Closet Core Jenna Shirt (up to a 60” chest) which has had rave reviews on social media and pattern sites for being a great pattern with e...

Made By A Fabricista: A matching set and a happy error.

Hi sewing friends! Today I’m sharing a new outfit I made inspired by looks I’ve been seeing pop up in my Facebook and IG feeds a LOT this year. I’m talking about those monochromatic matching top and bottom outfits, sometimes in linen, sometimes in a flowy knit - the ones that advertise they go effortlessly from loungewear to office wear to going out wear. So I decided to “sew the look” using Fabric Mart fabric and a few patterns I already in my massive pattern library. First, let me share that I have very few solid color pieces in my closet. I’m so taken in by whimsy and geometric prints that this is still a gaping hole in my wardrobe - a matching solid color set was actually a practical addition for me. So let me walk you through how I created this look, and also tip you off to an error I made while cutting that worked out pretty well after all. Can you spot the error? Hint - it’s somewhere in the top: Here’s how I went about building my matchy match outfit. And here’...

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