Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hello Sewing Friends! I’m excited to share my latest Fabricista projects with you all, as these dresses were so nice to sew up. And they are just perfect for this time of year as summer transitions in to Fall here in the Midwest.   I chose 2 gorgeous linen fabrics to work with this month. I have to say, these are two of the loveliest linen fabrics I have ever worked with in my decades of sewing. These 100% Italian Linen fabrics are so unique and just an amazing quality.    The pattern I chose was one that I picked up during a Fabric Mart Fabrics pattern sale. I don’t sew a lot with Indie patterns and so when I saw the sale, I took advantage and stocked up so I could try out a few brands. This Wildwood Wrap Dress from Sew House Seven pattern company has been on my to-sew list for months and I knew these linen fabrics would be perfect for the design.  I started out with this gorgeous solid linen as my wearable muslin. Since it was a new to me pattern company, I...

August is a weird month: I’m over here sweating in a Midwest heatwave while pumpkin spice and autumn hues are starting to make their appearance everywhere. I wanted to make something that was lightweight, but could be the base for some really cute layering, and in a color that would take me from summer to fall. Fabric Mart’s exclusive rayon prints were perfect for this project. You can tell that they were curated with transitional seasons in mind, and when I saw the video previewing them in Instagram, I knew I had to get my hands on some. I am a person who loves big prints and this negative yellow floral print was oh so right. I love Friday Pattern Company patterns. Their instructions are simple and clear, and I also adore the super cute encouraging messages laced throughout the instructions and the pattern itself. However, I find most of their designs to not quite match my style. They tend toward the romantic, with lots of ruffles and gathers, whereas I prefer more straight lines. Whe...

It's no secret that I love a cool crisp poplin fabric during the summer and for this month's Fabricista make I found two great cotton poplin solids from fabric mart to create with. The summer is closing in but in North Carolina this is one of the hottest months of the Summer so I couldn't resist making a couple fun Summer pieces to carry me through the heat. I recently created Simplicity 9544 dress and loved the style so much that I decided to make it into a short jumpsuit with Earth Brown Cotton/Lycra Stretch Poplin from Fabric Mart. I used the dress version and the pants version of Simplicity pattern 9544 to draft the shorts with enough flare and room to accommodate the look I was going for.  I love the way this fabric creates an effortlessly put together casual style all in one jumpsuit. The fabric is more of a medium weight fabric with a slight sheen to it. It creates deep full folds and holds its shape very well. It makes a bold puffy sleeve, which other than the pocke...

We are slowly preparing our home for our baby girl! So, every project and stitch from now to October (at least) will probably be for her. To get full advantage of my Fabricista budget, I selected four beautiful fabrics, some elastic and zippers , to make a few items. I am showing some here, and the remnants will turn into accessories and tiny clothes in the upcoming weeks. Two little disclaimers: I know I went a little overboard with these girly fabric choices, #sorrynotsorry! Also, I would have loved to get better pictures, but the nursery is not ready yet. Check out my Instagram for better pics in the future! My first project is a snuggly and reversible lounger. I made two different covers for a waterproof mattress, so we always have a clean spare. They are machine washable and easy to change, thanks to the discreet zipper. The base of the lounger is reversible, with a hot pink patterned quilt cotton on one side and a baby pink flowery cotton on the other. The yellow bias tape that ...

Fall is one my favorite times of the year. The weather is just a little bit chilly. There is all sorts of activities, like haunted houses, pumpkin patches, & sunflower fields! I enjoy everything about fall.  Many sunflower fields don’t open up until closer to August ending in Indiana, but I happened to find one open & it was everything I wanted it to be! Today, I’m sharing my first & favorite pair of Burnside bibs/overalls , which I think are amazing for any weather, but I love them for fall! For the fabric, I used a beautiful yellow challis, which made the pants very breathable & flowy, however, for this pattern I would not recommend using challis unless you have experience sewing. When cutting challis sometimes it is very easy for the fabric to slip & alter the actual piece. The fabric was so beautiful & the floral pattern went in a different decoration than normal, so I cut it a little bit differently but it all worked out perfectly!  The sewing patt...

I'm happy to share that my husband and I are expecting our first baby in November! I know every sewist approaches a changing body differently, but my goal for this season of life is to make clothing that not only makes me feel comfortable but is also wearable during pregnancy and after.  With these criteria in mind, I hit the Fabric Mart website to shop for a couple of new fabrics. It just so happened that Fabric Mart was running a sale on Rayon Challis, which is one of my favorite fabrics to sew! It's hard to beat the comfort, softness, and drape of a Rayon Challis! I knew I had to get in on this sale for some summer makes!  I found two beautiful Rayon Challis fabrics that I just had to have! The first was a lovely 100% Rayon Floral Print Crinkle Challis in blue, red, and khaki. The second was a lovely Pearl White 100% Rayon Challis. For the floral crinkle challis, I wanted to make a Rebecca Page Back Tie Dress.  For the pearl white challis, I wanted to try a new pattern...