Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Ready for Sun-Drenched Days with Rayon Challis Separates

Image
By

Hello Sewing Friends! Summer has arrived bringing sunshine and hot, humid weather.  Where I live there are days when the heat is downright oppressive, but I still want to look stylish.

That’s why I choose to use rayon challis to sew myself a few summer pieces.  It’s lightweight and breathable with a lovely drape, making it a great choice for flowing, loose, unstructured garments that are comfortable to wear in warm weather.

I sewed a top as well as a matching set consisting of a top and wide-leg pants.

For my top, I chose the Style Arc Selina Top sewn out of a dusty cherry blossom print rayon challis.

I did make a few minor changes to the pattern.   I added a small dart, lowered the neckline making it a scoop neck, increased the narrow ruffles by 3/4”, and added an additional 2” to the back gathered section. The extra fullness in the back really showcases the drape of this fabric.  

By the way, I ordered matching thread along with my fabric. I love that Fabric Mart offers that service as I have to do the majority of my fabric and notions shopping online due to limited availability locally.

Once my Selina Top was completed, I sent a photo of it to my daughter, who liked it as much as I did. Guess who now owns this top.  Yep, my daughter.   

For my matching set, I picked a primarily pink floral rayon challis. I’m glad I ordered coordinating thread as I would have used pink thread, but Fabric Mart sent orange thread, and it was perfect!

The top and pants are from the April 2016 issue of Burda Style magazine, top #114 and pants #106.

As I sewed, my mind wandered to visions of me wearing my matching set – or faux jumpsuit - to dinner with friends, strolling through the Farmer’s Market, or enjoying a free concert at the park.

With the last seam stitched and pressed, I quickly donned my new creation and turned to my full-length mirror. Only to realize it appeared that I had sewn myself a pair of extremely cute summer pajamas. 

And I love it!  With costume jewelry, a pair of cute sandals, and a hat, I’m ready for my trip to the local winery or an afternoon tea with my girlfriends.

Look at the cute detail on the back of the top.


Now excuse me while I go shop the rayon challis fabrics to sew myself another Selina Top to replace the one my daughter now owns.

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

SHARON  | @thesharonsews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories CHALLIS.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 26, 2023 at 8:03 AM

    Your new pieces are perfect for hot weather, and they are very flattering too. Easy to see why you want to replace your gifted top!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 26, 2023 at 10:53 AM

    Beautiful. Grand job. Rayon challis is my favorite fabric.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 28, 2023 at 7:18 PM

    I love this top. Pink is my go to color and she did a wonderful job with this!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 3, 2023 at 1:58 PM

    Nice. Challis is great for hot days.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: In Love with Linen

By
Linen is the best fabric to sew and wear. I selected a beautiful 100% linen from Fabric Mart that is a steel blue and cream floral linen to sew up a By Hand London Hannah Wrap Dress pattern. The flowers look like Dahlias. I originally sewed a Toile from a black and white cotton bedsheet, wore the dress a lot but never made it again. I gave the Toile away to a friend who always commented on how much she loved the dress. When I saw this fabric, I knew I wanted to make the Hannah again. Linen is so easy to sew the entire experience reminded me why linen remains one of my favorite fabrics to sew. I look for a light to medium weight  European linen for a dress. I like a rayon or cotton blend with linen because it seems to have more drape and be more soft. Linen gets softer with washing and wearing it. This particular linen feels crisp and after ironing and washing, softens up. I like how Fabric Mart describes the fabrics as top, dress, blouse, shirt weight under “Use” and will describe...
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Made by a Fabricista: What's Black and Gold with Chevron All Over? This DIY Pant Suit, That's What!

By
Hope you're having a Golden day, get it? [I crack myself up sometimes!] This DIY pant suit is golden for sure.  So tell me this, were you one of the lucky ones who were able to grab some of this fabric when Fabric Mart posted their new arrivals? I jumped on it so fast it was crazy and before you know it "poof" it was gone. So sorry I don't have any links to this fabric but all is not lost, you can use something else for these patterns. Try looking in the suiting selection for the blazer. The other awesome option is denim  and as  always check the New Arrivals. I went to my "tnt"  blazer pattern for this project because I knew the metallic bias around the edges would look fab and I was on a mission to make another pair of mimi g's jeans and trim the seams in metallic bias as well. I recommend both of these patterns to any level sewist. I did a little pattern hack on the blazer pockets to make them a little more interesting and I made a pic...
42 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: The Sheer Volume Of It All!

By
This garment was inspired by a dress I saw in an ad, and when I went to purchase it (which I rarely do)…I realized that the dress didn’t come in my size. Ticked off and with $300 back in my pocket, I decided to draft it myself. The description listed the fabrication as a silk cotton voile, so I used that as a starting point to recreate the simple yet elegant silhouette.  My drafting experience is limited; I’ve only ever made garments that are pleated rectangles that fit into an elasticated waist. No darts, no complicated calculations, and definitely no sleeves. But I’d have that dress if it’s the last thing I do! I made a drawing, created a Pinterest board to document my inspiration, and narrowed down the features I really wanted to have: billowy bubble-hemmed bishop sleeves (say it three times fast!), a fitted and lined bodice, and a gathered tiered skirt. Finally, it was time to shop for fabric. I knew I wanted a silk blend of some kind, without breaking the bank. For weeks, I ke...
14 comments
Continue Reading »