Fabricista Guest Post: Perfectly Imperfect

Hey Sewing Friends!! I’m super excited to be a guest Fabricista. I’ve been a fan of Fabric Mart since I began sewing again in 2020. Let me begin with an introduction. I’m Eras, and my Instagram account is sewing_andmore. During the day, I work as a Nurse Practitioner, and I first learned to sew in my local 4-H club when I was in middle school. At that time, I had an amazing sewing instructor, Mrs. McKinney, who was extremely patient and was by my side for every step.

However, in 2020, the stress of being a Nurse Practitioner during the pandemic made me turn to sewing for my mental health. I started out sewing and creating masks, and I immediately saw a change in my mood. I’m so glad I dusted off my old sewing machine, and I haven’t stopped! After seeing the rush of adrenaline and satisfaction sewing provided, I started making clothes. When I no longer needed fat-quarters, I started looking for online fabric stores. It was during this time that I discovered Fabric Mart and their great selection of fabric choices and amazing sales.

I must admit I’ve been extremely nervous to be a Fabricista; Afraid my sewing wouldn’t be perfect, putting me in a vulnerable position to be critiqued by others. My family and friends are supportive of my sewing, but they also have no idea what a serger does or when to use a straight or zig-zag stitch. I had doubts: What if I’m not good enough? What if I have a stitch out of place? However, I decided to push through my doubts/fears and hope I encourage others to do the same!

To help me feel more confident, I purchased a natural cotton muslin fabric.

Have you ever used muslin fabric? Muslin is often used as backing for a quilt. Instead, I used it to make a mock-up of McCall’s 8285 View B Shirt Dress. Using the muslin allowed me to perfect the fit, practice making buttonholes, and putting together the collar less intimidating. I must admit I don’t always make a muslin, but when I don’t want to cut into my “good fabric,” I use muslin as a trial run.

After making the dress with the muslin fabric, I felt more comfortable cutting into my beautiful cotton lawn fabric. One of the best parts of ordering from Fabric Mart is being able to check the box to include a coordinating thread with my purchase.

I absolutely love this feature because I know when I receive my Fabric Mart purchase, I can immediately start sewing. Now, let’s discuss this stunning fabric.

This Muted Cream/Coffee/Pale Robin Egg Blue 100% Cotton Vertical Abstract Streaks Print Lawn is beautiful and extremely soft. Sewing with cotton fabric is always a treat because I can use a standard size sewing needle, and ironing it is easy.

Overall, this pattern is listed as “easy,” but I feel there are some advanced sewing techniques, including sewing the collar using a slip-stitch and making button-holes.

This fabric has an amazing drape and feels like I’m wrapped in a high-thread-count sheet. Not to mention, it is a very easy transitional fabric. Although it is officially Fall in the USA. Fall in Arizona means temperatures are in the high 80s. If it does get colder, I can easily put layers under my shirt dress and continue to wear this beautiful dress all year.

In the future, I plan to ice-dye the muslin fabric. For now, I’m enjoying wearing both dresses. For me, the best part of being a guest Fabricista is I had the courage to participate, and I’m glad I purchased these labels as a reminder my sewing can be Perfectly Imperfect and still feel stunning.

Plus creating this shirt dress was satisfying and had a positive effect on my mood.

Eras | @sewing_andmore

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: MUSLIN & COTTON LAWN.
You can also find our selection of KATM labels HERE.

Made By A Fabricista: A Pink Suiting Set for Spring

Spring is here! So is my first blog of the year. I had some inspiration with this one. I saw a picture on an Instagram profile and wanted to make my own. Now, my version ended up a little different, but overall, I really love it. However, I still want to recreate the inspiration pic at some point. For this look, I chose a cotton candy pink double weave suiting . It is soft, has a semi-textured hand, and has a crepe weave on the wrong side. The fabric does have some stretch to it. I absolutely love the color and feel of this fabric. This is a suiting fabric with the softness of a knit. The thing I do not like about it though is it snags. So, I had to be careful using pins and seam ripping to prevent snags. I had the Fernanda Vicki Sews pattern in mind but once I downloaded the instructions and saw how many pieces were involved, I switched to a different pattern, lol. I ended up making the Riana Blazer. It has a semi-fitted blazer with a straight silhouette. A belt and belt loops that yo...

Made By A Fabricista: Youtube Edition - Marty

This is the beginning of a long-term project to make Italian Court Garb for my partner and me. And we are 100% blaming him for this. Because he asked. This project is your standard Venetian-style pants. I originally pulled this pattern for Matthew Gnagy's Modern Marker Vol 2. But over the years, I've made changes to fit my sewing preferences. The build for this was fairly straightforward. Once you get past the volume in the legs, it goes together like any other pair of pants. The only thing that really slowed me down was not being able to find the correct buttons locally (Thanks Joanns). Overall, this was a wonderful project to work on during the deadline season for my job because of how familiar it was. I am excited to continue to work on building his doublet, cassock, and eventually my gown. Be sure to check out my channel to follow along with the full build! MARTY | @scrappypatterns (Feeling inspired? Shop Linen now.)

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Eleonora by Silversaga – A Romantic Dress you need in your closet

I recently had the pleasure of sewing up the Eleonora pattern by Silversaga, and I’m excited to share my thoughts because this one really surprised me—in the best possible way. If you’re not already familiar with Silversaga, their aesthetic leans into romantic minimalism—think timeless silhouettes with poetic details. The Eleonora Dress is a vintage-inspired, chemise-style from the Regency Era of the 1800’s design infused with modern elements like adjustable sizing, soft gathers, and flexible fit details. The Eleonora is a thoughtfully designed dress pattern with multiple views and customizable features. Some of its standout design elements include: • Adjustable fit via ties and elastic channels at the neckline and waist, allowing it to flatter a range of body shapes and sizes. • Sleeve options, including short or long gathered raglan sleeves, often finished with ruffles for added softness. • A full, swishy four-panel skirt—complete with in seam pockets and a deep hem—that b...

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