Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hello friends.  My name is Byrd and I am a self-taught dopamine-loving curvy sewist.  I’m super excited to share my first Fabricista make.  This is the Named Clothing Company Ilma Smock Dress in a yummy Black/Pink/Emerald Retro Floral Print Challis.  The Ilma Smock Dress is a fun flirty off the shoulder dress with a wavy tiered hem and elasticized neckline.  There is also a top version.  Let’s get into the details. Fabric choice is everything.  Fabric Mart’s Retro Floral Challis was perfect for the Ilma Dress.  The fabric is light, soft, smooth and has a gorgeous drape.  I immediately fell in love with the print.  The vibrant bright orange, pink, green and blue set against the black background will set you apart in any setting.   The Ilma Smock Dress is officially rated as an intermediate pattern but there are no buttonholes of zippers.  I’d personally rate the pattern beginner advanced.  The instruction booklet is de...

Hi everyone!  When I saw this floral print linen/cotton blend make it’s way onto the to-be-described table I knew I had to make a dress from it.  I’d been staring dreamily at all the dresses from the brand Son de Flor who had just put out their spring collection and thought, maybe I can throw together something inspired by them!  I grabbed three yards of that floral shirting and a yard of SWC5682w to line the bodice with.  I used Simplicity’s S8946 for its simple bodice block.  This pattern has a gathered rectangle for the skirt, but I’m a sucker for a circle skirt so that’s where I decided to start.  I folded the fabric twice and cut out the longest circle the fabric would allow.  Then got to work on the bodice, sewing up the darts and attaching everything. Now, I don’t love installing zippers.  I ha d a lot of trouble getting them to sit right, and no matter how much mental gymnastics I do when first pinning one side is always put in the wrong ...

We always talk about how the Fabric Mart team is really more like a family. Well in this instance, the two in today's employee spotlight literally are family! Everyone say hello to Mother-Daughter team Mistianne & Karis! Let's start with Mistianne! Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself. Mistianne Guzman. Wife, mom of two beautiful daughters, owner of an online ballet costume store, and ready for adventures. How long have you worked at Fabric Mart? 1 year in June. What are your main responsibilities? What do you do? I work in the back cutting room getting everyone's orders ready and helping out in the store. What’s your favorite thing about working at Fabric Mart? The people and I get to work with and fabric! What question are you asked the most? Will this fabric work for....... Do you consider yourself crafty? Yes! I quilt, sew, crochet, knit, make ballet costumes,one of a kind dolls, weave, rug hook and and and Favorite thing to do outside of work? Any hobbi...

Dee & Dory are back on the Fabric Mart blog, and they've got some fresh Fabricista Makes to share with you! Dive into their latest video to catch all the details on their fabric picks and how their projects turned out. It's a cozy chat filled with sewing tips and inspiration – just what you need to spark your creativity! Click play and join the fun! Dee: Spring is finally here! I celebrated with a six panel gather full skirt with a waistband. Two front pleated pockets are decorative and functional. A 7 inch back zipper makes putting on the skirt without difficulty. The pattern is a simplicity 9180. The beautiful stretch sateen fabric is a white cherry pink, poppy red, cotton Lycra. It has a 24.25 inch vertical print repeat and is machine washable for care. A fun skirt which can be worn dressed or casual.  Perfect for a spring celebration.  Dory: I used Butterick 4238 to make a cool spring outfit.  My tunic is from 100% cotton poplin shirting.  I love the fabric! ...

We’re in full bloom for Spring with my new fabricista feature for this month! I’m kicking off the season with one of my favorite Spring KnowMe patterns ME2027. This Fabric Mart viscose challis fabric is the perfect fabric for Spring and I love a floral on a black background. It’s giving me bold retro vibes and I'm definitely here for it. When you think of Spring you think of florals, colors and lighter weighted fabrics. This fabric is giving it all. I love the bold large scale print flowers up against the black canvas. The fabric is viscose challis fabric so it has a natural soft drapey feel to it which makes it great for spring dresses, skirts, jumpers and blouses.  For this project I chose to create a version of my KnowMe Spring 2023 Jumpsuit pattern. It had the retro vibe to compliment this fabric and I love the way it turned out. I omitted the trims for this make and made it one solid fabric. This pattern has a zipper at the crotch and comes with buttons at the bodice. I switch...

Spring has sprung once again here at Fabric Mart! Today I am sharing my newest two piece set that is hot off the press. Two piece suits are very “in” this year/season. I would also like to consider these pieces to be a classic closet staple, meaning you can truly wear this at any time & it would still be considered fashionable.  To make this outfit I chose a beautiful white rayon twill & a white polyester lining. I thought this would be perfect for the Simplicity sewing pattern S9689. The fabric itself was not at all hard to sew with. Personally, I don’t hardly choose white to create with, because I just don’t wear it too often, but it truly came out nice. The fabric does tend to wrinkle fast. For matters of this nature, I would starch press it before leaving, so that it can add longevity to the garment.  The Simplicity pattern S9689 was not hard to sew for me, but maybe more Intermediate than a Beginner. The vest has a cute faux welt pocket detail & a tie around...

Spring is everywhere you look! Full winter jackets and thick sweaters are no longer daily wardrobe requirements, and new spring fabrics are blooming at Fabric Mart! Every Spring, I try to make myself a new dress to celebrate the turn of the seasons, but this year I had a grand sewing plan to make 5 new spring garments. It all started one day while browsing the Fabric Mart website. I saw an adorable cotton veggie print shirting fabric and envisioned it becoming a special little button-up shirt for my son to wear on Easter. The cotton veggie print shirting reminded me of the Peter Rabbit stories I used to read as a child and then all of a sudden I got carried away with my ideas. My initial idea grew into a mother-and-son outfit coordination idea with button-up shirts and ended with an entire family outfit coordination plan. I ordered 2.75 yards of the cotton veggie print shirting fabric to make two button-up shirts and a tie. Most sane people would have stopped there with the matching sh...