Made By A Fabricista: Ghostly School Uniform

When Fabric Mart asked me what fabric I wanted for my first project I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to make, Nene Yashiro from Toilet Bound Hanako kun (a weird but cute anime) but as cute as the design was, I knew I'd need to adjust the colors to a slightly warmer tones to better suit my complexion and undertones.

For the main dress I was so happy to find an off white cotton/Lycra stretch twill that was opaque enough to not need a lining and stretched enough that I could continue avoiding my nemesis; zippers.

I wanted to try out having a seamless center front panel, so I modified one of my existing go-to bodice patterns, and after figuring out what length I wanted for the skirt, was able to have the center front panel incorporated into the center front panel of the skirt. I then had the rest of the bodice as their normal waist length so that I could add an additional panel to the skirt to be able to have enough width to have volume and gather it down evenly around my waist.

The hem has a fun detail of scallops, to accomplish this I had cut my skirt length with an additional 3-4 inches, pinned the excess length to the right side of the fabric, and traced a bowl to get an even scalloped shape. Once it was traced out, I sewed over that line with a simple straight stitch, then with pinking shears trimmed close the the line and flipped each scallop right side out, pressing it smooth, and essentially making a facing in the process! Once the facing was flipped to the back, I did a herring bone stitch by hand so there would be no visible top stitching to finish off the hem.

The original taupe-brown color of the collar and accents is unfortunately not very flattering color on me so I was so happy to find the perfect light mahogany cotton shirting. The collar (as well as the sleeves) was a self drafted pattern specifically for this cosplay and has two sneaky secret pockets to hold my lipstick, that I honestly forgot I included since I had also made larger, more functional pockets on the skirt of the dress using a welted pocket technique that has them been covered by a cover for the pocket to match the ones shown in the characters design. Once the collar was sewn, I hand sewed the neckline of the collar to the neckline of the dress with a quick whip stitch so they wouldn't shift while wearing, and so I couldn't lose the collar as that was my greatest concern.

To finish off the smaller details, I used more of the dress fabric to make fabric buttons on the collar, as well as a cute bow at the center of the collar, and that finished off my Nene Yashiro cosplay! I can't wait to wear this to more events, especially as a comfy and casual cosplay, I know it'll be something I reach for often!

MINA | @cosplaytology

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista: Stripes For Spring

Hi everyone! It’s finally warming up here in southeastern Pennsylvania and I wanted to make a light, flowy dress for springtime. I snagged a vintage Laura Ashley pattern from Joanns on one of my last trips there. I somehow didn’t have anything in my pattern stash with a sweetheart neckline, so I thought it would be a good addition. The pattern calls for a giant gathered skirt, so I knew I would need something lightweight and drapey for it. Something like a pink striped cotton fine seersucker. The fabric is light and has a really nice drape, almost like a challis . I knew it would gather beautifully. I got to work cutting everything out, with help from my assistant. When I say the skirt is massive I mean it. I ran into an issue right away where my fabric isn't wide enough to cut the back panel without opening the fabric out. And my three yards of fabric wasn’t enough to cut two back panels. I ran into this issue last year when making my pinafore dress . In ...

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