Made By A Fabricista: Three Bengaline Basics – A Jacket, Skirt and Vest

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews excited to share my latest Fabricista makes with you.  When Fabric Mart offered an array of stretch bengaline suiting fabrics, I choose three different fabrics to sew myself a few basics to be worn as the season transitions from winter to spring.

The bengaline fabric I used is a woven rayon/nylon/lycra blend fabric with the stretch running vertically (lengthwise on the fabric) instead of horizontally (selvage to selvage).  It lends itself well to fitted and structured garments, such as jackets, pants, skirts and dresses.

Because of the vertical stretch, I folded the fabric cross grain to cut out my fabric pieces so the greatest stretch would go around my body.  

I used a stretch needle size 75/11 due to the lycra in the fabric. I also eliminated the interfacing as I discovered this fabric did not like fusible interfacing and I did not have any sew-in interfacing on hand.  

Now let’s talk about the garments I sewed.  First up is my jacket. 

Originally, I was going to use this abstract print to sew an oversized boyfriend style jacket with a black contrast lapel, but realized after I received my fabric that I had misread the fabric yardage and didn’t order quite enough.  I’m sure that has never happened to you.

Having sewn the Style Arc Delphine Woven Jacket before I knew this fabric would work beautifully for the design.  

I did a full bust adjustment and went up one size for a more relaxed fit. I also added 3/8” thick shoulder pads as I think a padded shoulder works well on my body shape.

The jacket is fully lined, and instructions are included to bag the lining which eliminates hand sewing. A huge plus in my sewing world. The pink lining fabric was from my stash, and I added a label as well as a size tag. 

Next up is my pencil skirt. As I have plenty in my existing wardrobe to wear with my jacket, I wasn’t concerned about choosing fabric for the skirt that would coordinate. 

Instead, I picked this charming white fabric with pink flamingos as I have a fondness for those cute and whimsical creatures.  

The pattern I used is the Cashmerette Elwood Skirt, one of their club patterns.  The skirt is fully lined, with an invisible back zipper, a small back walking slit and front angular pockets.  I really appreciate the design of these pockets as they stay flat when the skirt is worn.  I used a cream-colored lining (from my stash) which I think it blends better than if I had used a white lining.

Skirts used to be one of my favorite things to sew and wear, but over the past five years I’ve really gotten away from wearing them.  Between the last skirt I sewed (my Fabricista linen skirt) and this adorable flamingo print skirt, I am really enjoying wearing skirts again. 

My third basic is not something I had planned to sew. However, since I changed my mind on the jacket pattern, I had unused black bengaline fabric that had been ordered for a contrast lapel.  With the limited yardage my choices were another pencil skirt, a cropped sleeveless top, or a vest.  As you can see, the vest won.

In my mind I wanted a somewhat boxy shaped vest with no buttons, so I pulled out a Simplicity pattern from 1989 and got to work.  I did a full bust adjustment (adding a dart), eliminated the back buckle, and added a flat satin piping with tiny rhinestones along the outer edge. 

Once I finished sewing the vest (which is fully lined using lining from my stash) I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision with the fabric and trim. However, I do like it worn over this white shirt (a ready to wear, as y’all know I could achieve an even better fit if I’d have sewn it myself!) paired with a pair of jeans. 

Now that I’ve sewn three items with the bengaline fabric, I wouldn’t hesitate to sew with it again. If you’ve never used this fabric before I encourage you to give it a try.  

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

SHARON  | @thesharonsews