Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hey friends - I am so excited to have been invited to participate as a Fabric Mart Fabricista this month!  This year is the year I challenge my sewing skills.   I have wanted a moto jacket for some time.  Not just any moto jacket but one that has a classic and timeless style. I saw the Dana Marie Moto Jacket pattern on the Fabric Mart website and knew that was the one.  The fabric I used was a beautiful porcelain white/black/silver 100% polyester plaid weave boucle suiting.    Remember when I said I wanted to challenge my sewing skills?  😉 This fabric was beautiful but fragile to work with.  It was a great mental challenge that had me problem solving before sewing to avoid any potential problems.  I first traced out the pattern onto tissue paper to determine the fit.   I used scrap cotton fabric to sew up a “practice run” of the jacket.    I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the jacket comes together.  ...

If you read my review on " A Right to Bare Arms " , a sleeveless top by Dana Marie Designs , you will see that I talk a lot about the collar. The pattern comes with directions on how to make the collar with a bias collar and a non-bias collar.  On my first attempt at this top, shown below,  I made the collar from a black ponte knit. I chose the ponte knit because I didn't want to mix a knit with woven. I also didn't have any solid wovens in my stash, so I opted for the black ponte thinking it would have enough stability. Putting a knit on bias is not a smart choice. (I should have known better!) Here are some close-ups of my issue... I really should have used the non-bias method if I wanted to use the ponte knit.  I decided to make another top, but this time using a woven for the collar and cut it out from the non-bias method. Here were the results:  Much better don't you think? I also top-stitched the collar to give it more str...

To go along with the recent post, In the Studio with Dana Marie Designs , I selected one of her patterns to try out! I selected A Right to Bare Arms, a sleeveless yoke styled design that can be cut to three different lengths (tunic, knee and calf.) It has princess seams for a flattering fit and a slightly flared hem. I've seen this pattern made up many times and I'm not only going to share with you the two items I made from this pattern, but many other variations of this pattern using different fabrics! I love when a pattern can be used with a wide variety of fabrics because  you're going to get something a little different every time! The first design I made about a year ago. I used a rayon jersey knit from Fabric Mart (sorry, not available anymore) for the bodice and a ponte knit for the collar. The pattern calls for stretch knits as well as cotton, rayon or any other woven fabric with nice drape. It is important to note that the pattern comes with tw...

If you read my post about Summer Sewing Projects , I plan on sewing basics for my wardrobe, things I can wear everyday! I also like trying to highlight the many pattern lines we carry on our website. So one evening I was thinking about new ideas for the blog and I decided to do a series of interview and review posts about the Indie Pattern Designer's lines that we carry! So not only am I building my wardrobe, but showing how you can do it too with Fabric Mart fabric AND our line of patterns! This week's featured pattern designer is Dana Bontrager from Dana Marie Designs . I have worked with Dana for a few years now, providing her with fabric for the International Textile Expo Fashion Show. The International Textile Expo is a wholesale fabric show where designers, manufacturers and fabric stores source fabric, trims, buttons and other finds.  Dana graciously volunteered to be the first designer to be highlighted! It worked great because I was working on one of her patterns to...

I'm so excited that summer is finally here!  If you read my post on Me-Made-May , I participated on a very small level. I didn't post photos of me in handmade clothes every week. In fact, I only did it once! After I wrote that post, it was hard for me to keep up! I didn't have enough quality garments to get me through without wearing something more than once. Too many of the handmade items I have either 1) are not weather appropriate, 2) too dressy for everyday wear, 3) did not fit me the way I would like it to. So my goal for the summer is to make simple tops for everyday wear. I find that I do not do as much sewing in the summer because I am outside either working in the yard or enjoying the weather! So simple projects are better!  Right now I'm working on Dana Marie Designs - The Right to Bare Arms . It is a super easy sleeveless top or tunic pattern. I'd also like to try her other sleeveless top A Little Something Xtra . But I have to buy some bras w...