Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Are you ready to begin? I'm really excited about the Pretty Peplum Top Sew Along and seeing what questions you have and how your tops turn out in the end! We will be covering each step in this sew along as well as modifications, tips and other ideas for this peplum top from Pamela's Patterns. Pamela will also be on hand to answer your fit questions! So let's get started. Some of you may already have this step taken care of, but there may be some of you that need some guidance. This pattern calls for a good quality knit fabric. Pamela also gives a tip for making sure the fabric snaps back into place. This means it has to have stretch. When someone says "stretch" knit what does that mean? Mostly all knits stretch, but do they recover back to their original state? If they do, then they have spandex, lycra or elastine. (Lycra is a product and trademark by Dupont Company.) There is no technical difference between spandex, lycra or elastine. If you want to learn ...

Hello there! Amber is the last of our three seamstresses sewing knits. Make sure you check out what Meg and Kathy made!  Amber did a fantastic job on this post with a lot of great tips and thorough explainations. You will definitely enjoy it! We asked Amber to make something using ITY Knit. ITY Knit is wonderful not only because it is fashionable and comes in a lot of great prints, but has nice stretch, drape, and is made to be comfortable and breathable. And let's not forget, washable. You can make dresses, tops, leggings, drapey cardigans, skirts, and more. So for the next pattern you use that suggests a light-medium weight knit consider using ITY! Check out our selection online: http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/xcart/ITY-Knit-Fabric/ And now, here's Amber:   Hi!  I'm a stay-at-home mom of two little ones after working for quite a few years in a long hours, high stress job as an IT administrator.  My mother sewed when I was growing up, howev...

 Linen has been around since the days of the Neolithic Lake Dwellers. Linen is still being used by fabric designers, fashion experts and worn by women and men today. Linen is a natural fiber that can be made out of flax, hemp, and jute. It can be a great  material on its own or blended with different fibers, commonly rayon. Rayon can give linen a luxurious appearance and can decrease wrinkles.  Flax Its native country is unknown but it has traveled west and northward into Europe. Flax grows as a vivid green plant crowned with a pale blue flower. Ireland is known as the country with the best flax rising process and production of Flax-Linen. Hemp Years ago linen was made of Hemp, an annual original from India. However this fiber is too strong and harsh which makes it difficult to spin into small sizes of yarn. Hemp's spinning process requires more time and machinery   than flax, ...

Hello! Today we have something special to share with you! We recently went on a search for 3 seamstresses who work with knits to give you some tips and tricks on how to sew this sometimes stressful fabric. We have selected Kathy, Amber, and Meghan. First up is Kathy who will be sharing with us she uses Activewear knits. An supplex/activewear knit can be a mixture of polyester, nylon, and/or spandex. These knits are created to wick sweat away from your body to keep you cool. Perfect for making sports bras, work out tops, running shorts/skirts, etc.   Here's Kathy! Kathy is a seamstress and blogger living in Baltimore, Maryland. She has a background in arts marketing and a degree in Art Education but sewing has been a self taught adventure for the past 15+ years between work, school and life. As a stay-at-home mom these days, most of her sewing is done while her sweet little two year old naps. She goes between working with knits and woven fabrics but always concentr...

Have you ever wondered how knits are made? Well we've done all the research for you! Learn a little bit about how knits are made and the different types. There are two methods used in producing fabric: Non-woven and Yarn Manipulation. Non-woven includes felting, bonding and interlocking fibers. Yarn manipulation includes: weaving, intertwining & twisting, and knitting. Weaving and knitting are the most popular methods being used in fashion, decor, medical, aviation, transportation and more.  _________________________________________________________________ Knitting Processes Stitch or Loop in black Knitting is a fabric production method done by drawing a yarn with a needle or hook needle into a loop from a previously done loop. (Just like if you were knitting yourself!) The smallest unit of a knit is a loop or stitch . A row of loops running selvedge to selvedge are called Course and a column of loops running with the selvedge are called Wale. Knit...