Fabric Mart Fabricistas

This romper was made in a single morning while my husband and daughter were out and about. I could have used that rare time alone to take a bath, read, or watch some TV, but I purposely stayed home to get my sewing project done, so sewing I did! And they got back home right when I was putting the finishing touches. Perfect timing! All this year, sewing sessions have been hard to schedule. I have had to be extra intentional with the use of my time. While working on the romper, I kept returning to the same question: why do I still want to sew if it is so hard for me to make the time? Why do I still put "sewing" on my long list of to-dos? The smell of the stew I was cooking while sewing got me the answer: I sew for the same reason I cook! It makes me happy. It means producing something with my hands, magically transforming things – fabrics or ingredients - into other things I enjoy. Making clothes is more expensive and time-consuming than buying them, just as some homemade meals...

Happy 2023 all! It’s a new year & I am back with a new Fabric Mart make. If you’re new here I am Macy & I love to make dresses (they’re my specialty). I enjoy sewing a variety of fabrics & shopping for them even more, but floral fabrics truly have my heart in a chokehold. If you’re returning visitor, thank you for coming! Today, I am sharing my brand new Simplicity 9642 make. I absolutely love this dress; I love the feel & movement of it, as well as the fabric. Fabric Mart had the most beautiful royal blue floral velour/velvet fabric & it paired perfectly with this pattern. The fabric has such beautiful flowers in the actual fabric that are: red, yellow, tans, & emerald green for the leaves. The fabric was remarkably easy to cut & sew with.  The 9642 Simplicity pattern has a fitted bodice & flared skirt. They have a variety of sleeves & lengths to choose from, but I chose View C. The sleeves have a series of pleats, which creates a “poof” like lo...

Velvet is a luxurious fabric with a dense, fuzzy pile. The pile is created by adding an extra set of warp and weft yards in addition to the base yarns creating that thick pile. The pile is then cut creating a nap. A nap is the direction in which the fibers run when you brush your hand over the surface. The smooth feel of a nap tends to run down your body.  Let's take a look at the various types of velvet fabric. Velvet (woven): A shiny, luxurious woven fabric with a short, dense nap. Woven velvets come in different weights from light drapey velvets, to more dense, mid-weights. Common contents of a woven velvet are 100% Polyester, Silk/Rayon Blend, Rayon/Acetate Blend, 100% Rayon. Silk/Rayon blends and 100% Rayon velvets are usually lightweight and have a soft drape making the best for tops, dresses, skirts and flowy pants.  Mid-weight woven velvets are best for blazers, full dresses, vests and accessories.  Examples of velvet wovens Panne Velvet : Panne velvets have a d...

Are you getting ready for the holidays?  I am.  From past years, it gets so busy in my household around this time of year, so it is never too early to start my holiday sewing.  This year I decided to sew velvet, a fabric I had not sewn for many years but I think it is luxurious.   As luck would have it, FM’s poly rich black velvet flashed on my computer screen and I bought lots.  I thought it would be pretty for a one-shoulder gown, which I had never worn before but admired on others.  The following week FM’s multi-colored one showed up.  It was a poly embossed Bohemian print velvet with jade, yellowish, and crimson colors; it screamed fall and family get-togethers.   I just had to have it!  When the fabrics arrived, the deep colors did not disappoint. I chose Butterick B6557 for both dresses, View B for the knee-length printed dress and View C for the maxi dress. It was perfect for velvets; the front was one whole piece and so wa...

I can’t believe we have made it to the end of another year.  Since this post is coming out right around the holidays, I wanted to create something with a bit more glam. I found this velvet sequin knit and I will say it is even more gorgeous in person.  For my look I decided to make the Mimi G x Simplicity S9370 but I decided to turn it into a gown! To do this I measured from my waist to floor to add the additional length that I needed and added additional to the back to make it have a small train.  I spread the hem of the skirt to create more of a trumpet style silhouette which made the perfect gown. This fabric was actually very easy to work with, since it is a velvet, it does have nap, so I had to make sure that I cut in the correct direction.  I also noted that I should have pre-washed this fabric before using because the fabric dye did rub off a lot as I was working on it. Once I tried my dress on to check the fit I was in love! It was so comfortable and fit pe...

With just a few days to go before Christmas, I knew my final Fabric Mart make of 2021 needed to be fancy Christmas dresses for my daughters! Ignoring all the dire warnings from sewists on the Internet, I bravely selected some cranberry sequined stretch velvet, panther black polyester faux fur , and polyester stretch lining. And then I crossed my fingers and hoped I wouldn't have serious regrets!  Using the Peony Patterns Periwinkle Dress, I created the girls' dresses first. I love the statement sleeves on this knit dress, and thought it would showcase the sequins perfectly! To minimize scratchiness on the inside, I lined the dress bodice and sleeves with some knit lining from my stash. I also cut the sleeve cuff in half lengthways so that it could be lined as well. I did try to remove some of the sequins from the seams, but laziness ultimately won the day, and after it was completed, I sealed the exposed armscye and waist seams (the side seams are enclosed in the lining) with s...

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love all things sparkly, glitzy, shiny and colorful – the lights, the fabrics, the décor, the gift wrap! These things together all make sewing around the holidays my favorite. We don’t have any Christmas plans this year, which is a blessing and a curse. We’re excited to spend some time home together, but we also love to travel so we might get a little stir crazy in the house without anything on the books.  Knowing that we would be lounging at home for most of the holidays, I decided to use my December post to make two looks – one that I can take day to night and one for going out. While scrolling socials one day, I came across this ad for a boutique clothing store with a pair of sequin joggers and a velvet blazer. I loved the casual but glam feel of it, so I decided to recreate my own pair using the Hudson Joggers from True Bias . I found this great velvet backed, sequin knit fabric from Fabric Mart and got to work!   I wanted my layer...