Four new makes and one fabulous fabric recommendation!

I have FOUR new makes to share with you! Yesterday on one of the sewing groups I’m part of on Facebook, someone was lamenting that they mostly wear very casual clothes, like leggings and t-shirts, but she feels like she should be trying out patterns and fabrics for more fashionable clothes, but at the same time, was afraid of making things she’d never actually wear.

Can you relate? I’m excited to share these makes with you today, because they are all 100% casual, but stylish at the same time. But first, let me tell you about the fabulous fabric I found (or maybe it found me, ha!)

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that while I am not paid to promote certain items, I will earn a small commission should you purchase items through these links. For more info, see my disclosure policy.

I was contacted by Fabric Wholesale Direct and offered my choice of some fabric from their website to try out. I wandered over and narrowed in on the solid cotton jerseys pretty quickly. I’ve been frustrated for quite awhile now with trying to find a good basic t-shirt fabric, especially when ordering online — they never seem to be quite what I expect. I thought these t-shirt knits were a good bet because of the 5% spandex, so I asked for three colors.

Spoiler: this fabric is perfect! I only wish there were even more colors! Most of the colors offered are pretty bright for my taste, so I ordered the burgundy, the dark gray and the hunter green, which was out of stock, so I asked for the kelly green instead (more on that later).

As you may know, I’m a huge fan of Seamwork patterns, so the first thing I made with the burgundy fabric was the Seamwork Astoria. I knew this would fill a gap in my wardrobe and I would be able to wear it over some of my Summer dresses, or paired with two high waisted skirts in my closet, as well as with jeans. Burgundy is considered a neutral color, so this piece was a no brainer.

Here is my finished top worn two ways:

Next, I tried a new-to-me Indie pattern company and made the Lulu Cardigan by Pattern Scout. I really love this piece! There are so many fun versions of this pattern out there, and I’d love to make one using stretch lace, but for now, I wanted this basic jacket, so I used the charcoal color for this one. I love the zip front!

I had scraps of both these fabrics, so I went ahead and tried out the newer Seamwork Finn pattern. I love a good baseball tee! This pattern is great for scraps, or for raiding your husband’s giveaway bag for t-shirts to cut up, ha!

Last but NOT least, this next one ended up being my favorite, even though I wasn’t sure I would like it at all! I mentioned the the kelly green colorway of the jersey was very bright. It’s a yellow based green and was just not a good color on me, but I ordered it anyway, thinking I could dye it a darker color. I did just that and it turned out great. The Rit dark green dye is blue-based, so it turned this into a beautiful color for my skin tone.

I wasn’t sure what to make next, but have been wanting to try the Seamwork Rudy hoodie pattern for awhile now, so I went for it … and I LOVE this piece! It’s soooooo cozy in this fabric, without being hot, and it’s loose without being sloppy. It’s perfection.

Here’s the difference between the colors. The small swatch is what it looked like before. You can also see how nicely this fabric sews up. The top stitching here looks so nice! It doesn’t stretch out while you sew it and it’s such a nice weight.

I harvested the drawstring from an old hoodie in my giveaway bag. The only change I made was to hem the bottom edge normally, rather than elasticizing it.

I’m definitely planning to order more colors of this fabric and trying out other fabrics from Wholesale Fabric Direct. The prices are truly incredible, as their goal is to bring fabrics to the masses at those wholesale prices, cutting out the middleman. I’m a frugal gal, as you know, so I’m always happy to share great fabrics that won’t break the bank. I think what’s so perfect about this jersey for me is the weight and the spandex content. The weight is good for both tops or dresses and the spandex makes it keep its shape. I’m definitely keeping my eyes on the black and navy for when they come back in stock and I really hope there are more colors coming (maybe some more muted and pastel ones if I have my way?)

For now, my sewing desk is all cleaned up and prepped for Christmas gift sewing!

Cheers!

Nikki