Tag Archives: fibers to fabric

Canyon Dress

It was so exciting to come home to a parcel of fabric from Fibers To Fabric! It’s always a period of adjustment coming home from travels, but this got me excited to get back into my sewing room. I was kindly offered a choice of fabric from Fibers To Fabric so I picked a green and white Buti Print Indian Cotton. Buti print is a textile print that features small repeating floral or geometric motifs. The Indian Cotton is soft and lightweight.

Sometimes, I dismiss a pattern due to the recommended fabric requirements. Initially, I thought that I wouldn’t have enough for the Friday Pattern Co Canyon Dress. I had 3.5m of the fabric with 114cm width. I had such a strong conviction that the pattern and fabric were such a good match that I started the process of pattern piece Jenga. Looking closely at the skirt, I realised that the skirt pieces were chewing up my meterage. I decided to cut two pieces rather than four for the bottom tier of the skirt. I just used the full width of the fabric, and I left out the pockets. So happily, I managed to get all the pieces I needed to make the short-sleeved version of the Canyon Dress.

For my measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist and 40-inch hips, I decided to sew the Size Large with Cup B/C. My waist measurement is above the sizing of the L but it has an elasticated waist which gives more ease for fit. 

I chose this pattern for the fabric because it needed something lightweight for the gathers but something with soft structure for the v-line placket and band collar. The best thing is that even though it has a dressy look, it’s an easy pull-on dress with no zip or button closure. 

It’s very easy to prepare the fabric for sewing. It’s always important to start with washing the fabric. It helps with pre-shrinking the fabric so that there is no disappointment if the garment doesn’t fit after the first wash. I changed my needle to a 10/70 gauge sewing needle for the finer fabric. I also rethreaded my machine with matching fabric for my fabric.

It says in the instructions that there are YouTube sew along videos for the patterns, but I found that I didn’t need to refer to them because the instructions included with the pattern were excellent. It was easy to follow and I learnt a lot. I’ve never constructed a v-line collar before, so it was fun to learn. Everything came together without any problems. I sewed this slowly in parts as I was also returning to work.

The Canyon Dress was a wonderful introduction to Friday Pattern Company patterns. I’ve got the short-sleeved top already cut out. I had used it as a toile for my dress so I can’t wait to go back and sew it up properly. So happy that I didn’t give up on using this pattern because I feel that it’s such a great match for the beautiful cotton from Fibers To Fabric.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em

Darla Jumpsuit 

Featuring Fibers to Fabric Hand-blocked Cambric Cotton 

It was so exciting to receive this beautiful hand-blocked cambric cotton from Fibers to Fabric for a review. The first thing I had to find out was, what was cambric cotton? It’s sometimes known as batiste and it’s a beautifully sheer fabric that’s great for summer. It reminds me of the handkerchiefs my grandmother used to hand embroider. It’s a natural fabric and usually made from either linen or in this case, cotton. It’s popular because it can be dyed easily so it’s perfect for the Fibers to Fabric hand-block.

My first challenge was narrowing down what I was going to make with it. The fabric width is 42” (107 cm) and I had 3 meters. The design of the hand-block was non-directional. I narrowed it down to the True Bias Darla Jumpsuit because I wanted to maximise the use of every square inch of this fabric. With a bit of creative cutting and use of a white muslin for the liner, I managed to cut the maxi with classic bodice version of the Darla. Gloriously, this included the pockets!

To prepare the fabric, I overlocked both cut ends of the fabric before soaking and washing it in cold water. Once out of the wash, I air-dried it then finished with a warm iron. The benefit of cambric cotton over plain cotton is the tighter weave which makes it more resilient with frequent laundering. It’s stands up better to being washed without compromise to the lightness of the fabric.

While my fabric was drying, I gathered my supplies for my Darla Jumpsuit. There are four versions of this pattern. It can actually be sewn as a dress and comes as a maxi or mini. There are two bodice options. One is a tie back or the classic with the invisible zip. I decided on the classic, so I needed an invisible zip. When I was at Spotlight, I also bought the invisible zipper foot. The pattern calls for lining which can be from the same fabric. I used a white muslin and interfacing which was already in my stash. To prepare my machine, I changed my needle to a new size 10/70 needle which is great for lightweight fabrics.

Now, I’m not brave when it comes to cutting straight into “good” fabric with a new pattern. I toiled the Darla bodice with a remnant thin cotton and had to make some adjustments. I recommend this especially since the Darla has a fitted bodice. For my measurements of 35” HB:37.5” FB:33” W:40”H, I made the size 12 and I did have to adjust the bust. It says in the pattern that it is drafted for a C Cup so my measurements would put me between the B Cup and C Cup. The structure of the bust is made from two darts, one from the side (underarm) and one from bottom (under bust). Without going into too much of the math, the dart can be adjusted to be narrower for a smaller cup or wider for a fuller cup. I adjusted the side seam to compensate for the adjustment and I only adjusted the underarm dart. The main message is to toile, and I always adjust on my body and then measure. I’m terrible at doing it the proper way which would be more accurate. I find the Darla pattern true to size.

This hand stamped floral block print was a dream to work with. It’s very stable to sew and easy to handle. I used an overlocker to finish the seams which worked fine. Some finer fabric would need French seams, but the cambric cotton tolerated the overlocking. True Bias instructions and order of construction is excellent. It was a joy to bring together this pattern and the fabric. I just need a bit of sunshine and heat to wear it. Is it okay to book a tropical getaway so you can wear an outfit? Asking for a friend. 

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em

Full disclosure: Fabric was gifted for a review but all opinions remain my own.