I Broke My Fabric Ban!
Bianca SilvaHello, hello!
I’ve been on a bit of a mission for a while to not buy any fabric and use more of what is in my stash and it has been challenging at times.
I see so many posts and get so many emails with gorgeous fabrics for sale, and to be honest, I’ve just deleted most of the emails before even opening them to not feel tempted.
But…
This week, I cracked.
I needed to get some fabric to make a sample tote bag for a workshop I am planning on running, so I don’t class this one as breaking the ban because it’s not really a make for me.
The one that did break the ban was one I had my eye on for weeks at Leon’s!
Since I was buying some fabric for the tote bag, I just threw some fabric in for me. 🤭
So for the tote, I got some drill fabric in beige, pink and orange to all be used in the same project.
And then I got a wool mix fabric that’s very muted for me, but it just looks lush!
The cream with the tiny black spots looks stunning!
I plan to make the Sewing Therapy Hanbok Vest (it’s a free pattern!) and I really could have just got 1 metre of fabric… but I got 3! 😂
A coord kept on coming to mind, like a skirt or trousers and a vest, or even an A-line mini dress. So I got enough to cater for this idea. 😀
Stitches of the Week
Ellie and Mac - Button A-line Skirt and DIBY - Kid’s Tee
This project is in full swing! I decided to hold off on making a dress for me to get this one going.
My daughter is choosing to make her best friend a gift and she wants me to make a skirt with buttons down the front, a crop top that has to show the belly button 🙄 and a matching scrunchie.
The patterns I decided to use for this are the Button A-line Skirt and Oversized Tee both from Ellie and Mac.
So I made the Oversized Tee first, but my daughter said her friend wouldn’t like it because it was too loose around the arms. So I unpicked everything to cut out another pattern from the pieces, but then realised I couldn’t cut the new pattern from it properly.
I had to cut completely new pieces of fabric again. 😏
The new t-shirt, the DIBY Kid’s Tee, passed my daughter’s inspection. I’m leaving the hems of the top until the end because I want to dust off my coverstitch machine.
In the meantime, I’ve moved onto the skirt and it’s looking so cute already!
My daughter originally requested 3 matching sets, one for the friend, one for her sister and one for herself. I’m not quite sure I’m going to do that actually because I feel they have enough clothes to last them for a while, so I won’t mention it in the hopes it’s forgotten!
Fabric: Autumn ditsy print cotton poplin for the skirt and ochre cotton jersey from my stash.
Size: The skirt is a size 6 and the top a 5(because I couldn’t be bothered tracing the next size up!)
The Drama: Having to cut the crop top twice because it wasn’t to her liking!
The Win: I’ve made a lot more progress on it than I thought I would this week!
Skill Builder of the Week
Sewing with Cotton Lawn & Poplin
Cotton lawn and cotton poplin are both good choices if you’re looking for stable, easy-to-handle fabrics, but they do behave a little differently.
Cotton lawn is classed as a lightweight fabric. It’s fine, crisp, and a little sheer, making it perfect for blouses, shirts, or even layered dresses.
Cotton poplin is a light - to medium-weight fabric.. It has more body than lawn but is still breathable which makes it perfect for shirts, dresses, lightweight trousers or even some bag making projects.
What needle to use?
For cotton lawn, a 70/10 or 80/12 universal works best. For a sturdier cotton poplin or projects with multiple layers/interfacing, a 90/14 is a good choice.
Neatening the raw edges
Woven fabrics like to fray, so it’s a good idea to finish the seams. Options include using a zig-zag stitch, overlocking the edges, cutting the edges with pinking shears, or French seams for a neat finish and one that will last.
Pressing
Cotton poplin and lawn press very well which is perfect for darts, pleats and hems, but this also means they wrinkle easily. Keep your iron out for the whole process, and give your project a good final press for a crisp, professional look.
Handling the fabric
These fabrics are usually stable and not slippery which makes them easier to cut and sew than something like a viscose or chiffon. Still you should avoid stretching the edges that were cut on the bias, like necklines or armholes, because the fabric can become distorted. Consider staystitching these areas to avoid stretching them out.
These fabric bases, poplin and lawn, are really easy to learn on. They don’t shift too much, making it easier to cut and sew, and they press really. They are also very good to use in a wide range of projects!
Maker Spotlight
This week’s spotlight goes to @m3niemi!
Marja chose this print not knowing which fabric base it was going to be delivered in because it was a surprise. When it arrived, she saw it was stretch satin and knew that it needed to be
trousers.
She used the Ploen Patterns Strom trousers and they are just gorgeous made up in this fabric.
Marja even went a step further and bound all the raw edges on the inside and it looks so neat that the trousers can even be worn with the wrong side out! 😍
Want to be featured in my newsletter? Just reply with a pic of your make. I’d love to see what you’ve made!😍
Catch Up
I Sewed the Marigold Trousers and Here’s What Happened
Events:
Sew&Bond - August (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - September (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - September (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - 25th of October 2025 (4 spots left!)
Workshops:
Build Your Confidence in Sewing Workshop
Sewing Patterns:
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Bye for now, B! xx