Made by a Fabricista: Tying in Culture

When it comes to sewing & creating garments everyone’s style & preference is different. Some people create garments that are on trend. Some people love to make vintage clothing. Some people create garments that is catered to things they love. For me, I have always been heavily inspired by my life. My grandmother & my culture have played a significant role on things I create & the things that inspire my style. My grandmother for starts often made me work out in the garden with her when I was a child & I developed a heavy love for nature & especially florals. But with my culture, I am Filipino, & ever since I have created my Instagram I have always dedicated a few pieces out of the year to that alone.

When I saw this fabric, I immediately was reminded of the Filipino sun. It was so similar to the actual image & the fabric was so beautiful that I had to absolutely have it. Usually when I make a Filipino look, I tend to make a traditional sleeve, but for this look I wanted to choose something modern, so I used McCall’s pattern 7969. For the pants fabric, I had the absolute best true black stretch denim twill. It was literally so perfect; the color didn’t rub off on anything, it was very easy to sew, and it had the perfect amount of stretch. For the pants I used the pattern, Ultimate Trousers by Sew Over It London. This pattern goes up to a size 20, which is a US 16, so for this pattern I had to do several adjustments to accommodate for sizing. 

First, I started with the pants & I measured how much the waist, stomach (which is different than the waist, rise and the hips were on the actual pattern pieces. After that, I properly measured myself with those same measurements to see where I would need to add to each piece. I traced each pattern to the pant & got going.

The pants were generally very easy to make. Once you get past the cutting, it goes really fast from there on. For this pant pattern, it’s just a few darts & a waist band. The denim twill had enough stretch in it that I did not need to add a zipper. The pattern technically calls for one, but the fabric was so good that they just slipped right on.

Next, I worked on the shirt, using McCall’s 7969, & originally this was designed to be a dress, however, I loved it for a shirt. My favorite part about this pattern is the sleeves. They are so big & poofy. I also, loved the bottom of this shirt, where it is oversized & gathered. The shirt was fairly simple to make & the instructions were very easy to follow. The fabric was cotton poplin shirting & it was so easy to work with. When making it into a shirt, I just simply put a pin in where I wanted the shirt to stop & I cut the fabric 1 inch below that to ensure that I had enough for a hem. I flipped the bottom of the shirt & sewed a regular hem & the rest was history!

MACY | @macycamile

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: COTTON, SHIRTING, & DENIM.
You can also shop our collection of Sew Over It patterns HERE.