I've been gravitating towards all the beautiful woven fabrics in the Cali Fabrics shop lately, but I just couldn't resist a comfy knit jumpsuit for this project. I used some of the lovely brushed modal jersey knit for this jumpsuit. It has a beautiful drape and weight and completely opaque -- definitely a plus! This jumpsuit is a piece that percolated in my head for quite a while before I finally got ...
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I know Chambray Week is over but I couldn't resist sharing this polka dot chambray Gemma tank that I made to beef up my basic work wardrobe. This chambray is a lightweight rayon, which was perfect for this Gemma Tank. While this pattern works nicely in a stiffer fabric like voile, lawn or even quilting cotton, I really like it in something drapier like rayon. Sadly this rayon chambray is sold out, ...
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Welcome to Chambray Week on the Cali & Co blog! I'm thrilled to be kicking off the week, particularly because I am really happy with how my project turned out! Most chambray is pretty lightweight, which makes it great for tops and dresses, but not the best for pants. So when I saw that Ron had stocked this bottomweight chambray in the perfect shade of chambray blue, I snapped up a couple of ...
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While it's always pleasant in sunny Cali, that certainly isn't the case here in Kansas! We've been subjected to a particularly frigid winter this year, so I've been doing all I can to try to keep warm, both at home and at the office! This pink sweatshirt fleece from Cali Fabrics was perfect for that! It's warm and soft and fuzzy and I just want to wrap myself in yards of ...
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Let me tell you, there is nothing that makes you feel like a million bucks more than a great bodycon dress! I've used the heavyweight 4-way stretch knit before and it is still one of my favorite fabrics from Cali Fabrics. This time I went with the black and tan colorway and I couldn't be happier with my dress! This fabric is pretty much perfect for a form-fitting knit dress. It's nice ...
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Okay, so this post may be a little misleading because you can't actually buy this exact fabric from Cali Fabrics. But you can make it yourself, just like I did! This Willow tank started out life as this yummy double gauze that you can get from Cali Fabrics. And guys, I am not joking when I say this is yummy. It is soft and fluffy and everything double gauze should be. I wanted to ...
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I was so indecisive on what to make with this lovely dark gray cotton chambray! I was going to make shorts, but then realized that shorts weather was quickly leaving us here in the US. Then I thought about a fitted button up, and then a casual button up before finally deciding on this simple shift dress: The great thing about chambray is that it makes the perfect styling base for ...
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Okay, so calling these granny pants may be a little harsh, but I must admit that my first thought when I put them on was that they reminded me of just the sort of thing my grandma would have worn back in the day! Don't get me wrong, though, I kind of think I might love these. They are comfortable and easy to wear and surprisingly on trend! These are the Named ...
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I have good news and bad news about the makes in this post. And since I've always been an "eat your vegetables first" sort of person, we'll just get the bad news out of the way. And that bad news would be this tank. I think that it's just as important to share projects that flop as it is to share those that are successes, so when this tank flopped, I decided ...
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My fellow office dwellers all know that the holy grail of office attire is a combination of comfort and professionalism. I think a great ponte dress is the perfect fit! For this dress I chose Cali Fabric's Seafoam Green Ponte de Roma and paired it with Pauline Alice's Aldaia Dress. This fabric has a beautiful rich color, which I love for spring and summer. The seafoam green is new for me, but is a color ...
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When I was shopping for my next round of Cali & Co posts, I came across this lovely textured double knit and just kept coming back to it again and again. That was a sure sign it needed to be in my cart! It's a dramatic fabric, so I decided to pair it with a correspondingly simple pattern -- the new True Bias Lodo Dress. This is a simple knit sheath with a slight ...
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Ah jeans...one of the most ubiquitous articles of clothing in modern American culture, yet one that makes most sewists break out in a cold sweat. After all, jeans are HARD, right? Well, I'm here to tell you that no, jeans are not hard and they may be one of the most satisfying things you ever make! I was among the large majority of sewists who are scared to death of jeans until the ...
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While most of the Cali Fabrics staff may be pretty comfortable with their warm California winters, the rest of us have been suffering through an insanely cold winter! But luckily, our Cali Fabrics friends haven't forgotten us tundra-dwellers -- they still have a great stock of heavy sweater knit fabrics for all the cozy sweaters we could need. Take Exhibit 1 -- this lovely and cozy Named Talvikki Sweater! I used this ...
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I think many apparel sewists (including me until recently), tend to overlook suiting fabric because we're not actually making a suit. But suiting fabric can be so much more! As my projects have started to branch out, I find myself frequently looking for fabrics that (1) have the weight and opacity of bottomweights, (2) have more drape and fluidity than your typical twill or denim, (3) come in a variety of solid ...
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Almost as soon as I finished my first pair of Pattern Emporium Ladies Harem Pants (for which I happened to use a rayon crepe from Cali Fabrics), I knew that I needed a second pair, this time in camo. Camo fabric, combined with this pattern, would make my ultimate pair of army-inspired casual comfy pants. And sure enough, Cali Fabrics had just what I needed! For these pants, I passed by the ...
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If you've ever read my blog, it should be no surprise that I love bamboo jersey. In fact, it's probably my favorite knit fabric to work with. And that means I'm always on the lookout for good quality bamboo jersey at reasonable prices because let me tell you, that stuff can get expensive! I've purchased bamboo jersey from a number of places at varying prices, but I never thought to look for it ...
Read MoreHi, I'm Katie from the Creative Counselor, and I'm very pleased to meet you all and be part of this great blogging team! I'm a mom of three wonderful kiddos and a lawyer and corporate litigator at a Midwestern firm. That's what I do for my day job -- in my free time (ha! what mom really has any "free" time?) I like to sew, knit and be crafty. I've embraced a ...
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