Kaleidoscopic Galaxies - Meet the Instagram Influencers

This article is linked to our previous post: Dawn's Diary: Kaleidoscopic Galaxies Scuba.

Now we can finally show you all the wonderful things that a specially selected group of Fabworks' customers have made using the current Fabric of The Month, Kaleidoscopic Galaxies.

If you follow us on Instagram you will already know plenty about this colourful scuba fabric and the story behind our collaboration. At the beginning of March we carefully selected a panel of 13 (that we're calling) 'Instagram Influencers'. The 13 specially chosen ladies are both Fabworks Online and Mill Shop customers, who regularly make their own creations using Fabworks fabrics, tagging us in their Instagram posts. We selected these influencers based on their sewing skills and polished presentation. For those who don’t use Instagram, here’s the low down.

A sewing related challenge! In March we got in touch with all 13 of our chosen group and asked them if they were up for a challenge. The challenge was to create a unique, colourful and creative garment with an eye-catching style that would show case the colourful geometric patterned fabric, Kaleidoscopic Galaxies, to maximum impact.

We spoke to everyone individually and discussed their makes and plans for how they were going to use the fabric, offering coordinating plain scuba if needed. To ensure we had a range of makes and that everyone didn't make the same thing, we created a private group chat on Instagram where everyone could discuss what and how they would make their pieces. This was fun and great to see how everyone tackled the challenge in their own way.

After the initial planning process, we were left delighted with the variety of garments and accessories that everyone came up with. There was everything from children’s clothing, to an amazing bespoke bag (made by our very own Tara – the Fabworks Millshop manager), and much more!

Below we've listed just some of the photographs and information about our wonderful Instagram Influencers and their makes. Click on the subtitle of each post for a link to their social media pages.

 

@juudvhooijdonk: Boxed Sleeve Dress & T-Shirt

Juud is better known to us as the queen of the Sculptural Bucket Coat because of the numerous and artfully crafted versions she has made of this quirky coat. A competent seamstress who loves colourful, quirky and creative things we knew that she would make something fabulous and she often pattern hacks to give things her own unique style.

Juud said she absolutely loves the scuba fabric non-fray, firm, light, stretchy and very comfortable to wear. In Juud's words "the colours and pattern of this fabric are just awesome! I made box-pleats and boxed headed sleeves on my dress, making padding for the sleeve to hold it in place. With the leftovers I made a very simple T-shirt with ribbing on the neck and sleeve edges. Scuba is one of my favourite fabrics to work with ……. One can make anything with it !!!!"

 

@sewinthegarden: Bibi Skirt and T-Shirt

Georgina’s colourful Instagram profile had caught our eye on many occasions, mainly because of her use of colourful printed fabrics often with a botanical theme and happy, cheerful style seemingly her trademark. Having never used scuba before, Georgina said “I was pleasantly surprised, don’t be put off by the thought of making something that will represent a wet suit, because it’s really not like that. This fabric is lovely and soft and has a structured drape. It’s easy to work with and just flew through the overlocker… I would say scuba is perfect fabric for beginners.

The print is loud but there are so many colours and patterns you can pair it with and plenty of plains to tone it down too. As lilac is very popular right now, I decided to pick out the lilac/purple part of the design and pair it with some plain lilac scuba to make a colour blocked TATB Bibi skirt and with the leftover fabric made a French Navy Stellan tee." 

You can see from the photos how beautiful Georgina’s creations are, she said she will definitely be wearing the skirt and T-shirt (maybe not together) but with matching plain black coordinating garments in the future.

Coordinating plain lilac fabric: Soft Lilac Scuba

 

@jenlegg4: Sundance Jacket & Warrior Pants (Greenstyle creations)

Jen is known for her love of colourful fabrics especially florals, and is passionate about making her own clothes and inspiring others to do the same. Jen's chosen patterns showcase her creative flare. We love the pleat details and panels on the Sundance Jacket which is both sporty and feminine at the same time. Jen did have experience using scuba fabrics prior to the Fun Fabworks Sewing Project and really loves working with it.

Jen said “I love the lines in the pattern and the options are endless to really make it your own.” She said she could visualise the Kaleidoscopic Galaxies scuba creating a striking contrast with plain black, "I spent lots of time procrastinating about symmetry and pattern placement… This time is well spent to achieve a professional finish… The instructions were comprehensive to follow, but I chose to omit the top-stitching as there was enough going on with the print. I can’t wait to wear this on my next cycle ride!”

 

@katherineelisao: self drafted fitness leggings & top

Katherine's first time using scuba was thoroughly enjoyable, in her words ”a breeze to cut, sew with and shape. I never knew what I could use scuba for, but as I love walking and going bouldering this would be the perfect stretchy and breathable fabric for that!”

Katherine didn’t have a pattern for fitness wear and usually likes to make clothes based on the ones she already has and loves to wear, so armed with her favourite fitness leggings and sports bra she drafted a pattern. Katherine said cutting the fabric was a dream, sewing the scuba with ease, no snags or getting stuck in the machine, plus shaping the fabric to fit was easy too!

As a first time scuba user (we're making this sounds like drugs, aren't we?) Katherine made an outfit from start to finish in about 3-4 hours! She said the fabric is bright, geometric and fun, a refreshing change from all the dark colours most people tend to wear, adding "this fabric is for a sewist of any level, as long as you know how to use a machine, give it a go, try something new, this could be your new ‘go-to’ fabric”.

We think that’s excellent! Let’s start a colour revolution with this fabric!

 

@sew_made_it: Bell Sleeve Dress (without the bell)

Claire was chosen for her wonderful variety of well made garments and use of several Fabworks fabrics which are beautifully displayed on her Instagram profile. Claire is a thoroughly accomplished seamstress and teacher too. We were a little worried that she prefers natural fibres but noticed that she had made a fabulous sweatshirt with our Camo Pride textured crepe jersey that is super vibrant and fun. Claire rose to our challenge with gusto, being excited to take part and become part of our Insta Influencers team. (Claire - were you really more excited about this than us?)

Claire said the first challenge was to choose a pattern that would showcase the vibrant colours and geometric patterns of the intergalactic Kaleidoscopic Galaxies fabric. She chose the Sew Different Bell Sleeve Dress (available at Fabworks Mill Shop & fingers crossed available online soon!). This dress has six panels so lots of scope for using the design in interesting ways. Adapting the pattern to create a short sleeved and sized down dress (patterns usually intended for woven fabrics come up larger when made in knitted fabrics). Altering the fit by taking in the centre back and side seams gave her a more fitted look.

Claire was also delighted with the endless possibilities for pattern placement in her own words “The options are endless, which block of pattern to use, which colour to pull out of the fabric, which way round to use it.”

Cleverly tracing off the pattern pieces onto Swedish tracing paper and removing the seam allowances, this enabled her to move the pieces around on the fabric where needed. (Being able to see through the paper pieces makes this much easier for pattern matching.) Claire chose darker areas of the design to draw attention away from her middle and create a slimming effect - using this technique works brilliantly!

Claire said the pattern matching and pattern placement was quite wasteful, but due to the mesmerising details within Kaleidoscopic Galaxies it will be easy enough to find a way to use up the leftovers. Claire said all the hard work was done before the sewing, so the construction was comparatively quick. She found that using a walking foot on her sewing machine helped to keep all the layers together, plus using a stitch length of four enabled her to check the pattern was matching before taking to the overlocker to complete the seam. Using a coverstitch for the hems of the sleeves and skirt (threaded with a bright orange) completed the fantastic creation.

"I love the finished dress!  It’s easy to wear, the Kaleidoscopic Galaxy fabric is bright and cheerful, it looks good with trainers/pumps for a casual look but equally can be dressed up with tights & heels or thick tights and boots for the winter.  An added bonus is due to the pattern, it is quite slimming .I like how Scuba lends a semi-structured feel to the dress, yet it drapes well.  This has been a really fun project stretching my skills in design and pattern matching and learning a lot along the way from all the other brilliant makers.  A big thank you to George and Dawn at Fabworks for all your support."

 

@patsypoomakes: McCalls 6886

Patsy is a regular visitor to Fabworks Millshop and we chose her for the Fun Fabworks Sewing Project because we know that she loves all aspects of this wonderful sewing adventure we’re all on. A prolific maker of her own clothes and with a wonderfully upbeat Instagram page and her own blog too where you can find details in her words about this fabulous Kaleidoscopic Galaxies dress.

We won't ruin a fun blog post, but here's a little excerpt: "The colours are so saturated and vibrant that you really need to see it in person to fully appreciate it. These photos do not do it justice... I have made this pattern 5 times now (always a straight size 10) and I absolutely love it. It's comfortable, easy to wear and quick to make... I am very glad I took part in this project. I would never have picked this fabric but it is beautiful. My daughter said it was the prettiest thing I've ever made."

We love the simplicity of this easy make dress and Patsy really does it justice with her beautiful photos and positive vibes and love for this superb fabric. Tap the images below of Patsy for a link to the blog!

@madewithmadness: McCalls 7446

Anne is another Fabworks fanatic and local girl, plus an ambassador for Janome sewing machines, member of the Quilters Guild and contributor to Quilt Now magazine. She’s one of those crazy creatives that is only happy when making something, especially if its colourful!

Anne's choice of the McCalls fitness wear set is excellent, the use of a plain contrasting scuba breaks up the line of the top and the dark purple part of Kaleidoscopic Galaxies draws your eye to emphasise her slim waistline. Anne was super enthusiastic throughout this project even though she suffers from Lupus which makes her quite ill at times. She said how wonderful it was that the group were all sent the same fabric but managed to make individual garments that were all unique.

Coordinating plain green fabric: Antique Jade Scuba

 

@sarahguthrie_stitches: New Look 6495 (view D)

Sarah is also a regular visitor to Fabworks in Dewsbury, living a reasonable car drive away she loves to come into the Mill Shop and check our what new goodies we have in the shop on a regular basis. An accomplished seamstress and confessed fabric addict Sarah is also one of the faces of the #sewover50 campaign. You may have even spotted her in Love Sewing magazine. Sarah was chosen because she makes the most brilliantly constructed garments in an array of uplifting colour combinations and we thought she’d like a challenge. We invited Sarah to Fabworks HQ and showed her around the place (only the chosen few customers get to see the upstairs!). We had a little chat about the fabric and how we wanted to promote its uplifting and colourful vibe. Sarah arrived at Fabworks armed with two patterns and  decided upon the lovely panelled and side flounced NL6495. Pairing the Kaleidoscopic Galaxies with the Warm Coral Scuba to create interesting colour blocked areas on the bodice and side flounces. Sarah was surprised how much she really enjoyed her first experience of sewing with scuba and also the comfort and drape element. She wore the dress on a lovely seaside weekend away - check out her photos and be wowed by the colours that pick up the beautiful blue sea, sky and the blue railings. WE LOVE IT !

 

@ginavsews: Children’s Tracksuits (@madebymepatterns)

Gina is a Fabworks Online customer and lives at the other end of the country, but that doesn't stop her producing some superb garments from the Fabworks scuba fabrics. Gina has two beautiful children and thought that Kaleidoscopic Galaxies would make fabulously fun, colourful, easy-wear and of course easy-care garments for the kids. After receiving a sample in the post, Gina said the kids loved the fabric, so it was thumbs up and hands to the pump. She added “this scuba is easy to sew with, the whole project took me a couple of hours on the overlocker and I love how unique the print is… and its only £5 per metre. The little monkeys loved their sets so much they even agreed to pose for a photo!”  We love these super cute tracksuits, just imagine how many more, funky and fun scuba prints you can try this style in. Did you know that there are over 100 different scuba fabrics available at Fabworks?

 

@sarahjw70: vintage Karl Largerfeld Shirtdress

Sarah has been buying fabrics at Fabworks Online since it launched over 3 years ago and is a passionate dressmaker maker, jewellery maker and traveller. She loves the variety and quality of our fabrics and regularly sends us photos of her wonderful creations. Sarah lives quite a distance away from us, so when visiting friends ‘up north’ she had to pay us a visit and show off one of her many designer vintage makes. We were so blown away with her creativity that George persuaded her to set up an Instagram account a couple of years ago, to show off her creations, and now look at her! Sarah’s clothes are inspired by her travels and this is showcased in her colourful and quirky style.

Here are some of her thoughts on the project: "vintage pattern meets Techno Fabric, it looked a little scary, but it was easy to sew (I don’t use an overlocker) and holds shape well, so I made this vintage Karl Largerfeld shirtdress (V1746)."

You can see from the photos below how stunning this creation is and how you can be stylish and colourful at any age! Another excellent and unique make in this fab Fabworks scuba. If you thought scuba was just for body-con wearing 20 something year olds, think again! 

 

@purplesewingcloud: Monsall Pants & Peak T-shirt

Samantha is another colourful creative with a passion for all crafts and sewing. She’s the organiser of #sewonthetyne and co-host of #sewingpatternsandprints.  Samantha’s smiley personality shines through into her creative makes and we knew she’d jump at the chance to get involved with the FFSP.

Samantha chose two garments from Wendy Wards book ‘A Beginners Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics' - The Monsall Pants and a hack of the Peak T-shirt. Teamed up with the Prestigious Black Scuba as a contrast to sit against Kal Gal and used it to trim the pocket edges of the trousers, sleeves, neckline, waistband and some fab side vents on the T-shirt.

Don’t these two easy sew garments look absolutely fabulous? THEY ARE EXCELLENT! 

 

@pipedreampatterns: swimsuit and cycling outfit

Joann is the founder of Pipedream Patterns, an independent pattern company based in Scotland. When contacted about the FFSP Joann jumped at the idea. She’d been trialing a new pattern block for a swimsuit and she said she loves the vibrancy of Kaleidoscopic Galaxies scuba and always embraces a challenge. She decided upon the swimsuit, a sweet wrap over design with waist tie, and because she was planning to get in shape for an upcoming marathon, also came up with a design for a cycling outfit! Joann’s individual pattern styles work superbly with the combination of Kal Gal teamed with the Warm Coral Scuba. The one- piece cycling outfit with hood is absolutely genius and doesn’t she look striking and certainly won’t be missed when out on the roads!

Joann, like the rest of our Insta Influencers enjoyed working with this bold and beautiful, uplifting, eye catching easy sew fabric.

Coordinating plain fabric: Warm Coral Scuba

 

 

@thatwendyward: Longshaw Skirt

Many of you will be familiar with Wendy from her wonderful and informative sewing books 'A Beginners Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics', she’s also a teacher and designer and definitely knows her way around all aspects of sewing and dressmaking.

Another fellow northerner we love Wendy’s thoughtful and no nonsense style and her attitude that everyone can enjoy dressmaking.

We know that Wendy is a very busy lady and is in the throes of finishing a new book, so we asked for her participation for the FFSP with baited breath. We were so were delighted that she was onboard and she was making her signature Longshaw Skirt from her book. This super stylish quirky skirt even has amazing scoop pockets, and don’t we all just love pockets? This skirt is so easy to sew and you can easily have one made within a couple of hours, especially if you just run it through the overlocker (but you don't have to own an overlocker to sew with scuba as it hardly frays). The skirt is super comfy and Kaleidoscopic Galaxies is just perfect for it! Take a look at Wendy in her wonderful Longshaw skirt below.

 

@taralovehandlesbags : 

Let us give her a more formal introduction. Tara is the wonderful manager of Fabworks Mill Shop, and she too is a creative addict, regularly fashioning skirts, shirts and anything else vaguely sewing related, using Fabworks fabric. Tara jumped on board with this challenge before we'd even asked her, and subsequently designed and made this fabulous quilted bag with her signature coordinating leather trims. You can see me (Dawn) modelling it in my other blog post along with my quilted gilet here. As well as making, Tara also has her own range of bag patterns and bags that are available to order directly.

 

Do you think we’ve persuaded you to jump on board with us? Can you come up with a fabulously creative outfit or accessories made in this intergalactic wonder that is Kaleidoscopic Galaxies scuba? Do you think you'd make a good FFSP participant? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

If we have persuaded you, this fabric is £5.00 per metre, but only for a limited time, unless it doesn't sell out before then!