Sewing Inspiration & Fabric Picks for Mabel

In the mood for Mabel? You're in the right place! It's time for your dose of Mabel blouse and dress sewing inspiration. 

The Mabel sewing pattern is ideal for many fabrics you may well already have in your stash. We recommend lightweight woven fabrics that gather easily. Cotton-based materials such as lawn, poplin, voile and seersucker will give a casual daytime vibe, or you could go with something like a viscose (rayon) or crêpe for a softer silhouette and silkier look for the office or a party.

Gingham & Checks

Fabric: Yarn Dyed Gingham Cotton - Blue & Yellow

If you're new to shirring, make your life easier with a fabric with directional lines like ginghams and checks. We love this combo so much, we made our Mabel blouse sample out of gingham too!

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Simple to show off the shirring

Fabric: John Kaldor Rapture Viscose Crepe Fabric

Show off your newfound shirring skills with a solid colour fabric. The viscose crepe we used for our head-turning fuchsia Mabel dress has a luxurious drape and comes in a range of colours.

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Spots and dots

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You can't go wrong with polka dots! Mini, speckled or bold. Monocrochome, muted or multicoloured. There are so many spotty fabric options waiting for you.

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Florals

Fabric: Joni Floral Stripe Ecovera crepe - navy

We know we aren't the only ones obsessed with Fabric Godmother's Joni fabric. With its directional floral border print, you can play with the positioning like we have above; with the print horizontal across the bust and vertical on the skirt & sleeves. But we're also dreaming up bold floral print dresses and pretty ditsy blouses. There really is no limit to flower prints!

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Embroidery Details

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Tilly recently shared her beautiful embroidered Indigo dress on the blog and this lovely floral embroidery would look right at home on a blousy garment just like Mabel. (Stay tuned for an embroidery tutorial coming soon-ish!)

We hope this has got you itching to get on and pick a fabric to make your Mabel dresses and blouses! For more Mabel sewing inspiration, make sure you check out our dedicated Instagram hashtag where makers have already started sharing their gorgeous Mabel creations. We can't wait to see yours!

#SewingMabel

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Author: Abi Dyson