If you like to keep up with the latest fashion trends and are a sewist who is inspired by current runway fashion, here is the forecast for the 12 hottest fashion trends for the fall according to Stylecaster.com. Included on their list is fur and faux fur, ruffles, shades of tan, gold metallic fabrics, bomber jackets, turtlenecks under dresses, plaid overcoats, dramatic off the shoulder blouses, dusty pink with bright yellow, pant suits with bold prints, floral prints and chokers. While all the necessary materials to create these trends are available at Britex Fabrics, today we will focus on three. Gold Metallic

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Bright metallic fabrics, especially gold are the stand out fabrics gracing the runways this fall. What was once a trend for the less hip, metallic fabrics are all the rage. Britex Fabrics carries many fabrics that are similar to those used in the creation of some of the latest runway designs. This gold metallic and black fabric is available on the second floor of our brick-and-mortar store, it is a polyester and Lycra blend, it is 45" wide and $18.99 / yard. polyester / Lycra blend 45" wide $18.99 / yard   Dusty Pink and Yellow

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At first glance, this color combination seems more appropriate for spring, however designers such as Ulla Johnson and Delpozo used turtlenecks and coats to give a more autumnal feel. We have an array of fabrics in Dusty pink and bright yellow, including wool, silk, linen and cotton. Pictured above are two fabrics available in 100% cotton on the second floor of our brick-and-mortar store. 100% cotton 60" wide Dusty pink $18.99 / yard 100% cotton 44" wide Bright yellow $15.99 / yard Continue Reading

Announcing free Britex buttons with purchase in our brick and mortar store! A new staff favorite is the new houndstooth one. Collect all six of these awesome buttons. Come in and make a purchase and any one of them can be yours!

Photo credit: Liz Clayman

I've kicked off the new year with a pretty busy schedule here at the Jamie Lau Designs studio. I just wrapped a photo shoot of my new textile designs and also added my latest Britex project to the shot list. With this post, I wanted to branch out from dresses and into the world of separates. I designed a pair of pleated shorts in one of my prints a few months ago and wanted to make the same cut, but in a different fabric. For this project, I selected the cream Windowpane Check Black and Carmine Wool Crepe for my checked ensemble. This wool crepe does not wrinkle and has a nice pebbly texture and soft weight. For the overall look, I found the smaller scale of checks appealing and was partially inspired by the geometric designs of André Courrèges and the playful, mod aesthetic of Foale and Tuffin.

 

(Left) Dress by André Courrèges, 1968; (Right) Marion Foale at the sewing machine, 1963 Continue Reading

When I discovered the beautiful and vintage-y modern plaid at Britex, I knew I had found the fabric for which I had been searching.  I had in mind a short sleeve button-up shirt for my husband, but wanted something different than classic dress shirting.  This fab plaid completely fit the bill!   However, once I laid out the fabric and went to cut out my pattern, I realized I had a big challenge ahead of me.  Plaid.  Matching plaid is one issue; deciding in which direction the plaid should be arranged and the overall layout was the other.  Should the plaid on the yoke be diagonal?  If the yoke is on the straight grain, could the pockets be diagonal?  What about the placket??  I was completely paralyzed by indecision for a while, but after looking at some ready-to-wear men's tops, I opted to go for a straight-laced version with no diagonally arranged plaid pieces.  Really working the 70s vibe of the fabric might look great, but I wanted to be sure my husband would actually wear the shirt!

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