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Hi lovely readers. I am so happy to say I am sharing what I made with Christa Watson from Christa Quilts new fabric line, Modern Marks, from Benartex Fabrics with you! Christa is a long time fan of my podcast and from the beginning has been one of the most encouraging friends. She even puts up with my random texts and emails full of questions about EQ, podcasting, fabrics, quilting, and everything in between. She is just the best and I am so excited to sew with her debut fabric line. I remember when it was just on her dream list.

modern marks fabric bundle

Get a bundle of Modern Marks

Christa has been super busy the last couple of years marking off her list of dreams she wants to accomplish. If you know Christa at all you know that when she sets her goals she does everything she can to accomplish them. She has written three amazing books The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting (co-authored with Angela Walters), Machine Quilting with Style, and Piece and Cut with Precuts. She has two amazing Craftsy Classes, The Startup Library: Quilting and The Quilter’s Path: Plan it, Stitch it, Quilt it. She even has an online shop full of patterns.

modern marks audrey dress

Okay onto my dress that I made using two prints from Modern Marks, Crossmarks in Green and Pink. I wanted to make a dress for several reasons but the biggest reason was to show that you can use quilting cottons for more than quilting projects. I recommend washing, drying, and pressing the fabrics before cutting out my pattern pieces. This will help prevent the fabric from shrinking too much after you make the garment.modern marks audrey dress 2

I used the Audrey Dress from Simply Sewing Magazine, Issue 24. Sadly it is no longer available. (I think a good alternative pattern would be the Emery Dress by Christine Haynes.) The Audrey Dress is such a great pattern and easy to make. The pleats are so pretty and, surprisingly, much easier to sew than you would think. I promise. I love the color green and knew I wanted the dress to be green. I even asked my followers on instagram which color to use… green was the clear winner. I am so happy with this dress and the green is just perfection.

modern marks surrey dress 3

I did add some pops of pink because I am a quilter and I wanted there to be some patchwork type element to the dress. I mean I had to. It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. I was so proud of this dress when I finished. I tried it on for my family and my seven year old exclaimed, “mom you have the perfect watermelon dress!” Well I do come from a line of farmers so I am happy to call this my Modern Watermelon Dress.

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I will wear this dress so much and think it will be perfect to pair with a colorful cardigan during the chilly winter months. I have to confess that I am not 100% happy with the bodice darts but I do know what I need to do to make them better the next time I make this dress. The little mess-ups (that I am sure I am the only one that notices), the patchwork elements, and the fact that I made a dress with my dear friends fabric line are what make me proud to wear this dress . It is so special to me and I want to encourage you to step outside of the box and stretch your sewing skills.

modern watermelon dressTIP:: When you buy a garment pattern always look for the hashtag on instagram to see how others made their versions and for tips and tricks with the pattern. I also do a quick google search to see if there have been any sewalongs or blog posts that might help me with the tricker parts of the pattern.

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If you want to learn more about Christa take a listen to our chats on episodes 037, 077, and 092 of the Modern Sewciety Podcast. You can listen via iTunes, Stitchr, or right from the episode blog post. On the blog posts just scroll down to the bottom of the post for the media player. And subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t for more chats with creatives in the sewing community and to be the first to know when Christa is a guest again. We always have a lot of fun on our chats.

modern marks audrey dress simply sewing

If you would like to win a bundle of 8-10 Modern Marks fabrics just leave a comment below telling me::

What is your favorite fabric color to sew with?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:: Enter for a chance to win a bundle of 8-10 Modern Marks fabrics by leaving a comment on the blog post. The giveaway is open through Friday, December 8th, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Because of the size of the giveaway — 11 bundles! — Benartex is limiting it to U.S. only to keep shipping costs down. I will notify the selected winner and they will have 48 hours to reply with their shipping address. Good luck!