sewing silk Tag

13 Apr Garment #9 McCall’s 6885

I was briefly tempted to spend $326 on a shirtdress I saw online before walking into a shop and seeing it on a hanger. I snapped to my senses upon feeling the paper thin silk on the shapeless garment. Since I returned to sewing, I have watched many ready-to-wear lines continue on a downward spiral, but wouldn't you think $326 would buy a decent shirtdress? In November, my friend Ruth gave me three beautiful pieces of Korean silk from her mother's collection.After the shirtdress incident I knew what to do with the middle fabric; an exquisite silk twill with a kaleidoscope...

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26 Oct Save the Silk!

Shame, Shame, Shame! The only thing that saved my latest from being a wadder is the beautiful crepe de chine from Mood Fabrics. It's all I can do to smile. The search for the perfect tunic pattern is taking a hiatus. I outsmarted myself by combining pattern pieces from my favorite tunic patterns, including Butterick 4856 Simplicity 4149 and Simplicity 1461. I liked the bodice of Butterick 4856, the two-piece back of  Simplicity 1461 and the placket of Simplicity 4149. After coordinating the measurements from the different patterns I assumed all was safe but I met near disaster at almost every juncture :( Saving the...

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29 Sep Silk Tunic #2

Hubs and I were among the passengers of some 2,000 cancelled flights to Chicago this past weekend………. The only upside of missing our friends’ wedding was the unexpected weekend of sewing time, and I resumed my tunic mission. Better? Many thanks for providing such great suggestions for raising the bar on tunic sewing. I especially enjoyed receiving this Pinterest link loaded with tunic inspiration! Like many of you said it’s in the details and I got busy modifying the Simplicity 4149 tunic pattern I made last year. Relaxing the fit of my existing muslin allowed for a better drape which is easy to see...

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06 Feb Marfy + Mood = Love

Have you made your Marfy yet? Thanks to Leisa Stanton of A Challenging Sew, I had no more excuses to avoid the chic Italian patterns without instructions. Not only are three free patterns available for downloads on the Marfy website, but Leisa is providing sew-a-longs for the patterns on her blog and just completed the top sew-a-long. How do you like it?  The pattern is Marfy 1913, and after two muslins I was ready to cut my Thakoon silk crepe de chine from Mood Fabrics. When the silk arrived in July, I was tempted to make my 5th sleeveless ruffled top. “No! No! No!” exclaimed the...

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09 May Simplicity 2497

While sewing my casual knits the ruffles were calling my name, and I answered. The craving to sew ruffles was stronger than any craving I've ever had for chocolate, but I tried to be practical and made an all-purpose white shirt. Of course it's all-purpose! Mood Fabric's Ivory Solid Goes with Everything Silk really does go with everything in my closet! It's perfect with my re-fashioned floral pants...

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