Guest Post: Maddie from Madalynne

Maddie's on the blog today!

She has a wonderful sewing blog that must be bookmarked in your resource library right now!

Following our post on how silk is made by Gabby, we asked Maddie to help us on how to actually sew this beautiful fabric. Which if you have ever attempted, you know it can be a real hot mess!

Try her tips below, and if you have any questions please comment on this post or send us an email.

We would love to help you get answers.

Hi, my name is Maddie Flanigan and I am the blogger behind Madalynne, the cool sewing and pattern making blog. If Steve McQueen was the “King of Cool,” then Madalynne is the “Queen of Cool.” My blog covers everything from how to draft a sloper to interviews with independent pattern makers/designers and what projects I’m working on. For the past two and a half years, my day job has been in the technical design department for a very large fashion company in Philadelphia. A couple of months ago, this company took note of my personal blog and asked me to start an Internet blog that would create a cohesive voice for all their brands. Cool, right? I consider myself one lucky gal to be able to do what I love both day and night (blog and sew), not to mention I receive a stellar discount off some really fancy clothes.

Enough about me though, let’s talk about silk.

Silk can be a disaster or a beauty. It can be sinuous and smooth or pucker like no other. It’s all up to you and how much TLC you give the fabric. Below, I have listed my tips on handling and sewing silk. Each point is super important but the most important thing to remember when sewing silk is patience. If you find yourself impatient or rushing at any point, step back, take a break or sleep on it, and come back to the project. Silk needs time and care and when you give it, you’re project will be epic.

Maddie is a big fan of using muslin underneath her silk when cutting out her pattern. She pins right onto the muslin so it prevents the silk from slipping around while she's cutting.

What a great tip!

We sell muslin too! So the next time you order silk, think about adding a few yards of muslin to your order.

We suggest using your cut out muslin pieces as a sample run of the garment you will be making prior to sewing on your actual fabric to check sizing and prevent as many expensive mistakes as possible.

Silk is not as daunting as before now, right? We hope so! Give it a try!

Shop our silks here.

Don't forget your muslin!

Help Our Buyers Shop!

Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out! I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?

Made By A Fabricista: Just Wear It Out!

Originally I wasn’t happy with my make this time around. I put it on fresh off the sewing machine and didn’t love how it fit. My elastic was slightly too narrow for what the pattern called for. I did end up putting a stitch to close up the v-neck on the top. I thought my sewing on the waistband looked sloppy and I looked kind of frumpy in the outfit. I was going to put the project down to fix later but decided to wear it out for some feedback from our web manager and one of the describers. I ended up pleasantly surprised! The fabric is super comfortable and I felt really good wearing it. All the things I didn’t like kind of melted away wearing it out. The flaws were so small that only I noticed them. I think it’s important to remember that while striving for perfect seams and flawless construction is good, a handmade garment doesn’t have to be perfect to be wearable. This isn’t the first time I’ve softened on a garment after wearing, and it certainly won’t be the last! The 100% c...

Made By A Fabricista: Spring Has Sprung

It’s that time of year again! It’s spring time! That means it’s flower dresses for everyone! Yes, I needed three consecutive sentences that ended in exclamation points. Lol If you didn’t know, spring is my favorite time of year because it means my birthday is coming. Last year I chose to make a dress for my birthday and I loved it. I probably should have made something for my birthday again this year, but this fabric was calling my name. I wish there was more of this fabric so we could be fabric twins, but it’s sold out. The fabric I chose for my make is a dark imperial blue floral print challis . Again, it’s sold out, but I bet if you wait a little bit the challis will go on sale. I loved this fabric the minute I saw it because blue is my favorite color and I love a good floral print. Also, it’s screaming springtime! This fabric washes and dries really well. I pulled it right out of the dryer and folded it right up until it was time to cut into it. I didn’...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog