Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Sewing Silks with Ann

Image
By


Silk charmeuse.  Aahhhh.  Just the thought of it brings me bliss.  Is there anything as light as a feather, shimmery as a star, and fluid as a mountain stream?  All wrapped up in one glorious fabric. Sometimes I look at the prices of clothes in the stores, and wonder "Why am I sewing?” But one touch of silk charmeuse and I remember. This is the stuff that you can't buy a top made from silk for less than $200, but you can make it for $50 or less.

When I saw this stylized animal print silk charmeuse at Fabric Mart, I grabbed up 3 yards of it right away. One of silk charmeuse's best qualities is its drapability, and I'd been looking for a fabric with fabulous drape to make a crossover draped front blouse pattern from Style Arc- the Dotty Blouse.

Dotty is really designed for a fabric that looks the same on both sides, as the pattern piece for the front is just one piece that flips at the hem.  Since my fabric is different on the reverse, I decided to split the pattern piece into two at the hem level, add a seam allowance, and sew them together.  Now, when it folds back on itself, you'll see the right side of the fabric. 


Cutting silk charmeuse can be tricky.  Here is my go to method:


 1.  Lay a layer of tissue paper underneath the fabric, and pin the fabric to the edges.  (Save all that tissue from your gift bags!)

 2.  Use fabric weights that have pins at the bottom of them to hold the pattern in place.   These are by Olfa. I don't think they make them anymore, but if you ever see them at a garage sale or eBay, snap them up, as they work remarkably well!

 3.  Change the rotary cutter blade to a brand new super sharp one. Silk fibers are very strong, and if your blade is not 100% sharp, you'll end up with uncut fibers.   

4.  Cut firmly through all layers. And voila! You have a beautiful cut edge.


Hemming slippery silks can be a bit of a challenge.  I hemmed the back bottom edge using a technique called the Baby Hem.  It's my favorite way to hem delicate and slippery fabrics.  


Since Dotty is so loose fitting, I needed something form-fitting on the bottom.  I found this soft black and tan stretch denim at Fabric Mart to go with Burda 6879- a skinny pant with pockets and a back yoke.   


The faux fur vest is made from Burda Style pattern magazine issue 11/2012, #103.  The vest is lined, and really quite warm. I bought the dusty pink faux fur from Fabric Mart a couple of years ago. It's super soft and fun to wear. I love combining it with the silk draped blouse for a contrast in textures. 

If you’ve been tempted by the silk sales at Fabric Mart, give some of these techniques a try, and you’ll find that sewing with silk is very rewarding. 

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!  Stay warm, have fun, and have a wonderful New Year!

-Ann




Comments

  1. Faye LewisDecember 23, 2014 at 11:32 AM

    Gorgeous outfit. I love every bit of it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sue ParrottDecember 24, 2014 at 9:36 AM

    Ann, this is lovely! Well done and thanks for the tips on sewing silky fabrics!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: The Skirt that Brought my Sewjo Back

By
I know it can’t just be me. My sewjo has gone away and I’ve been having such a hard time trying to get it back. I remember the days when I used to sew every single day without fail and now, not so much. I think about sewing and all the things I’d love to make, but I just haven’t found the motivation. I kind of know what the issue is. I started a new job last October and ever since I started, I’ve been sewing less and less and I don’t like it! Well, in comes Simplicity S3237.  Summertime is here and it’s time to bring out all the skirts. Simplicity recently released S3237 as part of their summer patterns. This skirt is a full, gathered skirt with a bias-cut yoke with side seam pockets and an invisible back zipper. The skirt comes in 3 different lengths – mini, midi and maxi.  I decided to make View B which is the midi length. I’m not much of a maxi length kind of girl and that mini was a little too small for me. I sewed up a size 22 with a few modifications. Let’s talk about th...
6 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Summery Stripes Set

By
Warm weather and linen go hand in hand! Our summer has been slow to show up with the heat, but bright, sunny afternoons have me all ready for light, swingy garments to stay cool. Wearing matching sets has been one way to make getting dressed easier when I hit decision fatigue since reaching for two items that already go together removes the need to plan or do any rearranging.  This is a lovely lighter-end-of-mid-weight linen in the most beautiful and subtle seaglass hues of grays and greens. This color combo strikes me as so calm and sophisticated, and a little stripe-play is perfect for details.  My tank pattern is the brand-spankin’ new Matchy Matchy Sewing Club Sunny Side Tank, just released this week. It’s a perfect little cropped A-line shape for wearing with high waisted pants or showing some midriff.  I made no changes to the extra small. The wide neckline is so elegant and this shape still gives full bra coverage to boot.  These really cute pants are the Mat...
3 comments
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: The Ultimate Secret Maternity Dress

By
When you find the perfect summer dress pattern that also happens to be 100% bump-friendly, you don't just celebrate—you immediately plan to make it in every single color of the rainbow. At least, that’s the executive decision I made after sewing my first Tilly and the Buttons Mabel Dress for the Fabricista Blog. It all started with a classic late-night scroll on the Fabric Mart website, where I fell hard for a gorgeous midnight blue cotton lawn block print. I knew I wanted an easy-to-wear, breezy summer dress that could accommodate a growing bump, but I didn't want to buy a pattern I’d only wear for a few months. So, I turned to the internet.  After researching bump-friendly patterns, the Tilly and the Buttons Mabel kept popping up. Sewists everywhere were praising it for its ability to adapt to a changing body. Could it really live up to the hype?  Now that I’ve made one, I can confidently say: Yes. Absolutely. Here is what makes the Mabel so magical: ● The Silhouette: A...
1 comment
Continue Reading »

Made By A Fabricista: Check on It

By
We are getting close to the start of summer and I am coming to you with this checkered look to start the season.  I had an inspiration saved of a full checkered set which I absolutely loved and said if I ever find the perfect fabric I would make it.  I was so happy to see exactly what I was looking for one day when I was checking out Fabric Mart’s site.  Not only did I find the exact big check but I also saw the traditional gingham shirting in a very close colorway.  I thought it would be fun to work the two scales together to create a look.  I’ll admit sometimes I overthink things and end up going down a deep rabbit hole trying to find a new inspiration that would work.  I wanted to make something that still would reflect my personal style and could continuously rework in my wardrobe without it looking too “countrytime” or “clownish”. My other goal was to try to use a pattern that wouldn’t be too cumbersome as I am still working out of a temporary space a...
5 comments
Continue Reading »