Made By A Fabricista: Is it pronounced "The-Koon" or "Tuh-koon"?

Hi!

Is it just me or do you find it almost impossible to pronounce most of the famous fashion designer names or labels? When Fabric Mart received an inventory of Thakoon fabric, I was super excited, because I have seen beautiful makes by this designer! However, when I attempted to share this great news with one of my new sewing pals, I realized, I don't even know how "Thakoon" is pronounced. So I pointed it out to her on the screen instead, lol! Luckily, she is also familiar with this designer and was able to tell me how to pronounce it correctly and I confirmed on you-tube..."tuh-koon". Now if you are like me, and struggle with saying fancy designer names or labels, check out this cool you-tube video I found for a little help.

Okay, let's get into this month's DIY look!

This is a beautiful double-faced 100% silk satin. Very luxurious sounding, huh? Well it is. The colorful print is gorgeous and I love the contrast black and white design on the other side. It is very seldom that I feel overwhelmed by a busy print or fabric like this. When making clothes with bold fabric, it is just a matter of knowing how to balance it out to create an interesting, but comprehensive and stylish look. I could not wait to get my hands on this fabric to have some fun with it. Julie from Fabric Mart did a little research and discovered that this fabric was used to make garments for Thakoon's 2015 pre-fall fashion show. Guess what, there is still some of this fabric left, click here to get yours. I also picked up a couple yards of the silk chiffon version (see here) and a different Thakoon lawn jacquard fabric (see here) during a sale. Both are beautiful! You all PAY ATTENTION to Fabric Mart sales, I have purchased really cool designer fabric for super deals!

Now we all know that sometimes things do not go as planned. Well, I planned on making McCall's M7537, view C. As I started stitching together the garment, I did not care for how the dress was looking. I did not see the look I had envisioned for this fabric coming together. Therefore, I stopped halfway through (as you can see below) to figure out a look I truly wanted to wear. I was too excited about this fabric to continue making a garment I was not sure I loved. I will probably re-visit M7537 with different fabric, because the pattern is very cute.

Since I had cut out all of my pieces for M7537, I had to figure out a look where I could salvage the fabric and remaining scraps. I decided to go with the crop top for Simplicity 1099, view B. I used two pattern pieces, the front and back bodices. Instead of using the facings, I completed the edges with a hem or narrow hem. Since my torso is shorter, I hemmed the top at 7/8ths of an inch to make sure I got the cropped effect and so that the design and details of the skirt could be seen. I love the high-low effect of the crop top. A benefit of using the double-faced fabric is that with movement or if the wind blows, you get a glimpse of the other pretty side.

I took a little care in matching up the print on the wrong side. I cut out one piece at a time. Slippery fabric like this is prone to slide around when folded, which means it is harder to keep print lined up when cutting pieces on the fold. So for cut-on-the fold pattern pieces, I cut one side, then flipped the pattern piece to cut the other side. This gave me control over how the print was cut.

McCall's M7537, view C, is designed in a way that two contrasting pieces of fabric are sewn together to create a gathered bottom for the dress. I had already stitched the bottom of the dress together and I wanted to continue with the contrasting look; however, I did not want to make a gathered bottom. The fabric is too stiff for a gathered bottom, plus I could tell it would not hang correctly. Therefore, I chose to make more of an A-line structured skirt.

I split the center back of the previously constructed bottom and added an invisible zipper. I opened up the side seams and added contrasting pockets and attached a waistband. I made slight pleats to fit the skirt within the boundaries of the waistband. Notice that I cut my waistband with the contrasting print running in the vertical direction vs. the horizontal direction of the bottom of the skirt. I thought it added a cool element to the look.

This is my first time making a garment in silk and/or satin. I stitched this with a 60 sharp needle, which worked out well. Here are pictures of the insides.

I hope you enjoyed, until next time...have a great month!

Yours truly, Tee
from Maggie Elaine blog

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