Made By A Fabricista: Silky Prints for a Tropical Vacation

Hello again!  I want to share with you my latest project using silky prints. My family had been planning to go to the Virgin Islands for a vacation. For this trip I wanted loose-fitting outfits.

When the summer Vogue patterns were released, I fell in love with the vintage Vogue V1886 caftan. It is ankle length and the sleeves fell elegantly to the hemline, hitting the arm slightly above the elbows. It has a scooped back, which would make it comfortable in hot weather. There are side panels, but no seams. I could wear this relaxing under an umbrella during the day or for an evening stroll to enjoy the breeze on the beach.

FM’s polyester lightweight charmeuse silky prints caught my eye. Even though I swore I would never again sew slippery fabrics, the coastal mountain print on the fabric (SKU UQA7666r) was hard to resist.  The moonstone blue/berry pink/medium blue/taupe were cool relaxing colors.

While looking at the first fabric, I saw another silky print (SKU UQA7667r) that was hard to pass. The lapis blue/cream/red salsa/lemon medallion palm print was bold and the colors give a carefree retro vibe.  They would look good against solid garment pieces.  I decided this would be the right fabric for Vogue V1706, whose asymmetric overlay on the bias would tone down the circles and its wide legs would show off the softness of the fabric.

I prewashed the fabrics.  As expected, they would slip off the cutting table and the ironing board even with pattern weights.  They frayed much, too.  I used almost a can of spray starch to stiffen them so I could control their movement.

I cut a medium size for the caftan and used French seam to minimize the fray. Still, threads would peek through the seams.  I meticulously snipped them off. The sleeves were finished with narrow hem and the hemline were hemmed by hand. The pattern itself had 4 main pieces and was very easy to sew. Modifications: I omitted the buttonholes in the front to avoid disturbing the print. I also omitted the dart on each side panel; they were not necessary. I used a storebought bias binding to finish the front and back neckline.

The V1706 top and pants were also easy to sew.  I cut size 14 for the top and size 16 for the pants.  Because this fabric was a smidge thicker than the other one, serging the seams instead of employing French seam was enough to control the fray.  Machine blind hem stitch finished the pants’ hem. Modification: I omitted the top’s back zipper because the neckline was wide enough for my head. I increased the armhole size.

Dare I say my outfits are unique! Lightweight charmeuse silky prints are not the easiest to sew, but the drape is awesome.  My vacation feels luxurious already.

Til next time,

MARY ANN  | @anasewperfect

---

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories DESIGNER SILKY PRINTS & CHARMEUSE.