Made by a Fabricista: Sewing Silks with Ann

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

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

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