Project 14 - Silk - Update

oh my oh my oh my - some very very lovely person has sent me some marfy patterns to try before I get started on the "marfy challenge" and I've just had a little play with this dress (third image):

http://www.marfy.it/eng/activenews.asp?idcat=3453&idart=54101&azione=list&layout=

I picked it as it was the only dress and as you may have noticed, I have a teeny bit of a thing about dresses...

well I made it up (incredibly easily - I was surprised - it only took about an hour!!!) just to see how it went in scrap fabric and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever put on!

so little bit of a change in plan - looks like this is what I'm making up in the silk...it's mind blowing and with the drape of the silk it's going to be divine.

Going to rip apart this toile and maybe cut the silk today I'm so excited!!!

Project 14 - Silk - Update

I made up the bodice again last night but I'm still not happy with it. Tried doing French seams for the first time because all my research on silk suggested it - a lot easier than I'd expected (even though I felt I was doing things wrong by sewing on the righ side of the fabric) and very useful for lining things up.

Had a go at pinning the seam allowances to check how it looks as I'm not 100% sure about it. I had a second go at expanding it as the 'stretched apart' look of the folds isn't what I was aiming for. Gotta get it right and all...and it's a good learning experience if very frustrating. I'm finding it hard to get my teeth in with only an hour or so an evening available to do work on it.

Oh well it's best to get things right before I start on the silk...

Update: Well, that sort of worked, but I just don't like the shape of the dress now that it's my size. Think I might have a look for a different pattern...

Project 14 - Silk - Update

ok, so I finally got around to lengthening the pattern - a good excuse to get my pristine (because it scared me) fitting book out and have a look at what to do.

I had to add 2 inches - there's 2 pleats so I put half an inch above each and an inch below the bottom one. The pattern needed more tweaking than I expected to make the lines match up again, but I think I've done ok.

Hoping to cut that out tonight and redo the toile for the top of it. See if that fits, and if it does I can get on with the real thing (or put it off for another few weeks as I'm scared to cut the silk)

Project 14 - Silk

Well, after years of wandering into Liberty to gaze longingly at the fabric, I finally turned up during the sale and bought myself two metres of this:

I've never held such beautiful fabric and I've certainly never had any clothes made out of something so gorgeous.


As it's the first time I've ever worked with silk, and as it has such a bold pattern I want to make something very simple with it. I have this pattern (used view C for my dress for my Aunt's birthday party) and thought view D would be ideal:

I had to lengthen view C massively (3 or 4 inches in the bodice) when I made it before, and putting the toile together, view D will be the same...BUT...there's no "lengthen or shorten here" line and I'm not entirely sure how to go about it.