What to do with precious fabrics?

My blue cotton sateen

My perfect fabric…

I have this cotton sateen fabric in the most perfect blue color. When I was in New York, I spent something like 3 hours at Mood Fabrics. I just soaked in all of the colors, prints, notions – everything. I bought some yardage (actually meterage- they easily helped me convert from meter to yard. Such a nice staff!).

One of the fabrics I bought was the mentioned cotton sateen. The blue is as close to Majorelle Blue (that I encountered in Marrakech) as I´ve seen on a fabric. It´s perfect!  I originally thought of making a pair of shorts from it, then I went ahead and made a pair of blue shorts out of old scraps instead. So, I´ve been envisioning a lovely blue dress with a white lace appliqué for a while now. Sadly, I don´t have enough fabric for the dress. Which got me thinking again.

My dream dress

The dream dress.

Simplicity 1995

Simplicity 1995, view 1, an alternative to the dream dress. This one I have enough fabric for.

What is the best way of using a precious fabric? Is it to make something fantastically beautiful of it (read party dress), or make an everyday garment so that I can enjoy the color of the fabric more often? Lately I have been leaning towards solution number two, to make something I´ll wear a lot. Like a pencil skirt or a pair of pants, for instance.

Skirt from Burda 02-2011-107 Skirt from Burda 02-2011-107

Another alternative- make a basic pencil skirt I know I´ll use a lot! (This one is Burdastyle 02-2011-107)

What do you think? Do you have something extra precious in your stash that you don´t know what to do with?

Beautiful roses!

Random pic of roses in a matching color.

No Comments

  1. Catherine on 08/04/2011 at 19:02

    I have some gorgeous lavender printed silk jersey that I desperately want to wear, but am terrified of cutting into. I feel like the pattern would have to be *just* right. Batwing sleeve, perhaps, so the abstract print can be featured? Not sure yet. I pull out the fabric from time to time just to touch it though 😉

  2. Marina on 08/04/2011 at 20:29

    What a pity you cannot make the dress you wanted! How much fabric do you have? What about a full skirt, circular or gored? It’s less formal than a pencil skirt and could be worn casually with a slim T-shirt or top, or dressed up with a beautiful white lace corset. I am so in love with full skirts at this moment – they can make the most conservative jacket look so much more fun. Just an idea… I wonder what you will decide at the end

  3. Sarah on 08/04/2011 at 22:19

    I would make a day dress so I could enjoy that beautiful fabric everyday. I love the Simplicity pattern – so beautiful!!

  4. louise on 08/04/2011 at 22:44

    oooh trousers, trousers trousers – straight leg fairly fitted, perhaps cropped trousers!!! 🙂
    it is hard to cut into fabric that you save for the perfect pattern, i guess thats how our stashes start!

  5. Steph on 09/04/2011 at 01:19

    I tend to hoard the extra special pieces of fabric, then when I cut them make a wadder. It’s some horrific curse….

    That said, I did buy an incredible blue piece of silk in Houston (High Fashion Fabrics!) which I hoarded for ages and ages before turning it into a delicious 1960’s cocktail dress with fabrigami and a box-pleated skirt. Still unworn, where could I possibly wear it? Sigh.

    I like your view 1 dress, will you still applique?

  6. Debbie on 09/04/2011 at 08:43

    I have started to use precious fabrics for everyday clothes partly as I so rarely go to parties except for those under 10 years of age! As long as I think I can wash the precious fabric easily I will use it. I think lif eis short, wear it now!

  7. Kristen on 09/04/2011 at 09:45

    I love the dress you sketched!!! It’s so summery and lovely. I have metres of wool tweed that I won in a design contest at undergrad back in 2003, and why haven’t I used it yet? It came from Marc Jacobs Int’l! It is so gorgeous – black and white woven to look like a marled grey, with flecks of red, blue, and yellow in it. I even brought it with me when we moved from Florida to Scotland in hopes I might do something with it finally but no, haven’t. I actually looked at it a few months ago and had a laugh when I noticed woven into the selvedge the words ‘Woven in Scotland.’ The fabric has come home I guess! I’m thinking a tweed coat or skirt/jacket combo but I am far too intimidated… Best of luck with your special fabric!

  8. kristin on 10/04/2011 at 03:00

    i adore the dress you sketched, too bad you don’t have enough of the gorgeous blue fabric to make it! i avoided cutting into the plaid i used for my coat for months! it took watching tanit-isis make about 1000 coats in a couple months to make me even trace the pattern i used. currently i have a bright tropical print cotton sateen that is very splashy for me, but i know exactly what i’m making with it and yet i insist on finishing some UFOs and then maybe i’ll get around to cutting into it.

    make whatever you’re going to love with that lovely blue, but i guarantee that you’re going to love whatever you make (dress/pants/shorts etc) out of it.

    good luck, can’t wait to see what you make!!

  9. Alessa on 10/04/2011 at 10:30

    That lace applique dress looks very pretty, I hope you can make it one day!
    I don’t think I actually have any “precious” fabric but if I had, I think I would try and make something that’s both pretty and versatile…

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