What to do with precious fabrics?
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.
The dream dress.
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.
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?
Random pic of roses in a matching color.
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 😉
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
I would make a day dress so I could enjoy that beautiful fabric everyday. I love the Simplicity pattern – so beautiful!!
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!
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?
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!
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!
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!!
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…