May 19, 2017 2 Comments on Sewing with sheer fabrics
The Greek Island Dress is a great garment to use with sheer flowing fabrics, but these fabrics can be a bit tricky to work with. Here are some tips to help you before you begin to cut into and sew with those wonderful and fun (but maybe intimidating) fabrics.
These tips, plus quite a few more (including tips on sewing with lace) are included in the #266 Greek Island Dress pattern. Happy sewing . . . with sheers!
April 25, 2017 2 Comments on Kimono Fabric Suggestions (and some tips for online fabric shopping)
Sometimes it is hard to find just the right fabric for your sewing project. Especially since local fabric stores carrying a wide selection of garment fabrics are not a reality for many of us. Often, we are left with the option of online fabric shopping.
Shopping for fabric online can be daunting. Is the color going to be right? the weight? the texture? fabric content?
A couple of things I do to make sure (or at least as close to sure as I can be) that I get good fabric that works for the garment I am making are:
So, after all those tips, I am going to leave you with a few fabrics I would love to use to make our Japanese Kimono. We picked these out from some of the fabric stores we trust as online sources., but there are many more out there, so you can see this as just a starting point.
Rifle Paper Co Wonderland Black from Harts Fabric. This is a beautiful and popular fabric. 100% rayon. $14.79/yard.
Japanese Dragons - Blue from Stone Mountain & Daughter Fabrics. 100% cotton. $11.90/yard
Rayon Challis Crane Print - Red from Stone Mountatin & Daughter Fabrics. Rayon challis with a fluid drape and hand. This light fabric and a pretty print would make a beautiful and drape-y kimono. $11/yard.
Bruce Botanical Satin Faced Silk Print from Vogue Fabrics. This is a beautiful print that I think would make a lovely kimono. 100% silk. $12.99/yard.
Sunstone Abstract Cotton Print from Vogue Fabrfics. 100% cotton, medium weight batic. $8.99/yard.
Geishas and Ginkos - Purple from Michael Levin. 100% chambray. $13.75/yard.
Genuine Handwoven Ikat - Raspberry/Gray from Michael Levin. 100% cotton. A traditional eastern look - very beautiful. $18.50/yard.