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My easy to sew layered look- infinity scarf, shell and cardigan. |
I love silk charmeuse and silk chiffon! But sewing them can be a real pain. So, in a compromise, I decided to sew the simplest things possible with them. Forget about set in sleeves, collars, etc, and go for a pullover top or an infinity scarf. Leave the tough stuff for fabrics that are better behaved.
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Top from McCalls 6519 |
I've had this crazy animal print silk charmeuse for a couple of years. Since I bought it, I've often wondered why. It's garish, it's loud and not "me". Yet, for some reason, I love it. Now with animal prints being in fashion, what better time to sew it up!
I chose
McCalls 6519- a really basic shell. I would normally have to do a full bust adjustment, but I had enough fabric to cut it on the bias, which gives it enough stretch that I could get by without one. I did add some length to the body, and used a self-fabric bias binding instead of the recommended bias tape. I love how this simple top fits and will definitely be making it again.
While perusing my stash, I noticed that I had a 1-1/2 yard cut of ombre silk chiffon that had the same colors in it. Hmmm... How about an infinity scarf? I just sewed the long edges together into a tube, twisted once, and then sewed the short edges together. Voila! A designer scarf in 30 minutes. I have to say- silk chiffon is warm when you have 1-1/2 yards wrapped around your neck! This is not just a pretty scarf, it's really practical as well.
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Cardigan from Simplicity 1945 |
Unbelievably, I did not have a sweater or cardigan that looked good with this combination, so back to the stash I went, and found this caramel colored boucle knit. I love a waterfall cardigan, and decided that the cardigan from
Simplicty 1945 would round out this look.
Most of this I got on the cheap- 2 yards of the boucle knit at $2/yard from fabric.com, the ombre chiffon was in a free mystery bundle, 2 yards @$9/yard for the charmeuse, so a total of $22 for fabric, and probably $4 for the patterns. So, $26 plus a few hours of my time is the cost for this look. And I can wear all three pieces with lots of other pieces as well!
This is one of those days that I'm glad that I have an extensive fabric stash. But I'm also glad to be sewing it up! I want my stash to be functional- just big enough to find what I need, but not so big that I let fabrics go out of style before I can sew them up.
How about you? Do you have a stash, and if yes, is it a source of inspiration or frustration?
-Ann