Mystery Bundle Fabricista Challenge #5

For our 5th Fabricista Fabric Challenge, each contestant received a "mystery bundle".  From this bundle, we were each assigned the challenge of making a two piece outfit that included 4 of the bundle fabrics.  This was my bundle:

Getting a mystery bundle is lot like playing cards- a bit of a gamble, but lots of fun!  In my bundle for this challenge, I had one wild card- a beige wool gabardine.   One of the other fabrics in my bundle was a floral satin that I knew would make a great lining, so I decided to try to dye the wool to pick up the blue in the satin. (I got the okay from the contest director before I tried this!)

This was my first attempt at dyeing fabric, so I researched, tested different formulas, and finally came up with the perfect mix of royal blue and aquamarine dye for the weight of wool that I had. 

The vinegar is added to the dyebath to help with stabilizing the dye.  And you need to know how much your yardage weighs to know how much dye to add.  It needed to be heated at a simmer, stirring constantly for about 30 minutes.  Because wool can shrink up quite a bit if immersed into hot water, you need to add the wool to the water at room temperature and then let it heat up.  Then dilute the dye in boiling water separately, take your fabric out momentarily while you add the dye to the hot water.  

After dyeing, I had just under two yards of wool- just enough for a great short jacket.   I used McCalls pattern 6294 which had a triangular insert in the back.   My dyed wool had some parts that were more variegated than others, and I decided to feature the most variegated piece in the triangular insert.  The wool was quite fluid, so I interfaced all of the pieces to give it more body. 

For the other part of my outfit, I decided to mix two knits- a ruffly jade green knit and a large white/gray floral with plastic sequins.  My pattern was Hot Patterns 1144, Deco Vibe Sarine Dress which has a skirt overlay that tucks into the waistband.  

I only had one yard of the green knit, so it got used as the top portion.   A piece of black swimwear fabric from my stash worked as a waistband to transition into the floral knit.    Because of the plastic sequins, I chose a raw edge hem finish on the skirt sections.  Had I not been participating in this challenge, I would have never thought of putting these fabrics together.  But, I think it works!

I love blues and greens, and feel that this is a modern mix of colors that is "me".  I can wear the dress alone or with the jacket, and the jacket will be wearable with many other items in my wardrobe, as well. 

I'm excited that I branched out to try dyeing fabric, and will definitely be using this technique in the future (as well as ordering more mystery bundles)!

Check out what the other contestants made, and vote for your favorite at the FabricMart Blog!


Happy Sewing!
Ann