This is the delicious Vietnamese silk fabric I was given. I love the cranberry colour! I can’t decide whether to make a slip dress or a top from it.

I have 4 metres but it is only 1 metre wide. I had pyjamas out of this fabric years ago and they shrank when I cleaned them. So I have pre-washed and tumble dried the fabric.  It did indeed, shrink a bit.

When I make a garment, I will machine wash but hang it to dry. I may even scrunch the fabric a bit when, it is damp.  I I love this fabric looking a bit crumpled and natural. It really shows its shot colours and textures beautifully that way.

I think I’m leaning towards a top. This fabric is not very opaque and I could wear it as a decorative layer if I make a top with it.  I want something I can layer over an undershirt or A-line dress with long sleeves. This top from TM Collection is kind of what I’m thinking.

I love the clothes at TM Collection but they only make one size. How does that work?

The top above has a panel of pin tucks. I would lower the neckline and include a bust dart in the panel seam. But I think it has the right amount of bodice gathering. I also like the deep hem. This provides nice weight and improves the drape. If you were trying to cut something like this out of limited quantities of fabric, you could face the hem in a contrasting fabric.

I’ve drafted a pattern and I’m just off to test it.

Ding Dong

The postman just brought all the tops patterns I ordered. Maybe one of them will be suitable. Oh, it feels like Christmas!