Silk Blouse

 

I used a silk satin with a bold print, I bought in 2010 and Simplicity 9200 Misses Shirts. I was hoping by using a TNT pattern and a little more knowledge I could manage silk! I spray starched the fabric before cutting out. Allowed it to dry and then ironed it. I sewed slowly with a Microtex needle and used a lot of pins!

On this version I sewed the centre fronts together to make a pull on blouse (I checked on an earlier version that this would work!) and changed the sleeves to be wider at the hem and go into a narrow cuff. I debated adding front pockets to break up the print a bit but haven't done so at this point. (I've saved the scraps in case I change my mind).

I thought after lots of working with viscose (rayon) that I was ready for silk abut I still found it really tricky. The spray starch reduced the fluidity but didn't address the slipperiness of the satin. I think I'll allow a bit of time to pass before I tackle the next silk in my stash, but I'm so glad I'm no longer avoiding the silk.

Black Coat Completed

 I've finished the coat!

I chose these buttons from my stash as I thought they picked out the grey tones in the fur collar.

The lining is black satin (here's the coat inside out)

The buttons, lining and fabric came from my stash. The wool fabric was leftover from an unlined jacket I made for SWAP 2009. I did need to buy shoulder pads and fray check. The sleeve heads were made with a scrap of batting leftover from my Rainbow Quilt.

The pattern is Simplicity 4003 View B lengthened by 6 inches.