I bought this beautiful red silk fabric at Mood a few months ago and since I had never worked with a fabric that was this costly, I was terrified to cut into it. I spent many months thinking over the technique…then rethinking…and over thinking… until I finally convinced myself to bite the bullet. I started with a preshrink in the tub using a mild shampoo instead of detergent since the fabric is delicate. The tub water turned blood red and looked incredibly sketchy. The fabric seemed to have lost a lot of dye but the color looks the same as it did at purchase time.

One of the things that I had decided on during the trial pattern process was to go with four panels instead of two. When I originally put the four panel pattern together the bunching on the side looked a lot better than with two panels. After steaming the fabric out, I pinned the patterns in place. This was my first time working with silk and I really had my work cut out for me. It’s very slippery and hard to work with overall. Since it also frays terribly, I used pinking shears to cut it out. Not sure if this is a proper or practiced technique, but it seems to have prevented fraying so far.

I steamed out the bottom panels and pinned them inside out on the dress form. Next step is determining the seam allowances and dart placement.

I needed to take a break from the pencil skirt that I have been working on recently and decided to start on a gown that I designed for the Venice-inspired line. This dress embodies the romantic feel and aesthetic of the city with it’s rich scarlet-red fabric, flowing lines and black and white striped silk on the bust.

Since I am new to design and construction, I am learning what works for me in terms of my own creative process. After sketching, my natural next step has become draping. This helps me to determine the functionality of the dress. It also helps with determining if I would like to make any changes to the original design. I draped with muslin and some old upholstery fabric that I used for pillows several years back. In this case, I am in between three different styles for the black and white striped fabric that covers the left breast. One is based on the original concept and the other two are slight variations minus a strap. What do you guys think?

After taking measurements, I started to draw out the first pattern draft. I finished the draft for the bottom but am still working on the top part of the dress. I ultimately would like for the dress to be in two panels (front and back) for a smoother, cleaner look. This is proving to be a bit challenging due to the asymmetry of the top. Any tips?

I finally get to place the decorative waistband, which is something I have been looking forward to very much. There isn’t a how-to guide for something like this; it just takes some strategic placing and a lot of creativity. To do this, I placed the skirt onto the dress form inside out so the band could be properly pinned to the garment.

After making a few adjustments to the waistband and then trying the garment on, I stay-stitched the band into place. I don’t believe that this was an absolutely necessary step but I didn’t want it to slip out of place (better safe than sorry!).

Normally, I would opt for a machine stitch but the fabric overlapped a few times in the ruffle, which made it extremely thick. My fear was that I would break the machine needle. So, I decided on a simple hand stitch. I am very pleased with how it turned out:

Once the band was stitched into place and the pins were removed, I started to work on finishing the inside of the band. The fabric (as you can see) frays terribly. So, I wanted to use a finishing stitch on the machine to prevent further fraying. Big mistake! My initial fear about using a machine stitch was correct. I broke the needle. Stupidity or a right of passage? I’ll go with a right of passage. I decided to give it a rest for the night after the needle deal breaker…

Tonight, episode 2 of the new season of Project Runway. Can’t wait!!

I made my monthly pilgrimage today to the Garment District in search of fabric for the skirt I am currently working on. Believe it or not, I found the exact fabric that I was looking for at Paron Fabric’s. Paron is one of my faves because they have a good selection and the people there are helpful. I purchased 1.5 yds (extra for mistakes) of ivory-colored linen with a little stretch.

I opted against interfacing for both waistbands since the fabric is thicker than what I originally had in mind. They should maintain stiffness on their own. After folding and ironing the fabric, I pinned the pattern and cut the pieces out. The skirt panels are pinned at the seams on the dress form and are ready for dart placement tomorrow.

On another note, I found this amazing rust-colored fabric at the store. A few months ago when I conceptualized the Venice line, I designed a rust-colored gown with a built in corset. Needless to say, I am in LOVE with this fabric. It has a wet-shine look to it in certain light and an interesting texture. I spent some time draping the dress form with the fabric for new inspiration and ideas. I’m working on a design based on this concept:

I finished attaching the waistbands and am pleased with the overall look. There are a few adjustments needed so I decided to make the following changes for the original pattern draft:

- add 1” length to the hem

- fix the seam allowance for the lower back panels

- add a 5/8 seam allowance on the edges that connect the front decorative waistband to the back decorative waistband

- add a little width to decorative waistband (to create a higher waistband)

After making all of these changes, the pattern is finished and ready for the final fabric. I tried the skirt on and it fits like a glove. Very excited to wear it! My next stop will be the fabric store which is one of my favorite parts of the design process. I’m looking for an ivory-colored fabric with a little bit of stretch and a medium thickness (in between tweed and a stretchy cotton). Most likely I will change my mind about the fabric color or texture once I am at the store. We shall see!