A Cotton Silk Friday Pattern Co. Wilder Blouse

Have you ever sewn with cotton silk? Have you ever picked a design and fabric base and gotten a fabric custom printed just for you?  I would have answered a resounding “No” to both of these questions up until just a few weeks ago.

I took my first dive into the world of fabric printing with My Fabric Designs, which is a local (to me) fabric printing business. (Dallas, TX). They offer 28 different fabric basis that you can print on. You can design your own fabric or pick from a vast number of designs already in their database. They have a print for almost anything you may fancy, from florals to science prints to holidays to kids if you do not have a fabric already designed.

I ordered a swatch book a few months ago just so I could see what their bases felt like and what they had to offer. It cost $5 and came included a 3.5×5 inch print of all of their bases on a metal ring. I was really glad that I ordered it  because it helped me decide what to try first. I am a very texture driven person when it comes to clothes. I notice seams and don’t like for fabric to feel cold or have odd textures. This means that sometimes ordering online I stick to the same tried and true places and fabric types because I hate ordering fabric without knowing how it is going to feel. The swatch book also really helped me to know what type of garment I could imagine sewing from each base.

The Fabric

The first base that I immediately fell in love with was their COTTON SILK. It is 49% cotton and 51% silk and feels amazing! It has the soft and luxurious texture of silk. It is a great weight for a top, dress, or skirt, and it just feels so good. It is 42 inches wide so I ordered 2 yards of it for a top. The floral I picked is Cherry Blossom in Navy Blue that was designed by oppositedge.

I felt like I could spend hours browsing through all the available designs because there is so much to pick from. I think the only thing I would change about picking your own design is having a filter within the categories so you can narrow down your interests easier.

I was really happy that you were able to pick the scale you would like of the print, and I highly recommend using a ruler to imagine what the printed size will be or changing the option to swatch on the listing photo. The listing photo by default shows how it looks printed across an entire yard, but you can change the listing photo to a swatch or fat quarter using a drop down menu. I downsized mine some by clicking smaller, and went back and forth in my head several times as to which scale would be best. I think this floral was a pretty easy one to pick to start with because it looks really good large and would also look great on a micro level.

For those who are curious about the wrong side of the fabric, the underside has some of the print showing through, but it is not an exact copy of the front. The wrong side also has more of a cotton feel while the right side has the sheen of the silk.

The cotton part of the blend gives it a nice and stable feel and makes it really cooperative and easy to sew with. It pressed very well and was not shifty on my machines at all. I was really happy with how quick it was to sew with.

I also noticed that it wears really well (i.e. doesn’t look like a wrinkled mess after wearing). I took these photos at the end of the day after wearing this shirt since the morning. I did lots of house work, holding a toddler, and even wore it under a cardigan and a coat at one point.  I am so happy with having a woven that doesn’t need to be ironed with each wash and doesn’t look crumpled at the end of the day.

I had taken photos of the shirt earlier in the week right after finishing and ironing it. When I wore it again, I noticed those earlier photos were just too bright and caught way too much shine and the wrong color of the fabric. I thought, well, it will be a good experiment to wear it all day and see how it looks worn. I also like it much better with pink joggers than jeans. What do you think? Looking at this photo also makes me remember why I LOVE cloudy days for photos.

It is not that shiny of a base like the photo above! I am so happy I retook my photos.

Are you interested in ordering from My Fabric Designs? You can use code “SML15″ for 15% off your order! 

The Pattern

Now, let’s chat about this pattern! I used the Friday Pattern Company Wilder gown for my top. This is my second time to make this pattern and won’t be my last. You can find my first post on this pattern on the Minerva blog.

It is a raglan sleeve top or dress with a sleeve length somewhere in between long and short. The pattern does not have layers, which I found odd because so many PDF Pattern Companies offer the luxury of being able to print out your pattern in only the size you need. Thankfully, this one did not have a lot of crossing lines that are close together so this did not pose any challenges in sewing.

The part I love so much about this pattern is the tie closure at the top. It is such a pretty feature, and I feel like a present all wrapped up. It is a really quick sew and even though it is drafted for a woven, I think it will work just as well in a knit fabric. I hope to have time to try it in a knit!

Do you like to sew with woven fabrics? Or do you stick to knit fabric only? I think people get turned off on wovens because they can be more fiddly/slippery, particularly when you have one with nice drape, and they also require more ironing when sewing and when wearing.

I absolutely love sewing with wovens, especially ones that do not require all the upkeep and are easy to work with. I definitely plan to order and look for this base again in the future!

I know we are not here to talk about my pants, but I must tell you that the Brassie joggers are my most worn pattern. I have well over a dozen in regular rotation. Maybe 20? If you search my blog, I have three pages of posts on them! Well, the good news about the pattern is that it is getting an update right now to include more sizes! Once updated it will includes hips measuring from 32 to 62 inches! This pair is in French Terry.

I am such a big fan of pink and blue together!

When I ordered this silk cotton fabric, I also ordered a knit fabric to try in another print. I just finished my dress from it last night, and it is so summery and fun. Hopefully, the weather will be kind to me so I can take photos of it and show you next week.

I hope I have inspired you in today’s post!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Resources

• Fabric can be found here. Use code “SML15″ for 15% off your order.
• Top Pattern – Wilder Gown
• Bottoms Pattern – Brassie joggers (This is an affiliate link, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase using it. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.)

Disclosures

I received this fabric for free in exchange for a blogpost giving an honest review.

XO

Sharon