Stash busting: Silk Dress / OOP Simplicity 2372

This fabric has been part of the stash for over thirty years.  It's a vintage fabric from a different era with qualities unmatched in these modern times.  I picked up this beautiful raw silk fabric during the time I was living in Toronto.  It was picked up for a song at a going out of business sale.  Once upon a time, way back in the day, it was an eight metre yardage.  This project was made with the last two metres and some careful and creative pattern placement.  

It is the fabric that makes this project special.  I don't think that my cutting table will see fabric like this again, not at today's prices.  During a recent visit to Fabricland to pick up thread, I walked past a few bolts of raw silk and since this is a rarely seen sight, I had to stop and touch the fabric.  It was much thinner than the vintage raw silk in my stash and it was priced at $80.00 / metre.  What the fudge Fabricland?  The vintage fabric used for this project has a beautiful texture and is more substantial to the touch.  I wouldn't even consider sewing a project with the modern day raw silk currently found in the stores.  

The fabric was previously pretreated and pressed before hitting the cutting table.  

The pattern, out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 2373, is a tried and trusted pattern around the work table.  There were a few changes to be noted, the center front seam was removed, an invisible zipper was inserted in the center back, the sleeves were lengthened, the hemline was shortened and finished with single fold binding.  

Project details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres

Interfacing:  0.20 metres fusible interfacing

Basting tape:  1.10 metres

Seam binding:  2.5 metres single fold seam binding

Zipper:  55 cm invisible zipper

Pattern:  OOP Simplicity 2372

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, measuring tape, measuring gauge, straight ruler, tailor's chalk, Merchant and Mills fabric scissors, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, invisible zipper foot, regular zipper foot, Janome serger, threads, thread clippers, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, tea and a few breaks along the way.  

Happy Sewing!