Swatch Time! The Wool Edition

It's not quite Snuggie weather yet, but I know fall must almost be upon us. My clue? I've starting coveting (and hoarding, it must be admitted) yards and yards of wool. Did you know wool comes in most of the weaves that silk does? I was surprised to find wool georgettes and satins and the like on some recent fabric-shopping trips. Here are a few of my favorites so far.

Aren't these fun? The one on the left is a polka dotted challis, which is a very thin wool. I bought a couple yards of this for a dress. On the right is a herringbone that is the perfect soft cherry red, which has been calling my name at B&J, perhaps for a little 40's-inspired suit.

I'm coveting a bright blue sheath dress for fall (possibly from McCall's 5971?) so here are a couple options on the left. The left-most one is a wool sateen, and the middle swatch is a crepe.

On the right is a wool crepe georgette in a lovely lavender hue.

Here's some unusual suiting from Carolina Herrera (one of my favorite designers). Aren't the blue dotted lines cool? I have a yard of this to make a pencil skirt with, which my mother bought me when we went to Mood. (Thanks, Mom!) It will obviously requite an electric blue charmeuse blouse, right?

Oh, and the houndstooths! (Houndsteeth?) I bought a few yards of the plum and black one here on the left, and the pink and brown on the right recently caught my eye at B&J. I haven't taken the plunge on that one since I don't usually wear brown (too monochromatic with my hair), but I might make an exception for this!

I ordered some of this lovely soft black boucle below from Gorgeous Fabrics, and it has a nice drape and subtle basketweave texture to it. Perfect for a long-sleeved LBD!


And finally, look at this black wool satin. It's very smooth, with an understated sheen.

It gave me a little idea. How about a wool satin for the wiggle dress/overskirt combo pattern? Here it is with a swatch of the embroidered tulle I bought for the overskirt:

Ding ding ding! I think we have a winner!

Swatch Time: a Love Story

So. I can't thank you all enough for your help in narrowing down fabrics for the overskirt/wiggle dress combo pattern. And I went to the fabric store intending to buy the blue fleurs, just like we talked about. But then there was a problem. Another fabric caught my wandering eye and before I knew it, we went home together. It was a moment of passion, I must confess. I think you'll understand, though.

Just look at this dreamy fabric. It's black embroidered illusion with silver beads and sequins. Be still, my heart. As soon as I saw it, I just knew it was the one. You can see why I fell so hard, right?



Here's a close-up of the embroidery:



And here's how it looks over a bit of black crepe, for dramatic effect.

I hope you can forgive my fickleness!

Now I have to find the right black fabric to coordinate with it, which isn't as easy as I thought it would be. It needs to be fairly firm, to tailor into a jacket and wiggle dress. I considered a cotton sateen, but I think it needs to be silk, to match the dressiness of the illusion. But I don't want it to have too much sheen, and therefore look too dressy for work without the overskirt. Ah, what a conundrum.

I will let you know, however, that I've decided to wear the wiggle dress/overskirt ensemble to my friend's wedding later this month - if it works out, that is. And the LBD and jacket will be perfect for work. So once I get the fabrics right, I think I'll actually get a lot of wear out of this!

Swatch Time, Part Three!

Sick of these posts yet? Don't worry, I think we're coming to a conclusion. Thanks to commenter Catherine's brilliant suggestion, I tried the black lace/ivory illusion on an ivory fabric rather than a black fabric. I thought the effect was rather stunning, and reminiscent of certain lovely ingenue's iconic dress in Sabrina.

Now I just adore this fabric combination (thanks, Catherine!), but is this the project for it? I mean, I obviously must make something out of this, but perhaps it should be something else - a skirt perhaps? Or how about this simple sheath with a lace overlay from February's issue of Burda World of Style?

Wouldn't that be stunning?

So, I'm now almost 100 percent decided on the blue fleurs for the overskirt/wiggle dress combo ensemble. Thanks to all of your excellent feedback, I think I should just take the plunge and go for it. After all, this is an experiment. If it doesn't work out, the fabric will still be in a lovely rectangular shape with which to make something else (since the overskirt is your basic dirndl shape).

It also has a really pretty scalloped edge, which I think will give this a nice, finished look. And the dress and jacket in electric blue shantung will be an excellent addition to my work wardrobe.

Seems a solid choice for this pattern, right?

Seriously, this is it. Decision time!

Swatch Time, Part Two!

Readers, you were so helpful with your input on my fabric choices for the wiggle dress/overskirt combo pattern. Thanks to you, I've narrowed it down to three finalists for the overskirt, which I wanted to show you with fabric options for the wiggle dress.


So first off, we have the fleurs, which were quite popular with you ladies. At Paron's I found this blue rayon shantung, which I think is the perfect shade of blue to match.

However, I have to say, I'm hesitant about this one. I think it looks too heavy or something, and I think there needs to be some small sort of contrast between the dress and overskirt.

Then, we have the tulle with flocked velvet polka dots, which would also match the electric blue shantung.

I rather like this! I think there's just the right amount of contrast between the two fabrics.

Finally, there's the embroidered black flowers on ivory illusion. I would pair this with a black fabric with some body like shantung or taffeta. I'm showing it here with a black crepe de chine for effect.

Again, I like the bit of contrast that would set the skirt off from the dress.

So. What do you think? I'm drawn to the vivid blue (particularly the dots, I think), but I worry that the effect will be a little Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ("It happens every time; they all become blueberries.").

The black could be chic - I could use an LBD anyway. But is it not dramatic enough?

Help!

Swatch Time! A Follow-up on the Overskirt Pattern

Ooh, ladies. Do I have some glorious swatches to show you! I've been thinking about the wiggle dress/overskirt combo pattern that we discussed last week. I posted a poll to get your opinions on this type of ensemble, and almost half of you felt this style was "cute in concept, but possibly strange sewn up."


I'm ambivalent myself, but also intrigued. So, I've decided the only thing to do at this point is to actually make it up as an experiment. I like the idea that this ensemble is the ultimate "day-to-evening" solution, which a couple of you pointed out in your comments. The dress can be worn with the little jacket during the day - totally work appropriate, as long as you don't make it in satin. And then if you have an "after-five affair" you can slip off the jacket and tie on your little overskirt! (Okay, so I have exactly zero upcoming "after-five affairs" in my life, but I figure I can flounce around the apartment in it or something.)

But I need your opinion on what fabric to best make the overskirt in, since that seems to be the key to the success of this whole operation. I got some swatches from B&J, where they had oodles and oodles of embroidered organza (some for $300 a yard!), flocked tulle, and something very theatrical called "illusion." I've picked the ones I liked best. (Well, the ones I liked best in my price range. I was going to ask for a swatch of the $300 stuff just to show you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.)

Here are your choices, with handy-dandy numbers below each swatch you can reference in your comments!

1. Embroidered illusion tulle. I love this one; it has a pretty scalloped border. The employee who cut this for me noted how unusual it was. "Look at zee tiny flow-eurs!" (He was French.)

2. Velvet Polka Dot Flocking on Tulle. Isn't this awesome? B&J carries it in a shocking array of colors, with tiny, medium, or large polka dots. I even saw one that was black tulle with hot pink polka dots! The color of this one is a vibrant royal blue, though that didn't translate very well in my photos.

3. Embroidered Illusion. Black embroidery on an ivory illusion background. Lovely scalloped border.

4. Embroidered lace. I adore this. I like the netting effect, and there are also little trails of tiny sequins and a gorgeous border.

5. Embroidered Polyester Organza. I like the the body of this fabric, but I'm not in love with the swirly design.

So, what say you?