Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Silk Giveaway


I told you :)


This piece has been in my stash for a year or more; a gorgeous European silk metallic constructed of two layers.
Two layers held together with gold metallic thread


The drape is wonderful yet it is perfect for more structured garments as well. I bought this to make a Chanel style suit, something inspired by Chanel's Spring '09 couture collection.


If you have a Pantone chart, the color is close to Pantone Winter White 11-0507 TPX or Cloud Cream 12-0804 TPX.



And that's why I'm giving it away. It has a warm tone which is a no-no for me. This is a generous 3 yards, 52" wide,  plenty to make a stunning outfit cause there's no matching involved. And, you could pair it with silk chiffon as it appears the Chanel suit above has done on the sleeves. I'd even insert silk charmeuse in the front slit on skirt :)
On the other hand, if you're unfamiliar with silk, this fabric is not difficult to work with and could be a great project for a basic suit or jacket, and it won't cost you a dime :), well, almost. I'd still recommend you buy silk thread and silk lining...

The fabric can be used on both sides to create a design effect
If this is a color you can wear or you want to make something for someone special, leave me a comment on this post. I won't be back until August 22 so let's make the drawing Monday August 23.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Silk

Here I am in the latest silk creation, Burda Tunic 02-2009110 and Burda skirt 03-2010-105.



Side zipper and re-beading to complete design
Both fabrics were bought at B&J Fabrics in NYC. The black is silk chiffon with three types of beads: black round and rectangular, and silver rectangular. The tunic is in a super lush silk charmeuse. I made it a bit looser this time to accommodate movement- yes, I wear this when I choreograph :) it has such wonderful drape. I also lengthened it 1".

I had very little of the beaded fabric( $$$ ) so I couldn't make a complete match on the sides, although the left side (see above) comes pretty close. But since this design isn't too obvious I just created new design lines by re-beading. Also, I never wear ANYTHING tucked in anymore so I don't have to worry about the upper part. The skirt also ended up a lot shorter and sits on the hips. I wanted to take more photos, but my camera fell off the tripod! Yes it broke, well the flash broke, so DH is off to get a new one. Did you know we've been married for nearly 18 years? That's a LIFETIME here in Hollyweird...

I did manage to take photos BEFORE the accident so below you can see some of the work  I did.



Daisy asked where I buy my silk fabrics:
The plain white and black I buy mostly from Dharma Trading, and some from the Silk Connection.
Katy mentioned Thai Silks and I buy from them too, they have some lovely prints. Then locally, I have F&S Fabrics five minutes away and Moods is about ten minutes... yes, I know, I have it goood...

I have several pieces in my stash and some I don't think I'll use (wrong colors for me), so watch out :) There will be another giveaway muy pronto! We're taking a little break from the hustle and bustle to spend time on the beach in Laguna, and then we're off to NYC.

And to the last giveaway winners; thank you, I received your mailing addresses and the magnifiers will ship tomorrow.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Giveaway Winners

There were 40 comments but one was a double post and one was from a previous satisfied winner, Bunny, :) so the random number went from 1 to 38:

FIRST WINNER:




SECOND WINNER:



Congratulations to you both! Let me know where to ship. bjorum at mac dot com

And thank you everyone; I loved reading how magnifiers would aid you in the sewing room -and, like Melissa, how you could use them for other things as well. I use them when my little one gets a splinter or anything else that is tiny, just like the dermatologist wears a similar contraption during an examination. I wish you all could have one right this minute, but at least I'll keep giving them away, so don't despair! 

I also started thinking about something else I buy in bulk: SILK! I often buy it by the bolt; charmeuse. crepe, chiffon, organza... black or white. You know I like to dye, so the white is very handy :) But black is my favorite color and I use it constantly.

Any interest in a giveaway? Wish you had some silk for a project you've got lined up?

Magnifiers and silk; two items I cannot live without :)