The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

This is one of the rare cases where there's rickrack on a garment and it doesn't look crafty.

Now collecting donation to buy this dress

From Yves Saint Laurent 2011 Resort collection

(Picture taken from Project Rungay)

Model, if you could just smile a bit, please. 

Batik skirt and scarf.

About 2 weeks ago, I subconsciously started a stash-busting mission.

I've accumulated a substantial amount of fabric over the past few months years and haven't done much about it.  Mainly because of lack of inspiration and general laziness. But no more!  I'm getting a little tired of the unorganized state of my little sewing studio, so those fabrics need to be used or go!

So.  The first fabric I tackled on is a a soft batik (the label says "batik halus", which literally translates to soft batik, so that's how I know) that my mom bought for me in Indonesia almost 2.5 years ago. It's definitely not silk.  It could be polyester or rayon or some other static-magnet type of fabrics.  I've got static electricity shocks every time I touched it.  In retrospect I shouldn't have rubbed my shoes on the wool carpet at the same time.

Cool print, no?  Dizzyingly groovy!  If you stare at it for 5 minutes, you will see a space ship!*

It took me all 2.5 years since I've had this fabric to decide what to make with it, because of the border print and the limited quantity (2-yards at 40+inches wide).  Whatever it is, it has to show off the border print, as it's the most interesting thing about the fabric.  The fabric is rather difficult to sew, because it's so drapey and slippery.  A more complicated design would just add unnecessary frustration that would lead to my abandoning the project. Finally, I settled on a simple a-line skirt, inspired by Tasia's skirt, using Kathleen's 20-minute skirt instruction. 

New technique learned is inserting an elastic for the waistband.  Basic, I know... having never done it previously, I consider it a "new" technique.

The result:

Hm.  It looks like culottes on the second picture.  I guess it would have been a more interesting piece as culottes.  Unless culottes are lame.  (Are they?)

I had a strip of leftover fabric that I made into a long scarf:

Not a bad way to start off the mission... the temporary great feeling of accomplishment, slightly lighter stash, more clothes!

* Just kidding, you will not see a space ship.  You might get dizzy and throw up, though.