tiny happy

Do you remember this Japanese fabric I mentioned the other day? I gave it a gentle wash, and realised it was a very long length of fabric indeed. Long enough for a dress, but not really strong enough, if you know what I mean. The fabric had worn patches, holes mended with loose hand-stitching and darning.

I imagined sewing a delicate, drapey dressing-gown from the silk and wrapping it in tissue paper for an especially dear family member at Christmas. So I set to work, immediately regretting cutting into the fragile and slippery fabric and realising the width was too narrow for any of the pattern pieces, so I had to sew pieces together like patchwork to achieve the width necessary for each piece.

There are quite a few places where some very old rows of hand-stitching are prominent, such as along the back of the gown, which I like. As if I've collaborated with a mystery silk-preserver.

But I've decided I didn't do a good enough job of the sewing for it to be a gift: it can be my summer dressing gown instead. Upon reflection, I should have lined the entire thing in a fine cotton lawn or similar, to protect and hide the interior seams. Next time..!