Smocked silk dress

While I am on a roll with the much-handled McCall's pattern and my Indonesian ikat, I took the plunge with the second piece of fabric from Singaraja.






This piece is silk and woven as a sarong, rather than a continuous length.  I tried to cut it to maximise the use of the pattern. I did lose a little from the top edge but managed to centre the large birds both front and back.

I stitched in the sleeves using a narrow French seam and again pleated it like a bishop. It pleated like a dream.


I went for 9 half-space rows, including 2 holding rows.

I chose a very simple trellis in graded colours matching the fabric, using two strands of DMC.
I was hoping to get a bit of a bargello effect so shaded the colours pink, through purple and blue then back again.

I couldn't get a long enough bias strip for the neck out of the fabric, so I used a purple bias binding, then feather-stitched around it to give a bit of texture.

I'm pleased with the finished effect.











I debated turning a hem or leaving the selvage. The piece was designed to wear as a sarong, with the border at showing at the bottom, so I have left it for the moment. If it seems too long I will take up a hem.

I like the simplicity of this - a little bit of smocking, a little bit of sewing and the fabric speaks for itself.

Another dress from that pattern

I love reusing patterns to get different effects but the same fit. Given the success of my McCalls pattern on a top and a dress, I took the plunge and cut out a dress from a piece of ikat I bought in Indonesia 4 years ago.

 It came from Pertenunan Berdikari in Singaraja, a small hand-loomed weaving factory that specialises in traditional designs and has supplied ikat to all Indonesian Presidents in the last 20 years.




At the factory you can watch the whole process from base thread dying,







through tying, pattern construction










to weaving.

I bought three pieces of cloth - one cotton and two silk. This is the cotton coming off the loom. It was this cotton that I tried out first.

I went to Hetty's Patch to find a contrasting plain cotton, and tried the version of the pattern with a V yoke and hem border.

I think it worked really well. The colours are great and it is really comfortable. I wore it to lunch on my birthday.

I now have plans to make up the silk pieces with further variations on this pattern.