Tuesday 24 March 2015

NoSew SilkyMerino SlipDress

  

if you've spent any time with me in recent years 
you'll know that i absolutely love the SilkyMerino knit that Marion stocks at Beautiful Silks
it comes in a tube
(i carry one for snuggling into on planes)
dyes like a dream
and doesn't fray

so when a student asked for help in devising a dress to wear to her daughter's wedding i had no hesitation in recommending she get a length and a pair of scissors

here's what we did
(using my grandmother's method of measuring/cutting based on your own body parts)
those little 'u's on the drawing are the cuts we made



notice that the cut is finger-shaped...a straight cut will fray at the point of the cut

do not be tempted to make the cut any bigger...though it looks small
remember the cloth is a tube
so the actual hole is bigger than it seems

and if you want the cowl neck to also be a hood, make it longer
(double is a good notion)

shorten the hem as desired, but if you keep it long the whole thing also doubles as a shawl or a sleeping tube for long-distance travel
oh
and if (like my granny) you think a little mystery goes a long way
wear it over a close-fitting T of some kind

otherwise, enjoy the breeze...or if you're really keen for some stitching, add a few tucks in the area between the cuts


19 comments:

  1. Thank you India for this great idea. Since i have such a tube i'm certainly going to try this...........

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  2. Beautifully simple! Any chance of a photo of the finished product being worn?

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    1. i didn't get a picture of the student but am hoping to coax my Wild Rose into something similar at some point

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  3. thank , thank you , the silky merino are my favourite too, good you have told more how you did it , not long ago i recieved the fabric from marion , see what i can do with the rest , have sewed one from a old pattern , waiting to be dyed

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  4. i mean already sewed one shirt , can i dye one while i am in scotland , i mean after teaching , after have seen what you have done ---

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    1. Dear Bodil - I don't encourage people to bring extra things to workshops for dyeing, because if every class member wants to do that (especially with bigger pieces) then pots will get very crowded. And if I'm honest, after the teaching day is done I will want to go down to the river, not stay back for hours looking after more dyepots. Best done slowly at home without rushing...

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  5. I'd love to see this on, to see how it drapes. Is it one finger or all the fingers? Details, but it just looks like one above. Simplicity in patterns is required for me - most of my woven clothing is origami...

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    1. The length of the cut (as stated) and labelled 'z' is the width of all the four fingers - the width of the cut is one finger.

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    2. Ta, my eyes were not quite open at 6am!

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    3. How long was the tube in yards?

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    4. She was tall. The length suited her- you will need to work out your own size based on the details above. We measured according to body proportions not numbers:-)

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    5. Thank you--of course that makes sense. I have just one yard, so I was wondering if it might work. I'm short, but perhaps not THAT short.

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    6. it would work very nicely...just as a top rather than a dress

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  6. Would love to see a pic of the finished product....

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  7. I have a tube but what is the optimal width? I would like to but some from "beautiful silks" but there is no description of silky merino in the price lists for fabric.

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  8. Isn't there? This looks like it to me

    http://www.beautifulsilks.com/cubecart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1610

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  9. I love the idea of a dress from a beautifully dyed tube of cloth however I don't understand how it's worn . . . I do hope you succeed in persuading your Wild Rose to show us.

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  10. I am wondering if this silky merino tube is suitable for ALL sizes?

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    1. obviously not...but if you are much smaller, you can run a seam down one side and reduce the sizeof the tube.
      if you lean to goddess-like proportions, then you can open out the tube and stitch two pieces together and form bigger one?

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