Stashoholism Confessional: Internet Edition

I have resisted the lure of online fabric shopping for half the year. However, when I found myself without the right fabric in my stash for the BWOF 06-2009-110 kimono dress and had to do the muslin out of the grody polyester crepe, I decided that once I finished the muslin, if I liked the dress I could go online to order some charcoal cotton for the real version.

Well, I liked the dress.



So I checked out my usual suspects, Fabric.com, Fashion Fabrics Club, and Fabric Mart. I found a dark gray poplin at FFC and put it in the cart. There's no point in ordering just one fabric, so I tossed in some solid rayon knits in turquoise and red, and then I found a silk georgette and added that. Here's what I got:









Of course, the downside of fabric shopping online is that you don't always end up with what you think you're getting. The poplin was described as "dark gray" and the photo looked like a charcoal. In real life, it is on the olive side. So the whole justification for this order is kind of a fail. I don't hate the olive color, it's just not at all what I had in mind. While it works with the obi I've made, it would not work with a planned black and red obi. So I still need a charcoal cotton.

The turquoise rayon has a crinkle texture that was *not* disclosed on the website and is a bit of a disappointment as well. I love the color, but the texture is really not my style. I bought Simplicity 3536 a while back for the view with the ruched sides and center band. I'm not really sure I'm feeling the style of it anymore, but it's an option for a crinkle jersey. Suggestions are welcome!

I've been wanting to make a red dress for months, after a thread on Pattern Review linked to an article that said men find women in red more attractive than any other color. This is the perfect shade (though it hasn't yet gone through the wash; hopefully it keeps its color). I had it in mind for 06-2009-101, the pleat front dress. However, Dawn made it in a lightweight knit like this rayon and it didn't work for her. I'm going to experiment with fusing the bodice and midriff with stretch interfacing and see if that gives it enough texture to stand up to the pattern.

A while back Cidell sent me a link to Weekend Designer, whose blog I had somehow not yet come across. I scrolled through his archives and fell in love with this ruffle sleeve blouse; he featured the Lauren top by Abaete as an example (available at Bloomingdale's for $118).
**edited to fix incorrect gender pronouns--thanks LaKaribane!

I didn't have anything in stash that was quite right for the project, so I splurged on some silk georgette. The print is a little bit like those "paint with water" books I had as a kid (do they still make this?) with ink dots that smear when you wet them.

How lucky was I to find this vintage pattern in my stash? View 2 is the perfect starting point for this look. I'm going to have to grade it out at the waist and hips because I want a pull-on top with a single loop and button at the neck; this is designed with a full back button placket. To me, that style is just bragging that you're married and there is someone to button you up on the mornings. I'm not and there isn't. I may end up putting a zip at one of the side panel seams. We'll see.

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Then I got an email from Fabric Mart about bamboo knits. I absolutely fell in love with the avocado color, but there were only 10 yards left. Even though I placed my order very shortly after receiving the email, I feared I would miss out on the avocado, so I told them to sub in coral if it was out.



I lost out on the avocado. I have a bit of buyer's remorse about the coral. The only solid color jersey I have in stash is pink, and I have a couple colors of it. I was really, really looking forward to avocado and had it in mind for the Butterick 5130, the dress with all the ruching and elastic casings. But I don't like pink for it. Then I thought maybe a maxi length sundress and experiment with ombre dyeing in orange at the hem, and if it's awful then cut it off at the knee. But I don't have any need for a maxi-length sundress. It's not suitable for work (I just can't see it with wide straps or sleeves), you can't wear a long dress inside a bar, and I don't live near the beach. After I washed the coral and hung it up to dry I warmed a bit more to the color; it has a fair amount of orange in it which makes it more interesting than a pink in the same color value. I still don't know what to make it into, though.

I threw in the hot pink knit print because it was a good price and I never pass up a knit print. No specific idea on that, either.

The black is a silk linen-weave, very nice. I don't have a go-to little black dress. I made one many years ago; it was great in my 20s but is a little vampy for my 34 year old self. I'll make it into Butterick 5321. Vogue 1025, an Anne Klein designer pattern, is almost identical to the Butterick. I haven't checked out the envelope, only the online, but I think ultimately I like the Butterick better. The Vogue might have a more sophisticated pleat in the bodice front, which is a point in its favor. However, I like the unusual diagonal darts in the back of the Butterick, and I like that it has set-in rather than cut-on sleeves. I think they're a little more formal and timeless. Of course, all its exciting details means I'll have to muslin.

I got the blue print broadcloth because it was on sale and I am often wishing I had some cute lightweight cotton prints. I feel like this would look great in a vintage look. Unfortunately, most of my vintage patterns are from the late 60s and 70s and this really needs something from the 50s or early 60s. The Vogue 8446 is at the top of the list right now, although Simplicity 2601 entered the running when I saw the dress KatieN made on Pattern Review. The rounded collar struck me as ick on the illustration, but on her dress it has total 40s retro appeal.

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Of course, all this was before I decided to head to NYC next weekend for some shopping. There's a slight chance I won't be able to get out of work, but my bus ticket is purchased and fingers are crossed!