There's Always "The Next" Project

If you're anything like me, you're always thinking of the next project or two... or ten. It doesn't matter that you're not finished with the current project. Or that there are maybe a half dozen UFOs hanging around.

I'm easily distracted. All it takes is for something like this little blip on my current Catwoman costume to set my mind adrift, to the next project unmarred by problems.

The poly/lycra/metallic stretch fabric is lightweight and slippery. The picture shows how the inside facing caught during topstitching and "pleated". This should have been a quick, ten minute fix. However, this is no ordinary fabric: it's ANTI-FABRIC that had plotted to usurp me. I argued with it for over 45 minutes, but in the end I won.

I redid that piece of topstitching and at this point, I set down the project and wandered to my closet. My glorious closet with my luscious stash! I guestimate there's around 500 yards of fabric knocking around in there... maybe more. I was hoping to nail down what I was going to do for an upcoming sewing with silk competition, which begins April 1 on my favorite sewing forum, Pattern Review. Thus far, a clear vision has eluded me.

While the stash is substantial (at least to me), proportionately there's not a heck of a lot of silk. And what I do have is mostly dupioni. The exceptions are three yards of vintage, 100% silk tweed and just under two yards of 100% silk sari.

The tweed really needs the right pattern; something special, something vintage. That pattern is not yet in my stash.

I like my dupioni, otherwise I wouldn't have gobbled up as much on clearance as I have. But for a sewing with silk contest, I want to do something unique. Don't get me wrong, I've seen many stunning and clever things done with dupioni. I just don't seem to have that kind of knack with it yet.

So my eyes turned to the sari silk. This fabric is luscious. The drape is graceful, the texture buttery. The gold scrolls on the black background are very much to my taste. It's understated and elegant. What to do with just under two yards has been stumping me since I picked it up last summer.

I went straight to my vintage collection and began thumbing through them. Ah HA!!! I pulled the pattern out of the bin and turned it to the back, hoping that the yardage would be small enough for my silk. Imagine my smile when it was!

So it's settled then. My next project will be from vintage 1960, McCalls 5349. I'll do version B (the green one), without the overskirt. Who'd want to cover up this gorgeous fabric anyway?

In the meantime... Holy Feline Batman! Time is ticking away and I need to get back to the Catwoman costume, refreshed and with purpose!