Cutting

To me, cutting fabric is like giving it life. In one moment, it goes from a flat piece of cloth, to being on it's way to something: something in somebody's life.


I laid out the sari silk and it was immediately evident that it required care in squaring out. It is the type of silk that pulls and distorts quite easily. The bordered edge (which I was hoping to use as trim), unfortunately had a long thread pulled. On the bright side, I was able to use it as a guide, or "the straight of goods" as it's called on the vintage patterns. It's much more fun to say than "grainline".


Also because of its twisty tendencies, I decided to use the rotary cutter for much of the cutting, rather than scissors. I didn't want the scissors to pull and twist the fabric any more than necessary. It was the first time I used them and I was happy with the results. The long edges were very straight and clean - none of those "sawblade" cuts.



I'm using a light gold dupioni for the contrast (from my stash) for the underbodice and the cumberbund. It's a great match to the scrolls in the sari and hopefully will brighten up the finished garment.


Now I have to wait for the silk organza to arrive. The next step is cutting and basting the organza for the underlining.


I'm happy with the progress that I made today.