Some fabric therapy...

...and a fabric disappointment.

It seems foolish to order fabric when you aren't sewing all that much, but hopefully that will change and nothing lifts the spirits like some fresh, pretty yardage.

First up -- some Telio Viscose Challis -- and how cheerful are lemons on a striped background?

I haven't used this particular challis before, and although it seems a bit thinner than my usual "go to" I think it will work quite well for a breezy peasant top. I'm thinking of Style Arc Anita and I'm hoping to find (or make?) some yellow tassels for the neck ties.















Because it is so lovely to work with, I indulged in some more of my favorite rayon challis --Cotton + Steel Rifle Paper Co. -- this particular pattern is "Wonderland".

It could be considered a bit whimsical -- with the Alice in Wonderland patterns -- but I don't think it jumps out at you.  Besides, what's wrong with a little whimsy these days?

Right now I'm planning to make a Loes Hinse Rochelle
but switching out the sleeve for a 3/4 length bishop sleeve.

This is a simple, classic pattern, but I like its floaty fit in a drapy rayon.








And lastly, a bit of a splurge --  Liberty Fabrics silk crepe "Marbelle Hall".

This was on clearance at Fabric.com for (not quite) 50% off, so why not? It is an absolutely lovely piece of silk and the pattern is not quite as twee as Liberty's ditsy flowers. Still pondering on the best pattern to use for this piece.

And now for disappointment:  I purchased some embroidered chambray to make a light summer dress -- Style Arc Lacey 

Doesn't look too bad from a distance, right?  The pattern itself is a good one for the type of everyday summer dress I was looking for. I lengthened the bodice by a bit (it's still above natural waist as the designer intended), and shortened the sleeves by an inch. I also used self-made bias binding on the neck instead of facings for no other reason than that's what I prefer.  So, no problems at all with the pattern.

The problem occurred when I took a close look at the embroidery.  What I had seen and assumed were French knots were in fact loose stitches. The embroidery is done entirely in chain stitches.  Chain stitching itself is not the issue, but the haphazard way it was fastened off is.  If you've ever unzipped a pet food bag you know that once you've pulled on the right end the stitching flies off.  

The yellow loops at the far left are loose stitches.  I've tried to fix the worst of them (and there are many motifs with this issue), but there's only so much you can do. So, I'm not really sure how long this will hold up -- there's no way a summer cotton isn't going to need to be laundered at some point. Sigh.  It even got a compliment from Mr. Mingling Yarn when I first modeled it.  Double sigh.