It’s already October 1st—can you believe it?!
It’s crazy how fast the year is flying by! Autumn is settling in, leaves are falling, temperatures are dropping, and for most of you, sewing machines are heating up again. Autumn is the season I love most purely from a style point of view: the colours and the kinds of clothes we tend to wear. Pieces that sit between late summer and early winter, wavering between cuts and fabrics; a sleeveless coat, or a maxi dress in a floral fabric.
That’s the vibe I decided to go for today with this short-sleeved suedette dress, highlighted by a lovely autumnal colour. When I saw the selection of suedettes offered by Les Coupons de Saint-Pierre, I knew I’d finally found the right compromise between leather (too expensive) and faux leather (too cheap, too fake). This fabric is supple, soft to the touch, and pleasant on the skin. Its suede look on one side and sanded-leather look on the other already opened up a world of possibilities in my mind. I started to think of this material more like leather than standard polyester. What’s more, just like lambskin, it can be ironed by placing a cotton cloth between the suedette and the steam iron. And, and, and… last detail but not least… no hemming or edge finishing needed!
As for the pattern, “Burda is my friend”. Five euros for the PDF later, dress #117—Burda 02/2011 was one item less on my to-do list, and one more in my wardrobe (which is already bursting!).
For sewing, I used without hesitation the side with the sanded-leather look, and my machine stitched it with no problem. What gives this garment its charm are the topstitching you usually find on leather clothing, and the raw edges. If your machine can handle a thicker thread, don’t hesitate to topstitch with it to get even prettier finishes. And for a well-finished garment, don’t forget to press after each seam.
Want to read more articles about this lovely fabric? Go check out the beautiful makes from coussin du singe, and Bee made. And you—have you ever worked with suedette? Leather? I’d love to hear about your experience too, so don’t hesitate to share.
That’s it for this time. See you next week? Kisses.
Elaine
It is already October 1st, can you imagine ?!
It’s crazy how the year is passing so quickly. Fall is already here, the leaves are falling, it’s getting more and more cool and I believe that most of you have their machines out for the new season. I really like fall: the warm colors, the style that reminds us that summer was not far and that winter is just around the corner. A sleeveless coat here, a maxi floral dress there.
Its on this theme that I have decided to write today with this sleeveless dress made with suedette material. When I saw the range of suedette that les coupons de Saint-Pierre had in stock, I knew that I had finally found the best compromise between leather (too expensive) and fake leather (too…fake!). This fabric here is supple, soft, and has a great feeling on the skin. It’s nubuck aspect on one side, and old leather on the other was already giving me many ideas and possibilities. This material also allows ironing by simply placing a piece of cotton fabric between the suedette and the iron. In addition guess what girls… No seem finishing needed 😉
As for the pattern “Burda is my friend” . A 5 euro PDF later here I was with my #117 Burda 02/2011 dress pattern. One item less in my To do list (and one item more in my overwhelmed closet)!
For the realization, I used the side of the fabric which has the old leather look. What makes this dress charming is the raw edges as well as the over-stitches. If your machine allows you to overstitch with thicker thread, do not hesitate to do so. And for a well finished garment, do not forget to iron after you assemble.
You can also have a look at different projects based on this same suedette here: le coussin du singe, Bee made.
That’s it for this time. Have you ever experienced sewing with suedette, nubuck or leather? I’ll love to hear about it!
I’ll be back next week. Thanks for reading.
Elaine
