Monday, July 29, 2013

1920's Pajama Project -- Choosing Fabrics



Readers, it seems there will be 1920's pajamas this coming August.  And a kimono-style robe.

I went fabric shopping today.  At first I explored silk crepe de chine, but it was too expensive.  Instead I opted for some soft-as-silk (or nearly) cottons, which are also easier to work with.

I like to think I'm not the type of fabric shopper who agonizes over his choices.  In a store the size of Mood, if you let yourself be overwhelmed you'll never leave with with anything.  I remind myself that there are many good choices and, in the worst case, I can always get something else.

For this project, I wanted to explore a muted palette.  I found myself drawn to soft purples, cocoa browns and pale pinks.  But I've done a lot of pink.  I opted instead for acid greens.

Here's what I bought, and I'm not entirely sure in what combination I'll use them.

I'm pretty sure the kimono robe will be this floral cotton voile-like print.  It's slightly sheer with a lovely drape.  I have two yards of a 54" bolt.  (I expect it will be basically a bunch of rectangles.)  It has a William Morris-y feel.



This is the type of thing I have in mind (lower left), only considerably shorter.  (This is a Mrs. Depew pattern from Etsy.  Has anyone ever used one?)



To add some richness and heft, I bought a yard of chartreuse cotton sateen -- cheaper than silk satin but still heavy and lustrous.



To pull things together, I can also use the chartreuse sateen on the pajamas trim.  For the pajamas I chose two fabrics: a silky cocoa brown (2 yds) and a muted eggplant (1 yd).  (I could also trim the robe with either one instead of the chartreuse sateen.)



Here's everything together:



The pajama top and bottom could also be different colors.



I didn't have it in mind specifically, but here are some William Morris prints with somewhat similar tones:





Thoughts?

In other news, friends, today I also bought dressmaking pins, style tape for draping, and five yards of cotton muslin.  Learning draping -- or starting to -- is my other big project for the month.

This Craftsy draping class, taught by Paul Gallo and currently 20% off, is a strong possibility.  Looks promising, no?

Have a great day, everybody!

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