Well, I got down and finally decided on what to do with a rayon jersey that I ordered from ebay years ago.  It was one of those pieces hanging around my sewing table.  After the usual indecision about what to do with it…. as a total aside, this indecision thing is chronic.  It always happens with I buy a piece of fabric without having the idea for it before I buy it.  Usually if I see a design that I like, then I can go hunting for the fabric and voilà!!! The garment is cut and stitched no problem.  But sometimes I do the reverse:  fall in love with a piece of fabric and then have no idea what to do with it.   This lovely piece of knit was one of those problem fabrics.

First, I didn’t really know what it was.  I had purchased it off ebay because it was supposed to be silk.  Yeah, right.  No silk here.  But what the heck WAS it?  I finally did a burn test, as blogged about earlier.  And boy, does it have 2-way stretch.  More like 360º-way stretch.  And it’s surprisingly fragile.  Not really great qualities for a jersey if it’s supposed to hold its shape over time.

Oh, well…. I took the plunge and cut out Vogue 1027 which I had previously made, reviewed, worn once or twice, and trashed due to the absolute horribleness of the polyester fabric.  UGH!!!! I still shudder when I think of how it felt in hot, hazy, humid summertime Toronto.  But it was my first foray into sewing knits and the fabric was very cheap, so I thought there wouldn’t be much to lose if I messed it up.

I have to say that I didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern for this dress.  There was enough fabric to cut the bodice twice if I needed to, and I just wasn’t sure about the give in the fabric.  I had originally thought I would have to add width through the bust, since this was a problem area in the first dress.  No such problem with this über-giving fabric.  I just cut and sewed – what a NICE TREAT that was, considering all the fussing and thinking usually required for a garment these days (this size!).

I was very pleased with the dress.  I can’t wait to wear it tomorrow for my dear SIL’s 40th birthday party. The colour is fantabulous, the fabric is cool and breezy and it looks so terrific!  Thank you, Donna Karan and Vogue patterns, for another great dress!