Pattern: Quin Cowl Sewing pattern by Gracie Steel
Date sewn: August 2023

Presenting... my #quincowl dress!! I wore this to the most beautiful wedding in Barbados. As soon as I pulled up to the reception, a Bajan wedding guest named Sue Ann made a beeline for me and said, "I love your dress!" and we all know that I was bursting at the seams to say...

... 🥁🥁🥁 ...

... "THANKS! I MADE IT!"

Sue Ann told me that her mother and grandmother were seamstresses and for that reason she knew how hard it was to cut and sew silk on the bias! It was so special to come across somebody with such a deep appreciation for the craft, and who saw how much love and care her family poured into it. And if I made any impression on her, maybe she's considering taking it up herself?! 🥺

Anyways, the first time I saw this dress in my feeds, I knew I'd hit the pattern jackpot. I had been looking for a bias dress pattern with a high neck so that I could dance with abandon without worrying about a flimsy, too-low neckline.

Re: the fabric: I had spent several visits to Fabric Outlet ogling this watercolor silk charmeuse with flower prints and finally gave myself the permission to buy it as I watched its yardage on the roll dwindle week by week. I wish I'd bought the whole dang roll!

Some skills I used to make this dream come true:

🪡 I used gelatin to stabilize the silk, which made cutting a lot easier than it otherwise would have been. This Threads Magazine article by Susan Khalje was helpful. In the process, I found this magical video of Bruno Legeron and his crew making beautiful silk flowers for couturiers. Could not take my eyes off the ancient machines, the ink-stained clutter, and the FLOWERS in their vibrant glory! Give it a watch, will ya??

🪡 I used Ban Rol to sew the narrow hem! I will never not use Ban Rol on slippery fabrics. I found the Ban Rol on Etsy. If you order, make sure you get the "original" non-fusible kind!

Oh, and the best thing about this was that it weighs about as much as a feather! It was lightweight and airy and cool to wear and took up virtually no space in my carry-on!!