Keep it Cool, Keep it Light, Silk Georgette

Fine Fabrics of Santa Barbara, our downtown Santa Barbara brick and mortar store is located at 1307 State Street. Just a few steps down from the historic Arlington Theater. Many of our clients stop by when traveling to our beach community to escape the inland hot days of Summer. I share with you all silk georgette. It is like wearing nothing at all. It is not shiny. It can be worn as day-to-day casual. Use the stretch on the cross-wise grain, 92% silk, 8% lycra, and make a t-shirt you can feel elegant, instead of dumpy wearing.

My first use of silk georgette was this Seashell Pink blouse. Its a stretch georgette, with silk charmeuse detailing under the placket, under collar and collar band, and yoke seam. I double up on the front panel because the georgette can be more revealing than appropriate for me. Its weight is 19 mommie. The same as our silk charmeuse. It is not as sheer as 8 mommie chiffon.  

My next silk georgette was made using Vogue Pattern 8809. It became a tried and true "TNT."

The last bright sunny day I wore my blue and yellow, with soft white trim silk georgette dress, I received compliments all day long. One from a woman I see everyday, but never speaks to me. Not sure what I said to insult her, but this dress is so cool its an ice-breaker.

The beauty of a TNT pattern is that you know it fits. All you have to do is change color or detail in a different manner, and its a completely different look. Here is a cocktail or dinner version of the same dress:

Shorten it, you have a tunic. Detail with bias strips of the same material and bobbinette (cotton tulle). Cutting the finishing overlay strips on the bias means that the warp and weft, cross-grain and straight grain, are interlocked. The edges of fabric strips can be left unfinished to wear into their own shred, but won't shred too much, even after being washed and dried many times over. Tulle does not have a grain.