sewing classes in chicago: tchad: simplicity: 6680: ying: zoe: cashmere: silk

Ying Works up Simplicity #6680

Ying was one of those students who presents herself with a challenge right out of the gate.  We started off with Simplicity #6680; she worked it up in a camelhair cashmere with a printed silk twill lining. Let’s do it.

Sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: Simplicity: 6680: cape: cashmere: first project
Simplicity #6680!

She started off with a really nice 100% cashmere, some pink silk tafetta for the bindings, and a silk twill for the lining.

As she worked out way through the collar and tailoring, she found that a layer of fusible interfacing in a tailor’s weight fused to the cashmere gave her a better base for the hair canvas and padstitches.  Don’t go too heavy or your collar and facings are going to get overwhelmed.

sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: tailoring
Tailoring collar
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: tailoring
Tailoring collar
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: collar detail
Collar detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: collar detail
Collar detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: collar detail
Collar detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: under construction
Under construction
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: gorge detail
Gorge line detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: collar
Collar detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: collar
collar detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: pick stitch detail
Pickstitch detail – not bad for a first project in cashmere.

Cashmere isn’t great as a first tailoring project.  It is soft and delightful, but it will trick you – the heft of the fabric feels more substantial than it is – this means that any stitches you make – right or wrong are going to show up in the finished product.

sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: lining detail
Lining detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: slipstitch detail
Slipstitch detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: lining detail
Lining detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: collar stand detail
Collar stand detail
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: luxurious crumple
A luxurious crumple

You also have to be careful how you press it – nice cashmere is really (really) easy to over-press and doesn’t recover from it like wool of the same weight and mass.  Watch out for this.  When you are pressing it make sure you use a press cloth and steam, but don’t go nuts here – you can always press it again if you aren’t happy.  If you over-press it and crimp or mat the fibers that is the end of that.  All of the soft brass brushes in the kingdom will not save you.

sewing classes in chicago: tchad: simplicity: 6680: ying: zoe: cashmere: silk
Zoe models Simplicity #6680
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: zoe models
Zoe models Simplicity #6680
sewing classes in Chicago: tchad: Ying: cashmere: cape: simplicity: 6680: cape on form
Cape on form. This was before our final pressing, but cashmere in general, when this nice, isn’t terribly stable – so any distortion at all will show up.  The best thing is to lay it flat and smooth it out when you are done wearing it. 

Overall, this is a good pattern for a beginner – you will just want to make sure your fabric is stable and has some weight to it.

You can find Simplicity #6680 on Pattern Review here.

You an find it online, but make sure when you are doing your buying that all of the pieces are there.  There are 8 total pieces.

If you are in or near Chicago and want to spend the afternoon tracing, you are more than welcome to come up and trace one out!