Which came first: The Pattern or The Fabric???

This is kind of a silly question to ponder when it comes to sewing. It's like the the age old question "Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg"?
You arrive at a great end result but ponder at where it all began. No philosophical answers are needed since I'm only being facetious (smile). Well over the years I've noticed a pattern at which I usually arrive at a sewn garment. Majority of the time I manage to find the fabric first and then end up finding the pattern. Finding fabric for me is more of an instinctive sort of thing. I always usually trust my instincts and I have to admit they're pretty good and at times a little daring. This may make it a little difficult sometimes to find an appropriate pattern. But I usually do in the end and the result is usually a great finished garment. I don't know what it is really, but fabric really inspires me and get my creative juices to flowing.

For example I picked this fabric up the other day and just fell in love with it. It's actually the fabric for my Easter dress and the sash for my daughter's dress (we have to match a little).

It's spectacular and has somewhat of a shantung weave (sorry the pic is a little blurry). The colors are so rich and bold. I love it, I love it, I love it!!! I have a few ideas for patterns and am narrowing it down, hoping to have a solid pick by weeks end.


So tell me, what's your method of ending up with a beautifully sewn garment. Do you usually find the fabric first or do you like to find the pattern and then shop for fabric????

Butterick 5225

   I picked this dress because I wanted to knock out two projects in one week and I knew it would be a great "tag-along" project, that is until my work week became super busy and zapped all of my extra sewing time. I honestly had high hopes for this dress.

 (Here's the pattern)

A simple silhouette combined with a beautiful paisley print would result in a great daytime look, right? Well if only it were that simple. The dress turned out perfectly fine (as you can see on the dressform)  but just not for me .

 

 (And the dress, nice huh, but........)

 It just so happens that I'm a  bit curvier then my dressform which made this dress a "No-Go".  In addition to this I honestly believe my fabric was too light for this design which made it difficult to maintain it's shape. I'm not really accustomed to wearing such loose-fitting clothes and it's usually not very flattering on me anyway. Now usually I'm not bashful but I'll definitely save myself the embarrassment of letting you see me in this  dress. Just please trust me when I say it didn't work.

 (Me and my dressform--It's a PGM size 10 (I forget the measurements) and I'm a RTW size 8 and in patterns size 12 bodice, 14 waist & hip.)

 That's ok, as my Mom used to say, "You can't cry over spilled milk". So I'll see about giving this to someone who can wear it.  And about my dressform looking way more better in the dress then me, there are no hard feelings. As far as I'm concerned, we'll always be the best of friends!!! LOL!

Ok, let me stop goofing around. Here's the review.......


Pattern Description:
Loose-fitting above mid-knee dress has shoulder straps and below waist casing and drawstring.
Pattern Sizing:
Due to all of the added volume of the dress instead of cutting my usual 12 top 14 waist and hips, I cut the size 10---I didn't want to feel like I was wearing a tent!
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes it did actually---especially on my dressform. On me it was a whole different story.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
This is a quickie patterns so the instructions were super easy!
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
The pattern was ok but it turns out that the style wasn't very flattering for me.
Fabric Used:
A polyester fabric with a beautiful paisley print in peach, white, and black
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I omitted the waist casing and drawstring.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Nah, this dress isn't my "cup of tea" so I won't be sewing it again.  The style definitely isn't figure flattering for me.  But I definitely recommend it to others. And I think sewing it in a stiffer, recommended fabric such as light linen and stable knit will help the dress hold it's shape.
Conclusion:
Great pattern if this silhouette looks good on you:)

Hi, my name is Victoria, and I’m Addicted to Knits

I'll say it again. Hi, my name is Victoria, and I’m Addicted to Knits.

It’s true and it’s about time that I actually admit it. I didn’t realize that my addiction was so bad until this morning. On my way to work I found myself fantasizing about this  dress and the perfect knit fabric I had in my stash to go with it. It then dawned on me I didn’t have enough of the fabric and I would need to go back to Joann’s to pick up some more.  The possibility of there not being any fabric left to buy slowly began to bring a sense of panic to my mind. Before it went any further (sweaty palms, nausea, uncontrollable crying, etc---LOL!), I caught myself and snapped out of it. Then I did what most people in denial do. I began to talk myself out of my “newly realized” addiction. But then my mind became bombarded by all of the facts which quickly dissolved my counter -argument.

The FACTS are…………

My wardrobe is comprised of at least 80% knits (this includes T-shirts, cute tops, pants, dresses etc) .

I wear some form of knit at least 5 days out of the week.

At least 65% of my fabric stash consists of knits or woven fabrics with some percentage of stretch (cotton sateen, stretch poplin, etc.).

I love the comfort and fit that knits and stretch fabrics provide.

Nothing makes me happier then to find a knit and stretch fabric with a gorgeous print.

Knits and stretch fabrics are my favorite fabrics to shop for!!!

I feel it is my DUTY to try out  any new knit pattern I can get my hands on.

This  realized "addiction"  has indeed been a long time coming. But it sure does feel good to finally recognize it and admit it. I guess we all like what we like and have some sort of fabric “addiction”.  Maybe in the world of sewing these addictions aren’t such a bad thing. Maybe our addictions help to unlock our creative minds.  What are your thoughts?

Since I know I'm not the only addict out there (please don't tell me I am) ---it's your turn to introduce yourself. What fabric are you addicted to and why? Don't forget to say your name:)