Serious question, I saw a woman in a coffee shop last week wearing a jacket with sleeves that were two different fabrics, one tweed and one silk, and it looked amazing.

I've been sketching a dress design for a client in Austin based on that idea, mixing a heavy wool with a light chiffon for the skirt panels, but I'm worried the weight difference will make it hang weird. Has anyone actually sewn something with fabrics that different before?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nathan2mo ago

Try it on a mannequin first to see how it hangs, lol.

dakota_patel982mo ago

That's actually a solid tip from @the_nathan. I learned the hard way with a linen blazer that looked great on the hanger but draped like a sack on me. A cheap dress form from a craft store saved me from a few more bad buys. It really shows you how the shoulders sit and where the fabric pulls. You can even pin things to check the fit before any alterations.

grantp282mo ago

My sister tried a wool and silk blend for a coat lining last year. The biggest thing she found was you have to treat the seams like they're joining two different worlds. She used a lighter interfacing on the wool edge before sewing it to the chiffon, which helped a ton with the pull. Maybe baste a big sample panel and hang it up for a day to see where it stretches. That dress sounds like it could be stunning if you get the balance right.