Inspirations by Sonya Philip

Inspirations by Sonya Philip

We teamed up with seamstress and pattern designer Sonya Philip of 100 Acts Of Sewing to show you some simple surface design techniques, combined with her easy classic shapes that even beginners can sew up in an afternoon.

SolarFast Linen Shirt

A textile series with materials generously supplied by Dharma Trading Co. The first, a modified Shirt no. 1 made up with a medium weight linen. Simple experiments with Jacquard SolarFast dye in purple and cardboard shapes for a resist.

Quick application of the SolarFast dye with a foam brush and arranging the cardboard to form a pattern.

Working with smaller pieces proved easier, I modified the pattern to create a split front with a center seam and yoke for the back. The front pieces show the difference in exposure times, the right during midday and the dye allowed to dry completely, while the left side was late afternoon and the dye rinsed off while still wet.

Marbled Bias Tape

The second in a textile series with materials generously supplied by Dharma Trading Co. I experimented with marbling on fabric, using a Jacquard kit with silk fabric. I pre-washed and mordanted the fabric and found working with smaller, fat quarter size pieces easier to manage.

After rinsing, I allowed the fabric to dry and the ink to set overnight, then used an iron to heat set. I folded the marbled fabric on the bias, cut 1 1/4 inch (3.2 cm) wide strips and joined them to make bias tape.

The resulting pre-folded bias tape using an 18 mm bias tape maker. The colors faded slightly after rinsing. I love the way the fine lines of the pattern look after cutting the fabric, like an agate.

I used the bias tape for the neckline of a Shirt no. 1. This ikat really brings out the purples and red - the two prints work so beautifully together.

Natural Dyed Hemp Silk Tunic

The last in a textile series with materials generously supplied by Dharma Trading Co. The hemp-silk blend caught my eye. The fabric had an interesting crepe-like texture and called out to be made into a garment. I traced and cut out the pattern pieces for Dress no. 2, shortened to a tunic length.

After mordanting the pieces, I prepared a natural dye bath, mixing in the powdered extract of Himalayan Rhubarb.

After an hour in the dye pot, the result was a lovely golden yellow. The organic, nubby texture combined beautifully with the sheen of silk.