I think what intrigued me with this fabric first of all, was that I'd never heard of fabric from a banana plant. I'm all about natural fibers and I very much wanted to know what this fabric was like. The beautiful colors and pattern were the next thing that appealed to me. I couldn't get this fabric out of my mind and so I just had to order it. Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint.
First of all, if you've never experienced this fabric, it feels like silk. It's so delicate and lightweight without being see-through. I was afraid when I first felt it that it would be a nightmare to sew on, but it was an absolute dream! Not only that, I had every intention of line drying, or drying flat, but my husband "helped" me out by sticking all the freshly washed laundry in the dryer! After my initial panic, I discovered that, while in the future I'll line dry, it came out of the dryer beautifully. It wasn't even very wrinkled!
I didn't really have a pattern in mind when I first ordered this fabric as I wasn't exactly sure what it would feel like. I'm very much a hands on kind of seamstress and so often when I hold a fabric in my hands and drape it around myself, I change my mind completely about the plans I'd had when I originally ordered.
I decided to make a blouse out of this lovely fabric so that it could be dressed up for church or an evening out, but also be worn with a nice pair of jeans or shorts.
The pattern I chose, I actually sewed and shared with you earlier. It's from the MilaOnni pattern shop on Etsy. The Lilianna dress pattern has become a favorite of mine. The way the pattern is drafted, makes for a simple but rewarding sew. Rather than cut my own bias for the elastic tunnels (that gives the pattern the "smocked" look, I used some single fold bias that I had on hand. I shortened the dress to give the idea of a smocked peplum style top.
I made it for my birthday. Happy birthday to me! 57!!! Somehow having such a pretty new blouse distracted me from how old I'm getting. I highly recommend not only sewing yourself a birthday outfit but also sewing it out of this absolutely beautiful "silk" banana fabric. The colors and just everything about this fabric will not let you down. Happy sewing!!