12m of tomato red silk WWYD?

[WhiteHairReally]

I have been given 12m of tomato red ( verging on the orange in certain lights) medium weight Japanese silk. It is however only 37cm wide.

I can sew, have access to a dressmaker and do have a social life that involves 'evening dos'. However, I'm also a perimenopausal blonde Summer.

Has anyone got any good ideas what to turn this very kind gift into?

Wow it's beautiful. It's kimono silk I think, I have some that I got off ebay of similar proportions.

It would make a fabulously glamorous red dress but not if red isn't your colour. I'd probably sew strips together to make a very large and lovely bedspread, with a another fabric on the other side – could be a print, or even patchwork. Optionally you could include a layer of batting inside and quilt it too.

I like the idea of making a bedspread/quilt cover out of it, or even cushions. I certainly couldn't wear that colour either!

I have it! Make oblong cushions for all your friends and family for Christmas

like these, with or without the embellishments

What a lovely gift.

Seems such a shame not be able to wear it. Could you use a little as a trim on something (perhaps white, black, beige, not sure of summer colours sorry), or make a skirt so it's not next to your face, or turn it into a cami vest or slip to wear under other things. Could it be layered under a semi-sheer cotton/linen to make it summer-friendly, for example?

Thank you for the enthusiastic suggestions so far.

I have to admit that I really would like to wear it, if at all possible. Sadly orange silk cushions would be met by polite confusion by my family members.
Putting it with some other colour is a good idea, although tomato red is such a long way away from my usual colour palette.

What about making a fabulous dressing gown and lounge pants, vest tops or long nightshirts (or all of them given you have so much fabric)! That way you could wear it and not really care too much that it isn't your colour.

Oops just noticed the width. I would make a dressing gown or long nightshirt to swan around in.

It's what, 15 inches wide? How about a kimono jacket? I googled make a kimono and the images show you what to do - or you could ask your friend. I have a pink kimono and it's a delight on a warm evening.

Could you buy more silk that would make a nice edging and have something made with a colour more suited to your colouring next to your skin?

Like a dress with a bodice in something else and a flowing skirt in the red and/or a jacket with a strip round the whole length of the neck in something that suits you next to your skin?

www.shibumistyle.com/en/p330-embroidered_silk.html

How about using it horizontally and creating tiers? You could gather it a bit at the top and create something dramatic across the shoulder(s)/neckline.

Or do a strapless tiered mermaid type long gown?

I think I'd go for a kimono or a dressing-gown type of thing. How lucky though, I am incredibly envious!

Or a really wonderful long and full skirt made of godets or panels - you'd get those out of a narrow fabric.

my math says this about 4 yds of 45" wide fabric. I wd make a short kimono style top and a wide leg pair of pants.

Dress pattern here

Retrain as an aerial acrobat?

Anna Maria Horner Museum Tunic, google it.

It's a dress, no pattern needed, perfect for the width.

Buy a job lot of kapok and some green felt.
Make tomato costumes for you and your household.
Invite your friends, family and neighbours to a vegetable-themed fancy dress party.

How would you feel about using dye on it, is the fabric up to it? I don't know the summer colour palette but (apparently) dylon hand dye can be used on silk.

I'm loving the aerial acrobat option Waggle. And the vegetable themed evening Mother ( are you sure you're not my mother? It's the sort of thing she'd come up with)

Thank you for the clothing based ideas too. The Anna Maria Horner dress is inspired but I'm 'substantial of nork' (30G/32FF) so the sleeve style would simply extend the expanse.

I'm going to investigate the dye option ( I can hear the groans of horror) and the skirt/dress with lots and lots of gores perhaps trimmed with something else. I'm drawn to the kimono idea as it would be most appropriate but just don't float around that much to justify it ( and have a vintage one already, if the need to float about suddenly hit me.)

I'm a blonde Summer. I can wear tomato red, particularly when I'm slightly tanned. It's a statement color (bluish reds are more 'neutral' on me) - but I feel terrific in bright red (and I'm 43). Go and visit your dressmaker, drape it on and get a dress made of it. I have quite a few silk cocktail dresses and kimono silk sounds like a fabulous material. And please post a pic when you are done!

If you add blue you'll get purple / brown -if you like that better.Yellow wd make it orange.

I wouldn't dare dye it for fear of ruining it.

You could dye parts of it, so for example cut enough for a summer top, then dye that on its own.