I was on the hunt for close-to-home silk noil fabric when a lovely instagrammer suggested taking a look at A + R Fabrics (who are based out of Australia). I’m always a sucker for a minimal white website, but since I’d recently purchased some black silk noil from Canada, I got in touch to see if there would be any new colours coming in soon (spoiler alerts: there is) and Trin offered to send some of her black silk noil my way in order to give it a test run.
Why silk? Why Silk Noil?
Silk will keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It has natural wicking properties (it has absorbency equal to wool), and it’s the strongest natural fibre. Silk Noil (also known as Raw Silk) is made from the leftovers of the premium silk making process. It has a feel similar to cotton, with a lovely nobbly texture, but with the same drape you expect from silk. Because of the nobbly texture, this was a delight to sew and I barely pinned anything during the sewing and none of the pins I did put in left any marks. Silk Noil also takes up dyes readily, and it’s also the most home-washable of the silks (I prewashed mine in the washing machine). Also, as with all natural fibres, this bad boy will biodegrade naturally and won’t release any microplastics during washing
This top is another cropped top version of the StyleArc Eme dress, which I made a few small changes to- I lengthened the arms, omitted the sleeve facings and also frenched all the seams. I’m not sure if this is my perfect box top pattern (I’d like the neckline to be a little less wide, the sleeves a little more generous and I’d like a way to make clean insides without having to french around the underarm curve (which inevitably leaves puckers on the outside).
I’m pretty sure I’ve had this top on for at least a portion of the day every day since I made it. It seems to be my go-to because the colour works with all my pants and the length is just right for all my high-waisted pants. We’ve had some warm and chilly days over that time, and the fabric hasn’t left me sweaty or cold on either day!
You’ll be seeing silk noil again on here soon, and I’m eyeing up the white silk noil for some avocado seed dyeing experiments
