Plissé Fabric Fens

Plissé is a lightweight cotton lawn, treated with a salt-shrinking treatment to give it a textured appearance. It is beautiful with its subtle tone-on-tone "prints". Allison and I recently worked with this interesting new fabric and are here to share the results. We both chose to use the favorite, tried and true Fen pattern!

Pattern: Fen by Amber Corcoran for Fancy Tiger Crafts, View A with v-neck option
Size: 4
Fabric: Plissé in Black
Modifications: none

I knew I wanted to make a Fen with this weird new fabric. A black Fen top sounded perfect for an everyday piece that would get a lot of wear. Plissé gets its texture from a sodium hydroxide rinse which cause the fabric to pucker in places. For these particular "prints" it forms a sophisticated geometric design. The fabric should be washed cold on gentle and then air dryed. You are not supposed to iron the plissé fabric, but I found it impossible to sew without using my iron. I went ahead and pressed my seams and it worked great. The fabric still retained its unique look. Overall I think this is a great new garment fabric and I love my new Fen top.

You are probably familiar with Fen which is a super flattering pattern with many variations so you can make it again and again. The top version is my favorite - I love the slightly cropped hem and the v-neck option. The top version of Fen loves a fabric with some drape and this cotton plissé did surprisingly well.

Pattern: Fen by Amber Corcoran for Fancy Tiger Crafts, view B, scoop neck and shirttail hem option
Size: 16
Fabric: Plissé in Navy
Modifications: none

Let me tell you bout my best FEN.... My friend Marta is wonderful in every way. When I needed a cactus cake for a party I was throwing, Marta rose to the challenge and made the most glorious cactus complete with flower blooms and spikes. In return for this favor, I made her a custom Fen.

The plissé fabric she choose was a lot of fun to work with. I, like Jaime, was worried about ironing it but when I pressed the fabric the unique texture remained undamaged which was such a relief. I'm sure that ironing it repeatedly is still not recommended, but it is great to know that the fabric can stand up to a small amount of ironing during the sewing process.

I was happy to have an excuse to make another quick and adorable Fen. It is one of my favorite patterns to sew. Plus, Marta looks fantastic in it and I'm so glad she loves it.