My experience is limited: I had a beautiful silk shantung dress and coat made when I went away to college...loved that outfit. I have a piece of faille in my stash that I haven't made up yet. I think the faille is a little heavier than the shantung but if I had a choice, I'd do it in shantung as it has a luster that the faille does not have, IMO.

Save some scraps to practice your needle size, stitch size and tension BEFORE you start construction. One online source said that it is best used on clothing loosely fitted. I'll look in my books at home to see if there is any info on sewing with shantung.

If you prefer the shantung, you can probably use it. BUT - make a muslin first for fit, whatever you choose.

In general, natural fabrics (like silk) are much easier to handle than polyesters, and give superior results. Is the faille silk, also? Shantung would give your garment more "flow" and drape than the stiffer faille would, so it depends on the shape and style of the garment.

Have you selected the pattern? And do you have particular fabrics in mind? I'm being nosy, but perhaps you could post the pattern number and I could take a look on line to get a better feel for fabric choice.

Good luck.

Sherry