well-suited blog - fashion design, illustration, pattern making.

Pattern Puzzle - Three Colour Wrap Dress

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Originally posted in June 2013, it was quite a challenge for my Facebook fans to solve this Pattern Puzzle. This is the original puzzle, the sketch and pattern plan are pasted below with all the pattern making detail. I have updated the graphics and the instructions in line with more recent pattern puzzles.

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My Fitted Dress Block for Pattern Puzzles

Thursday, August 02, 2018

This has to be my favourite block! It's the start place for so many of the garments you'll find in your wardrobe. It's the base for woven garments that cover the torso - dresses, corsets, shirts & jackets. Keep Reading...

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Pattern Puzzle - Transparent Tuck Dress

Monday, April 30, 2018

Congrats to Mioara and Gemma solving the Pattern Puzzle in just one comment! I think I am going to have to up my game to give you all a bit more of a challenge. This creative design is just the kind of pattern we make in my Draped Dresses workshop at Studio Faro. Below is recent design development I have decided to use for the Pattern Puzzle this week. The inspiration comes from Comme de Garcon frock I saw in the late nineties. The image has always stayed with me. I so love their work. This post was originally published 17 June 2013 and is one of my earliest Pattern Puzzle posts. In this post I have updated the graphics and improved the pattern making instructions for this release.

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My Drape Pattern Making Method

Tuesday, February 06, 2018

The origins of my passion for creative pattern making start way back in 1980 when I first went to fashion college. It was at this time that I was introduced to an amazing pattern making book that just lit up my brain. Natalie Bray's technical diagrams leapt off the page and made immediate sense to me. I could hardly contain my excitement at the potential of pattern making. To this end I believe I was quite the pesky student in our pattern making classes. The student with 20 questions every session, that drove the pattern making teacher crazy. You'll find Natalie's books on all the usual book selling sites and the prices vary dramatically, so do your research. Keep Reading...

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Learn Pattern Making using my Online Resources

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

In this post I hope to link up some of the illustration and patternmaking resources I have on the website so you can plan your pattern making creativity over the summer break. These suggestions are a combination of free access blog posts, digital product you can buy and download and members blog posts with extra pattern making information. Keep Reading...

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Vintage Patterns with My Fitted Dress Block

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

This is a short but dedicated post for all those lovers of Vintage Style. The focus is on using my fitted dress block to design and cut your own vintage dress sewing patterns. To work your way through the fitting process you can go to DOWNLOADS on the menu bar and checkout My Blocks PDF (downloads). The Fitted Dress block has to be one of my favourites and the best place to start for fabulous dress designs. You can also checkout some of my Members Blog posts that cover the fitting alterations for this block. To Become a Member all that's required is a password to access even more pattern making magic.

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Vintage Inspired Round-Up

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Trawling through my blog post archive I've come to realise that many of my posts have vintage content, and I discover there are at least twenty vintage posts! So this Vintage Inspired Round-Up is to refresh your memory of some of my earlier Pattern Puzzle posts and to share a few points in history where vintage style has influenced my work. Where does it all start?

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Pattern Fix - Back Dress too Long

Saturday, April 02, 2016

How many times have you experienced this; fabric pooling at the back waist in your dresses and shirts? Well I have the Pattern Fix for that! Unfortunately there is little we can do to save the sample, but we can do the pattern alteration to make sure it doesn't happen again.

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Fit Rules - Personal Block Development

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

For over 20 years I've been teaching pattern making and I swear I can teach that subject blindfolded. However recent events have me delving into an entirely new area of expertise; personal fittings. Keep Reading...

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Fittings First - An Integrated Approach to Pattern Making

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

I have made an info-graphic to show you all what I've been up to with the workshop line-up here at the studio. Now I hear you say 'What's that to me? I live on the other side of the world! :( So to elaborate; the teaching materials I intend for the website (e-learning) are derived from the workbooks I make for each of the workshops I run here at the studio. The content and integration of that content becomes even more important when considering its use as online teaching materials. As a first step I've added my garment blocks to the website as PDF downloads.