intermediate Tag

23 Sep

Posted at 13:10h in Intermediate, Sewing Instructions, Sewing patterns by
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It was over ten years ago that I designed and made this shirt for sale and I've had so many different versions of it in my wardrobe since.  The fit of this shirt is tailored and body conscious with a back yoke, panel seams front and back, a two-piece collar and tab, and a dinner shirt style bib in the front.  There is a short and long sleeve version with the option of cutting the sleeves on either the straight or bias grain.  The Dinner Shirt Sewing Pattern is so versatile in design as to be both a conservative work shirt and fun party shirt in the one pattern.

18 Sep

Posted at 15:08h in Intermediate, Sewing Instructions, Sewing patterns by
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At last some sewing patterns are making it onto the website!  The first in the 'Off-The-Rails' series is the Drape Gather Skirt.  This is a design from many years ago that has been a favourite in my wardrobe ever since.  It's also the first skirt my students cut in my Drape Skirt Patterns workshop.  It has a straight grain centre front panel with a joined side front and back skirt panel that's cut on the bias.  Included in the back seam is a fishtail flare and an invisible zip.  The wait finish is a strap waistband and included in the zip opening is a zip guard for a quality skirt.

11 Sep

Posted at 15:50h in Intermediate, Sewing Instructions, Sewing patterns by
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I've put together some diagrams for cutting out the Drape Gather Skirt sewing pattern.  I've considered fabric widths of 110cm, 130cm and 150cm for the shell of the skirt, across all the sizes 6-22.  I'll deal with the cutting of the lining for this skirt in a separate post.  I suggest that your first sample is an unlined skirt so you have the opportunity of finessing the fit before making a fully lined version.  One constant feature of cutting these drape patterns is there is always what I would consider a lot of waste fabric.  I tend to keep the larger pieces and use them in future projects.  I've found that a pattern with a number of smaller pieces works really well.  I use a paneled waistcoat design that has 5-6 pattern pieces that use the waste from the skirt design very well.

21 Aug

Posted at 16:12h in Fitting Patterns, Intermediate, Pattern Puzzles, Sewing Instructions by
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After so many pattern alterations to the first sample pattern, I'm excited to show you how the second sample turned out.  Below you can see the pattern alterations (brown paper) I made to the first sample pattern.  And I've selected a cotton/linen blend for the second sample.  You will find all the first sample and pattern alteration detail in this post:  Sampling the Flare and Gather Dress and Pattern Alterations - Flare and Gather Dress Pattern.

03 Aug

Posted at 16:37h in Creative Pattern Making, Intermediate, Pattern Puzzles, Sewing Instructions, Using My Blocks by
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I'm beginning to love this skirt pattern - as long as I can find the right fabric to make it work.  Sometime last year I made this first sample and learned a lot about construction issues with drape patterns.  You'll find the original Pattern Puzzle post on the well-suited blog - Pattern Puzzle - Waterfall Jersey Skirt.  In this post, I'll discuss construction and be looking for solutions to some of the issues.

12 Jul

Posted at 12:12h in Fitting Patterns, Intermediate, Pattern Puzzles, Using My Blocks by
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Now that the first sample has been made and fitted I'm able to bring you all the pattern alterations I have made to get this new design to work.  I'm still fascinated with this design and hope the final pattern is something worthy of all this sampling effort.  If you'd like to see the original pattern puzzle post you'll find it here:  Flare & Gather Dress

28 Jun

Posted at 12:40h in Creative Pattern Making, Fitting Patterns, Intermediate, Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Sewing Pattern Alterations by
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And now I'm ready to return to this little wonder!  From the original Pattern Puzzle post I've made an initial sample in calico to check the design and fit of this new design. Throughout this post I'll share each stage of the pattern alterations that I hope will end up in a delightful pattern.

07 May

Posted at 12:13h in Creative Pattern Making, Intermediate, Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Stretch Patterns, Using My Blocks by
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Here we have another re-issue of my very early Pattern Puzzle posts. I've up-dated the images and improved the instructions.  I'm really enjoyed the regular Saturday morning Pattern Puzzles on my facebook page and hope to return to them sometime soon.  Here is the sketch, pattern plan and pattern pieces for the front of the Triple Twist Jersey dress.  Please note this style only works with my knit block and two-way stretch jersey fabric.

30 Apr

Posted at 12:27h in Creative Pattern Making, Intermediate, Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Using My Blocks by
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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.