23 Mar Drape Skirt
This week's #PatternPuzzle is the simplest addition to a classic pencil skirt. With the introduction of a front left side panel you are able to include the drape shape easily around the waist and into the panel seam
Pattern Making Instructions
16 Mar Vintage Fancy
Posted at 14:07h
in Fitted Dress Block, Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Vintage Patterns
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Since the earliest of my pattern making days I have had a passion for the tailored femininity of vintage styling. And now that I have discovered an extensive online community that enjoys both fashion and vintage designs I am presented with so many beautiful options for our weekly pattern puzzle. I found this weeks inspiring image in a wonderful tumblr blog, The Tailors Desire, full of all things vintage. :)
09 Mar Double Drape Maxi
Posted at 15:16h
in Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Stretch Patterns, Womens Knit Block
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You may be forgiven for thinking that we often torture the stuffing out of our fabulous #PatternPuzzle fans. Well, last Saturday was no exception. I did a slightly tricky thing with a 'grown-on hood' and it was enough to make the pattern shapes very hard to read. I have seen similar styles in both historic and current fashion and have waited some time to try this out on the blog. The idea I have is to cut this dress from my knit block using a merino jersey. That could be either a one-way or two-way stretch knit. The Double Drape in this Maxi refers to the #CowlDrape on the back of this dress and the #GatheredDrape on the centre front (CF) seam. The hood styling may also be considered a #CowlDrape with the large tuck and the centre back (CB) line on the fold.
02 Mar Transparent Bomber Jacket
Inspired by a delicate sketch in my visual diary from many years ago, the Transparent Bomber jacket is a summer season take on a recent winter trend for classic bomber jackets. This design will rely on a lightweight transparent fabric that will gather well with the elastic bands and still hold a soft, full shape.
23 Feb Drape Cape Top
As a general rule, capes and ponchos are not at the top of my shopping list. I know they are currently on-trend but I find so many of them to be either unattractive or impractical. We don't have cold enough weather here to benefit from the traditional wool cape with cozy hood or wrap. However, the more recent lightweight, knit designs in shrugs and capes are probably a lot easier to wear and may even have a functional place in our trans-seasonal wardrobes. If you'd like to learn my method for creating Twist Drape Patterns I have a detailed worksheet for making Jersey Twist Patterns. For just a few dollars you'll get the same training you'd get if you came to the workshop in my studio.
16 Feb Gil Brandao, Conjunto Pratico
Posted at 16:20h
in Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Self-draft, Vintage Patterns
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Gil Brandao's patterns have a seductive quality in their simplicity and clarity. Often with pattern making instructions, simplicity is no more than an absence of information that can be finally very frustrating. Not so for Gil. His diagrams have all the required information. So much so that my inability to read Portuguese does not present a problem.
09 Feb Drape Back Dress
Posted at 16:29h
in Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Self-draft, Sewing patterns
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The simplest of shapes have a tendency to be the most difficult to solve in the pattern puzzle. When there are no recognisable pattern parts (armholes, necklines, etc.), a huge amount of creativity is needed to make sense of the pattern shape. Each week our fans excel in their ability to work their way through the information, ask the best questions and eventually win the day. :) They are the best! If you don't fancy making your own pattern this design is now available as a PDF sewing pattern to download and sew for your self at home. Click through to see my very first PDF patterns online!
02 Feb Handkerchief Fold Dress
At last the detail for the Saturday #PatternPuzzle is here! My apologies for the delay to our usual posting but I had a little trouble with my graphics. It was a wonderful round of creative answers and clever solutions that finally solved this puzzle. Our Handkerchief Fold Dress is so named because it struck me that the construction of this dress is much like a handkerchief with the corners folded into the centre.
26 Jan Tucked Drape Tops
A huge thanks to all the fans that turned up on Saturday to play and watch the #PatternPuzzle. This weeks puzzle was less complex than most but a favourite for the wardrobe. Our post this week has two versions of the Tucked Drape Top, the first with two large tucks facing each other on the front neckline and the second with one large tuck only in the front neckline.
19 Jan Vintage Booty Dress
Posted at 17:06h
in Fitted Dress Block, Pattern Making Instructions, Pattern Puzzles, Vintage Patterns
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It was a demanding Pattern Puzzle this week that ran live across all time zones and gave everyone a chance to join in. You can see by the pattern shapes below that the final move of adding the front side panel to the backside panel was just enough to make it a very challenging game. Huge thanks to all fans and friends for dropping by and making it a great day.
