Well Suited

07 Sep

Posted at 10:00h in Off-the-Rails Sewing Patterns, Pattern Making Instructions, Sewing patterns by
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I'd love to share with you one of my favourite versions of the Corporate Shirt Pattern.  Using a sweet oriental print on patchwork (heirloom) fabric I decided I'd like to try a summer short sleeve shirt.  To begin I decided to use only the collar stand and not the collar fall so you end up with Nehru look for your shirt.

01 Sep

Posted at 10:00h in Off-the-Rails Sewing Patterns, Sewing patterns by
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It's been happening for the past three months and will continue until I run out of sewing patterns (duh never!).  Every time I release a brand new pattern a few days later I send my newsletter subscribers a huge (50%) discount code for that new pattern and a special category of my PDF sewing patterns.  So if you're not subscribed you've got about two days to sign-up to get that wonderful special.
My latest sewing pattern, the Tab Polo Tee is a colourful take on the classic Fred Perry Tennis Polo.  The body of the garment is made from two-way (four-way US) stretch knit fabric with a reasonable (4-8%) elastane content and the tab and collar are made from a mix of eclectic printed woven cotton fabric.

06 Aug

Posted at 10:00h in Pattern Puzzle Sewing Patterns, Sewing patterns by
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The Jersey Twist Pattern Puzzle has to be one of the most popular posts on my website.  It started life as a 'Pattern Puzzle' on Saturday mornings on Facebook.  Then became both a detailed worksheet available on-line and a popular afternoon workshop in my studio.  Now finally it is a PDF Sewing Pattern available to everyone worldwide.

12 Jul

Posted at 19:19h in Off-the-Rails Sewing Patterns, Sewing patterns by
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Comfort and Creativity in a Classic Sewing Pattern

Originally developed as a comfortable fit in a corporate environment, my Corporate Shirt sewing pattern can be creative for all occasions.  It boasts classic shirt styling that includes details that can be highlighted using contrast fabrics.  It is a part of my Off-the-Rails Sewing Patterns collection that focuses on more classic designs that may last forever in your wardrobe.

04 Jun

Posted at 10:00h in Pattern Puzzle Sewing Patterns, Sewing patterns by
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At long last I've finished the PDF Sewing Pattern for the Body Twist Pattern Puzzle.  It's a very large one piece pattern for the body of the garment with a double layer sleeve and ribbed neck trim.  It's a soft and generous twist without being too tight.  The construction is as simple as a tee-shirt without the need to finish any hems.  Body and sleeves are double layers turned back on themselves.  You'll find the history of this pattern development in these blog posts.

14 Apr

Posted at 14:45h in MeStyle, Opinion by
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The tug of war between our creative drive and our ethical aspirations can be so confusing.  How can we adjust our own consumption of fabric/fashion so that we can satisfy our creative needs, alongside supporting our social, ethical and environmental ideals?
To begin with we're so fortunate if we can sew.  Already we're able to side-step the ugly world of fast fashion when we have the skills and resources to make our own clothes.  So what are the key issues we need to consider if we are to grapple with our creativity and still hold some ethical views on consumption.

23 Sep

Posted at 11:00h in Opinion by
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What do you do when you're between workrooms?  When you're used to a large cutting table, a number of specialist sewing machines and all the materials and trims you could ever desire.  It’s quite devastating but not impossible to work around.  Just imagine you're a creative on a long journey, traveling the countryside with very little space to store creative materials or equipment, but still wanting to expressive your creative self.

14 Feb

Posted at 06:00h in Off-the-Rails Sewing Patterns, Stretch Patterns, Womens Knit Block by
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It all began when I came across this fabulous Dior Dress from 2012, and decided it was the perfect idea for a classic dress design.  Imagine a stretch bodice, that fits easily and is very comfortable to wear.  Then add a very special skirt, using signature fabric.  The simplicity of the idea was just so attractive to me.  And simplicity is something I really admire in both the design and construction of fashion clothing.  And now that classic simplicity is available to you with my new sewing pattern:  The Dior Dress, available in 6 sizes, including detailed cutting and sewing instructions.

12 Feb

Posted at 16:03h in Garment Construction, Off-the-Rails Sewing Patterns, Sewing by
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If you have a single retro bone in your body you will have come across a circle skirt at some point in your sewing life.  And they are fabulous, no question.  However they have two possible drawbacks in the making.  They are:  you waste a lot of fabric and you always have to level the hem and in some fabrics that can be an ongoing process. In this post I will only be dealing with the waste fabric from cutting circle skirts.  You'll find more information about Circle Skirts in my other blog posts.

26 Oct

Posted at 12:53h in Garment Construction, Pattern Puzzles by
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We've all seen this particular style over the past few years on the catwalk and in the shops.  But unlike many fashion trends I think this one will be good for quite a while.  It's so flattering with the distracting diagonal drape across the tummy and hip area.
I've featured this particular pattern making move twice on this blog:  Twist and Turnback Top 2013,the Twist Jumper 2013 & Turnback Thinking 2014.  I've also made a number of samples in the past few years, testing different materials and design details.  I'm going to share those samples here and let you know which of the features and fabrics work the best for this design.
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