Patternmaking
The challenge of zero-waste leggings
Is it possible to design leggings that waste no fabric? I have been turning this idea over in my head for some time; I do love a patternmaking challenge. Read more about zero waste fashion here. Basic leggings typically only have one pattern piece, which makes zero waste impossible since the piece isn’t square. The…
Read MoreI wanna be a cowl girl
Last week’s festive season batik cowl neck dress has been an absolute winner! I’ve worn it twice already. Did you like the cowl neck? It’s a shallow cowl, the sort where you don’t have to press your hand to your chest when bending over to avoid displaying everything. It’s an easy bit of patternmaking if…
Read MoreLutterloh from the op shop
Arriving home from an op shop visit, my husband presented me with someone’s Lutterloh books. Lutterloh is a pattern making system from Germany. It was developed in 1935 and is still available today. Lutterloh is a pattern drafting system only. There are no instructions for cutting or making the…
Read MoreMy Father’s shirt
During my 1970’s childhood, my Dad had a body shirt in an orangey/yellowy/ browny floral Liberty print. It was originally a special shirt but became a gardening shirt at the end of its life. It had worn out by the time I was a teenager, and Mum gave it to me and I unpicked it. …
Read MoreAn Autumn Outfit
As curling columns of smoke and the buzz of chainsaws announce the settling of autumn in our part of the world, I sat outside and sewed a skirt to go with last week’s Japanese cardigan. It’s my own basic A-line skirt I’ve used several times before. It has a waist facing, centre back invisible zip,…
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