Review: Pattern
Finishing Birgitta Helmersson’s Panel Dress
The Panel Dress from Sewing Without Scraps is finished, and what an enjoyable make it was. I began sewing this dress last week, had done all the fiddly bits, and just had the main sections (sleeve, bodice, skirt) to put together and hem. The skirt is much fuller than the original (3m instead of 2.2m),…
Read MoreMaking Birgitta Helmersson’s Panel Dress
Sewing Without Scraps is out in the world, and plans are afoot to sew some of the things in the book by the other two designers, Birgitta Helmersson and Danielle Elsener. This week I started making the Panel Dress by Birgitta. It’s essentially the top featured on the front cover, with the addition of a…
Read MoreMaking a Zero Waste Camera Lens Case
One day, Mr H came home from the second hand shop with a camera lens that fitted our teen’s camera. She uses the lens but it still lives in the shopping bag from the shop. I was thinking about this when I saw Danielle Elsener’s Zero Waste Travel Case, and I thought it could be…
Read MoreA Dose of Gingham Goodness
I’m making a nightie for my teen using a Jane Austen-era pattern for a shift, following on from last week’s post on using an historical sewing pattern. The pattern is in Costume Close-Up – a book of patterns from garments in the collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in the USA. Beyond the patterns, the…
Read MoreMy Modern Marx-Etzel Trousers
I’ve been making the trousers from the book Bog Fashion. Read about this interesting pattern in last week’s post. This is where we left off last week, a pinned-together pair of trousers with an enormous waist: I’ve spent the past week thinking about how to manage the wide waist and finish off the trousers. No-one…
Read MoreThe OTHER Max Tilke Trousers
I couldn’t help myself. From the moment I read PaperCrane’s comment two weeks ago, asking about the light blue trousers, I had to try them. For those just joining my trousers adventure, these are women’s trousers from South-Western China and illustrated in Max Tilke’s Costume Patterns and Designs. (The German edition can be viewed online,…
Read MoreFinishing Tilke’s Chinese Trousers
During the week I finished off the Chinese trousers in Max Tilke’s Costume Patterns and Designs. I like them very much, and so does my teen who looks very cool in them. Read about them in last week’s post. Last week after sewing them, I discovered that I needed a zip to get into them,…
Read MoreMaking Max Tilke’s Chinese Trousers
I’ve been thinking about the Chinese trousers in Max Tilke’s Costume Patterns and Designs since I was alerted to an Instagram reel demonstrating their construction. It was just the nudge I needed to try them. I have the book at home, and looked up the page. They’re women’s trousers from South Western China (date? not…
Read MoreMaking the Bias Shift Top
The Bias Shift top is a new pattern by Emily Klug of Goldfinch Textile Studio. It’s a minimal waste top with two options for the hem, round neckline and cap sleeves. View a selection of tops made by the pattern testers, made in a huge variety of fabrics including stripes, checks and prints. The pattern…
Read MoreMaking SKFK’s Zero Waste Habene Dress
SkunkFunk (SKFK) is an ethical clothing label in Basque country, Spain, and were early on the scene with using zero waste patterncutting for some of their garments. Their zero waste garments come with the pattern printed on the label as proof of authenticity. All of their zero waste patterns have been compiled into a booklet…
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