Tag: sewing blog

John Kaldor Lizzano Cotton Sateen from Minerva in Simplicity S9780

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

We love making fun summer dresses, but we never seem to pick fabric or patterns for dresses with sleeves. This means we feel like we have nothing to wear when spring or autumn comes around! Our challenge in the next couple of months is to fix this before the weather gets cooler.

Fabric: John Kaldor Lizzano Cotton Sateen Fabric from Minerva

This is the John Kaldor Lizzano Cotton Sateen Fabric in the black colourway. It is 100% cotton but has a beautiful smooth finish. Some of the cotton sateens you find in Australia are heavy and have stretch in the fabric – this one is quite the opposite! It is light and soft, but still keeps its shape when gathered.

Pattern: Simplicity 9780

When picking the pattern we wanted to make, we wanted to choose one that showcased the lovely way the fabric looks when it is gathered. Simplicity 9780 is a smock type dress with three views, with different sleeve, length and ruffle variations. We love the way the yoke of the dress continues around the front, back and sleeves of the dress. The front tie provides a creative feature to otherwise very simple design lines.

Finished Make

See more about the make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Simplicity 9780
Fabric:  John Kaldor Lizzano Cotton Sateen Fabric provided by Minerva

Elena Dress by Schultz Apparel

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Pattern Testing

The clever design and pattern-making by Schultz Apparel just keep calling us back!  When Amalie reached out to us about her latest design we jumped on board to explore what she had been developing.  The answer is this sweet peasant-style dress the Elena. 

Pattern: Elena Dress by Schultz Apparel

The Elena dress has an elastic neckline with a raglan line that falls out into a glorious puff sleeve. It has a waist seam that flares out to a full skirt with gathering in the side panels with waist ties. As with many Schultz Apparel patterns no fastenings are required to get in and out of this dress, it just tightens around the waist with the tie.

Fabric: Jungle Garden Multipurpose Cotton from Spotlight

To sit well in the gathers and milkmaid style top with elastic the fabric for this style needed to we light enough to gather in yet sit well in the skirt and sleeves. We wanted a printed fabric but one that would still showcase the lines of the dress.

We used this jungle green printed cotton from Spotlight, which we found in the upholstery section!

The trick to sourcing fabric for this project is to find 150cm wide cotton, we didn’t have success with this so had to compromise on the fullness of the sleeve which was not ideal.

Finished Elena Dress

The Elena Dress is a very sweet style with some clever design features including the gathered skirt panels and belt at the waist to create the shape.

Get your copy of the pattern here

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Elena Dress by Schultz Apparel
Fabric:  Jungle Garden Multipurpose Cotton from Spotlight

Marimekko Unikko Fabric in Vogue 9237

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

It is the 60th anniversary of this iconic Unikko print by Marimekko. We came across this fabric while fabric shopping in Newcastle – we couldn’t help ourselves, and we had to bring home a piece!

Also… enter our new fabric pattern! We have claimed that Know Me 2016 is our favourite pattern for a couple of months. Only now we might have found a new favourite Vogue 9237! It is easy to wear and easy to sew – it also has limited pattern pieces, so the wonderful print of the fabric isn’t segmented between too many pattern pieces ✂️

Fabric: Marimekko Unikko Fabric

Mini Unikko, conceived by Kristina Isola, is a scaled-down rendition of the iconic Unikko print that has captivated global audiences. Originating in 1964, Unikko emerged in defiance of Marimekko founder Armi Ratia’s decree against floral motifs in the brand’s fabrics. Despite this prohibition, artist Maija Isola boldly crafted a collection of floral patterns, ultimately prompting Armi to incorporate eight of them.

Unikko has since become a symbol of exuberance and innovation, seamlessly woven into Marimekko’s design ethos. Maija’s work stands as a testament to the enduring power of creativity in spreading joy.

Pattern: Vogue v9237

Vogue 9237 is a Very Easy Vogue Dress pattern with a loose-fitting pullover style that has a round neck with a button and loop closing at the back neck. The main feature is the back ruffle panel create a playful design element.

Finished Make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Vogue 9237 provided by Sewdirect Australia
Fabric:  Marimekko Unikko Fabric

Sew Melbourne Garden Party

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Events

On this lovely Melbourne day, we headed along to join our fellow makers at the Sew Melbourne Garden Party.  Hosted at the Stapley Pavilion in Kings Domain, the Sew Melbourne Garden Party is the perfect sew-cial day out.  The event is organised by Libby and Abby and is a wonderful event.  

Outfits

Erin in Vogue V1994 in denim from Darn Cheap Fabrics, Eliza in Peppermint Jumpsuit in berry fabric from East Coast Fabrics, Lauren in McCalls 8098 & McCalls 8161 in Inky Grove Cotton Sateen from Minerva and Kate in McCalls 8036 in cotton from Minerva

Name Badges

We took this opportunity to have a crafternoon together before the event to create our own name badges, how fun!

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media

McCalls 8098 & McCalls 8161 in Inky Grove Cotton Sateen

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

Fabric: Inky Grove Cotton Sateen Fabric

The Inky Grove print on Cotton Sateen is a Minerva exclusive print that is fabulous and we loved the rich blue tone mix with the white background. The quality and weight of the cotton sateen is lovely, more a light to medium weight of the fabric. It gathers beautifully and at 142cm wide it has lots of options for cutting large pattern shapes to make the most of the print.

Pattern: McCall’s 8161 McCall’s 8098

We started with the pants as the hero we used, view B McCall’s 8098 a full-length pair of pants with a very comfortable elastic waist. For the top we wanted a classic shape and used McCall’s 8161 our go-to for this occasion.

Finished Make

See more about the make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: McCalls 8098 & McCalls 8161
Fabric:  Inky Grove Cotton Sateen provided by Minerva

Burgundy Stretch Woven Suiting Fabric in Vogue Jumpsuit V1647

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

Ah jumpsuits!  The joy of pants but less drama to choose what to pair it with.  This lovely maroon crepe was the answer we were looking for when it came to Vogue Jumpsuit V647

Fabric: Burgundy Stretch Woven Suiting Fabric from Minerva

We were excited when this burgundy floral in Stretch Woven Suiting Fabric arrived from Minerva as we knew we had finally found the fabric for this jumpsuit!

This stretch-woven suiting feels more like a crepe with its drape and medium weight. The lovely white floral motif has a burgundy backing. It is 95% polyester and 5% spandex and is a great width at 145cm.

Pattern: Vogue Jumpsuit V1647

We have had this pattern sitting ready to be made for some time and this fabric was the perfect weight! This Vogue jumpsuit has a V feature bodice with wide leg pants.

We have used the pants part of this pattern before attaching it to another bodice for Lauren’s Cup Day outfit in 2022, see that make here.

Finished Jumpsuit

See more about the make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Vogue 1647
Fabric:  Burgundy Stretch Woven Suiting Fabric provided by Minerva

Sew Unsteady Junk in the Trunk Bag

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Pattern Testing, Sewing Project

We enjoy exploring new things in sewing so when Case from Sew Unsteady invited us to try out her first pattern Junk in the Trunk we loved the idea of exploring bag making.

Pattern: Sew Unsteady Junk in the Trunk Bag

This bag is designed with a side band and flat front that has an adjustable strap and can be worn around the waist, across the body or over the shoulder making it extremely versatile. There are two views included in the pattern with the strap attaching at different points to create a vertical or horizontal shape.

Fabric: Jungle Garden Multipurpose Cotton

We used an offcut of lightweight cotton we had and interfaced to give it some more support. This pattern could use a heavier woven fabric and even a leather so there are so many options to make it your own. A perfect scrap buster too!

This Jungle Garden Cotton was in the upholstery section in Spotlight. The fastenings we used white cotton tape and found the fabulous yellow clip at Super Cheap Fabrics in Fitzroy.

Making process

Finished Make

Get you Junk in the Trunk Bag Pattern here

Photo Credits

Pattern: Sew Unsteady Junk in the Trunk Bag
Fabric:  Jungle Garden Multipurpose Cotton from Spotlight
Fastenings: Yellow clip Darn Cheap Fabrics

Vogue 9237 in Emma Floral Linen from Drapers Fabrics

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

The last dress of summer 🌞 Okay… maybe it won’t be the last summer dress if Melbourne keeps up this hot weather! Our favourite thing about this dress is the cute back skirt ruffle. This pattern is simply to make, comfy to wear, and lets this super fun floral print shine 😍

Fabric: Emma Floral Cotton Linen from Drapers Fabrics

We picked up this lovely Summer fabric as a remnant at Drapers Fabrics in Fitzroy. The print is called Emma and is a lightweight linen with a cream background and vibrant multicoloured floral print. Made up of 20% Linen and 80% Cotton it was 145cm wide and made in Korea

Pattern: Vogue v9237

Vogue 9237 is a Very Easy Vogue Dress pattern with a loose-fitting pullover style that has a round neck with a button and loop closing at the back neck. The main feature is the back ruffle panel create a playful design element.

Finished Make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Vogue 9237 provided by Sewdirect Australia
Fabric:  Emma Floral Cotton Linen purchased from Drapers Fabrics

Shirley Shirred by Gracie Steel in Ellie Whittaker Leafy Sea

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Pattern Testing

Have you tried shirring?  This might be the time!  Gracie Steel has just released the Shirley Shirred dress that features a shirred bodice and a gathered skirt. We joined the testing team to explore this new pattern.

Pattern: Shirley Shirred by Gracie Steel

The pattern includes a range of options a fully shirred bodice, milkmaid style (not shirring across the bust) and a combination of skirt designs with a dropped waist, v yoke with a regular seam or exposed ruffle. We created the fully shirred v front bodice with v yoke skirt.

Fabric: Ellie Whittaker Leafy Sea in Pink

The pattern called for opaque light/medium-weight wovens with good drape such as linen, cotton, viscose, silk. We wanted to create a fun Summer dress so chose this Ellie Whittaker Leafy Sea Cotton Poplin in pink.

Finished Make

We would highly recommend including the option of including a channel for the elastic around the waist. As you are combining two varying pieces of material, a gathered skirt and a shirred bodice there is nothing that pulls the material into the body, both have movement and a tendency to stretch.

Photo Credits

Pattern: Shirley Shirred by Gracie Steel
Fabric: Ellie Whittaker Leafy Sea in Pink

Burda 6736 in Magenta Coating from Super Cheap Fabrics

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

How do you decide what to pack when travelling?  Lauren was travelling in Europe in January and February in cold weather so took on the challenge to create a wardrobe centred around one piece.  What would that piece?  A coat made the most sense, you need it every day in the cold weather, it is also the bulkiest item to pack and heaviest to transport.  So a jacket it was!

Fabric: Magenta Coating from Super Cheap Fabrics

We spotted this magenta coating on sale at Super Cheap Fabrics and we were talking about statement coats after the coats we created when we went to New York and the magenta was just too good to pass up!

Pattern: Burda 6736

The Burda Coat pattern is a loose-fitting jacket with set-in sleeves and over sized wrap. It features two buttons and patch pockets.

Originally unlined I wanted to add a lining to it to make it easier to get on and off over thick dresses and tops. I copied the outside pattern pieces and attached the facing on top of the lining so it could be treated as one. The only downfall of this was I forgot to include a pleat at the center back and the lining was under stress and has pulled at the side seams. It is now on the fix pile to add an extra panel to resolve this.

Construction

Inserting a set of shoulder pads and sleeve head fillers to give shoulder shape to the coat
Checking the fit with the shoulder pad
Inside before lining
Ready for lining

Finished Make of Burda 6736

Photo Credits

Pattern: Burda 6736
Fabric: Magenta Coating from Super Cheap Fabrics
Buttons: Tessuti Fabrics

The coat in Paris