Tag: sewing blog

Mirabel Petite Dressmaker PDF Pattern

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Pattern Testing

Summertime calls for fun playful dresses!  We enjoyed the chance to be part of the testing team for the Petite Dressmaker’s new release the Mirabel Dress.   

Mirabel Pattern Details

The Mirabel dress is a cute, asymmetrical babydoll style. Perfect for a beginner or intermediate maker it has a square neckline at the front and back with no need for a zipper as you can pull it over your head.

The main design feature is the slanted waistline and two slanted tiers. To showcase these design lines there is an optional ruffle feature.

This PDF pattern includes 12 size options in the layered PDF files with A/B and C/D cup options along with high options of Petite (5’2”) and Standard (5’7”).

You can find your copy on The Petite Dressmaker’s website here or in the babydoll bundle here.

Fabric: Ellie Whittaker Golden Gaytime Cotton

This pattern called for a Light/Medium weight woven fabric such as cotton, quilting cotton, linen/cotton blends or broderie anglaise. Given how playful the design lines were with the asymmetrical feature we wanted a fabric that would match this character. We went into our stash to pull out the Ellie Whittaker Golden Gaytime Cotton we had been waiting to use for a fun project.

To showcase the design lines we included matching piping between the tiers instead of the ruffle.

Finished Mirabel Dress Make

This is a fun Summer dress that is easy to stitch. You can create your own details by showcasing the design lines like we did with the tiers by adding a ruffle or piping. Have fun with the designs! The Petite Dressmaker has provided very detailed instructions to help you construct your own playful make. We can’t wait to see your version of this pattern!

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Mirabel dress by Petite Dress Maker available here
Fabric:  Ellie Whittaker Golden Gaytime Cotton Print

Melco Fabrics Dahlia Days in Moonlit Blooms by Rachel Parker

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

We got to create this dress from beautiful fabric from Melco Fabrics!

Melco Fabrics, founded in 2021 by Melanie Coultas, is on a mission to produce high-quality, ethical, and sustainable fabrics in Australia. The company has evolved from its humble beginnings to become a leader in the textiles industry, emphasizing a commitment to ethical and sustainable manufacturing practices. All knit fabrics are proudly milled in Australia and carry the Australian Made certification, reflecting their dedication to authenticity.

The company prioritizes sustainability by minimizing waste, conserving water, and using eco-friendly dyes and chemicals. Ethical Clothing Australia audits their manufacturing process, ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions. Melco Fabrics also stands out for its in-house printing of art design fabrics using a pigment printer, providing quality control and reducing environmental impact. The company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, ethics, and quality positions them as a reliable choice for those seeking responsibly produced Australian fabrics.  Find out more about Melco Fabrics here. 

When this wonderful company invited us to create something from their fabric we leapt at the chance.  

Fabric: Dahlia Days – Rachel Parker

Rachel Parker is a print designer based in Northamptonshire countryside and created this lovely Dahlia Days design available on the Melco website here.

We chose this print in the navy colour way on a cotton sateen fabric.

This cotton sateen is on the lighter side (only 95 gsm) but holds its structure and was so EASY to work sew. The fabric is printed on demand by Melco Fabrics in their NSW studio.

Pattern: Vogue 9201 and Butterick 5951

For the pattern, we chose Vogue 9201 with short sleeves and a collar. We swapped the pleated skirt swapped for the a-line skirt of Butterick 5951 and added in-seam pockets.

To showcase the design lines of the bodice we included red piping around the front bodice placket.

Finished Make

Explore Melco Fabrics

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Vogue 9201 and Butterick 5951
Fabric:  Dahlia Days designed by Rachel Parker on Cotton Sateen printed and gifted by Melco Fabrics.

Fabric Stores in Paris France

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Fabric Stores, Travel

Ah Paris! A fashion capital and a wealth of wonderful fabric stores!

In many of the stores in Montmartre near Sacré-Cœur the fabrics are already cut into length of 3m meters and folded on tables. They are sorted into fibre types with silks, cottons and wools grouped together. Each piece of fabric has a tag attached that lists the fibre composition, the width, meterage and the price.

Here are just a few we have frequented to help you explore and see the full map below

Coupons Saint Pierre (Les Coupons de Saint Pierre)

This fabric store has all precut lengths of 3 meters with an amazing selection of silks. This is the kind of store to let the fabric all to you, explore the piles, pick the pieces you like, and circle back around because the fabrics on top will have changed thanks to the other fabric lovers exploring as well!

While they do have a website https://les-coupons-de-saint-pierre.fr/en nothing can beat the in-person experience.

Find it Coupons Saint Pierre at 1 Pl. Saint-Pierre, 75018 Paris https://maps.app.goo.gl/FENQUnrWzsnbvhfE9

Marché Saint-Pierre

Oh wow, there are 5 levels of fabric at Marché Saint-Pierre! The store which was established in 1920 has a wide range of materials, some precut lengths and the rest available by the meter.

While you could explore their online store https://www.marchesaintpierre.com/ does anything beat exploring in person?

Find it Marché Saint-Pierre 2 Rue Charles Nodier, 75018 Paris https://maps.app.goo.gl/uJqwrardPsiCE8zC8

Ultramod Mercerie Paris

Closer to the centre of the city Ultramod is a place for haberdashery, trim, buttons and millinery supplies. It is not possible to shop online at this treasure trove so in-person is a must!

The store is split over two locations and each has its own goodies one for haberdashery and millinery in that other.

Find Ultramod Mercerie at 3 and 4 Rue de Choiseul, 75002 Paris https://maps.app.goo.gl/BQDWzS3vGrNDZE7v5

Map of Paris Fabric Store

Geometric Cotton Sateen in Simplicity 8733

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

When travelling, how do you decide what to take with you? For us, we start with a hero piece or theme and then build around it. For Lauren’s trip to Europe in the depths of winter, the hero was always going to be the jacket—a magenta wool coat made from a Burda pattern. From there, we decided the base colour would be black, so all the shoes she took would match everything, paired with black tights and a black handbag. The base garments were decided as a pair of black pants and a skirt, and now the fun part: how to add some colour (that complements the jacket) and prints!

Fabric: Woven Stretch Cotton Sateen Fabric

Now, enter this geometric Woven Stretch Cotton Sateen Fabric from Minerva. We were looking for a fabric that had some weight to it, and as you know, we love a cotton sateen due to its lovely finish and the inclusion of some elastane for a small amount of stretch. This cotton sateen is made up of 95% Cotton, 5% Elastane, which was perfect. See more about this fabric on the Minerva website here.

Pattern: Simplicity 8733

The pattern we chose was Simplicity 8733 because of the simple bodice line that would not break up the geometric print of the fabric and the dramatic bishop sleeve.

Finished Make

See more about the make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Simplicity 8733
Fabric: Geometric Woven Stretch Cotton Sateen Fabric provided by Minerva

May Gibbs Gum Blossom Babies Fabric in Simplicity 9744

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

Growing up in the Australian landscape, it was difficult not to imagine little gum nut babies calling the eucalyptus home. This is the work of the stunning stories and illustrations by Cecilia May Gibbs MBE. She is best known for the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, which was published in 1918. Born in Kent, United Kingdom May Gibbs made her way to Australia in 1881 and called it home until she died in 1969 in Sydney. The legacy of her work lives on through her artwork and, recently, in printed textiles.  The May Gibbs team approached us with the opportunity to create something with their lovely printed fabric we jumped at the chance. 

Fabric: May Gibbs Gum Blossom Babies Organic Homespun Cotton

We got to choose from a selection from the May Gibbs collection, and we chose the Gum Blossom Babies Organic Homespun Cotton. The fabric is 100% cotton and 112cm wide.

The Gum Blossom Babies are shy little girls that can be found clustered together on the tops of the trees. The tender-hearted Blossoms, like the Nuts, love all the Bush Folk and take much interest in the goings on around them. They enjoy sitting with the Nuts to hear stories of great adventures and things unknown.

Pattern: Simplicity 9744

For our pattern selection, we wanted to pick a pattern with large pattern pieces and not too many pieces that would break up the fabric print. A new release of Simplicity patterns came out in Australia, and we saw this Simplicity 9744, and we knew it was the one.

This shirt dress has a half-button placket at the front with a spread collar. The bodice is all in one and features an inverted box pleats. We chose to create view A (without the tie detail) with a raglan sleeve that finishes above the elbow.

Finished Make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Simplicity 9744
Fabric:  May Gibbs Gum Blossom Babies Organic Homespun Cotton gifted by May Gibbs Official. This fabric is available through Spotlight Stores.

REVERSIBLE Papercut Nova Coat in Minerva Exclusive Quilted Fabric

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

When we saw that the Pre Quilted Coating Fabric that Minerva had was reversible there was only one option in our mind, make a reversible coat!  So here it is, our reversible Papercut Nova Coat!

Fabric: Minerva Exclusive Babelone Art Pre Quilted Reversible Coating Fabric

The Minerva Exclusive Babelone Art Pre-Quilted Reversible Coating Fabric, featuring a stunning blue hue accentuated by a striking red and black print. Upon receiving this fabric, the undeniable beauty of the quilted design inspired us to create something special. With its double-sided construction and pre-completed quilting, Minerva has taken care of the intricate details, making your creative process a breeze! Explore the Pre Quilted Babelone Art.

Pattern: Papercut Nova Coat

We decided to make the Nova Coat, because we liked the simple but effective design lines. The ‘grown on’ pocket shape also makes a really interesting design line, and as a bonus, made it really easy to make the pockets reversible as well!

See the Nova Coat on the Minerva website here.

Finished Make

See our full tips for making this REVERSIBLE coat on the Minerva website here.

See more about this magic make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Nova Coat by Papercut Patterns
Fabric:  Minerva Exclusive Babelone Art Pre Quilted Reversible Coating Fabric

New Look 6694 Tartan Shirting Fabric Design 63 from Minerva

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

This dress treads the fine line between office attire and being a very fun outfit. Did we do a twirl in the work kitchen the other day just to test out the skirt? Yes, yes we did. We see more tartan dresses with feminine design lines in our future… 

Fabric: Tartan Shirting Fabric Design 63 from Minerva

This is Minerva Core Range Cotton Shirting Fabric in Design 63. It is a woven fabric that is 142 cm wide – perfect for getting creative with the pattern layout and making the most of those tartan checks!

Find this fabric on Minerva.

Pattern: New Look 6694

This is view A of New Look 6694. We’ve made this pattern a couple of times, including our Valentine’s Day version two years ago. We really love this dress for a couple of reasons. The bodice is really cool, as it wraps with a button closure – but unlike other wraps has a lovely higher neckline rather than a v-neckline which is typically common for wrap dresses.

Find this pattern on Minerva here.

Finished N6694

more about this make

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: New Look 6694
Fabric:  Shirting Fabric Design 63 from Minerva

See more like…

Christmas Me Made Outfits 2023

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project, Uncategorized

Jingle all the way with matching family Christmas outfits! 🎄✨

Ho, ho, ho! Sending you a sleighful of Merry Christmas cheer from our festive family to yours!

If you’ve been following our creative escapades over the past few merry years, you’re in on our jolly family tradition. But if you’re a newbie to our yuletide adventures, welcome to the holly-jolly club! Drumroll, please… it’s time to unveil one of our all-time favourite family customs: the annual creation of matching Christmas outfits.

This tradition is as timeless as Santa’s naughty-or-nice list. Picture this: our Nan crafting Christmas shirts and dresses for our Grandad and parents before we knew the joy of unwrapping presents! If you have been following along for a few years you might, just might recognise these outfits. If not then enjoy! The fabric was purchased from Spotlight in about 2017 and sat waiting for two years before we made them into matching family Christmas outfits. This year there was enough fabric to create James a shirt and Fergus a bow tie.

So, here’s to family, festivities, and fashionable echidnas! May your Christmas be as bright and merry as our outfits. 🎅🎁✨

Lauren in Butterick 6556, Fergus in Two Sewing Sisters drafted doggy bowtie, David in McCall’s 4399,
Robyn in Simplicity 8840, Erin in Gracie Steel Adrift Shift and James McCall’s 6044

Erin in Grace Steel Adrift Shift and James in McCall’s 6044

David in McCall’s 4399 and Robyn in Simplicity 8840

Lauren in Butterick 6556 and Fergus in Dog Bowtie

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie
Dress Fabric: 
Patterns:
Lauren – Butterick 6556
Fergus – Two Sewing Sisters drafted doggy bowtie
David – McCall’s 4399
Robyn – Simplicity 8840
Erin – Gracie Steel Adrift Shift 
James – McCall’s 6044

Love these outfits? Check out our past Christmas outfits from 2022 Green Jocelyn Proust outfits, 2021 Liberty Print looks, 2020 Blue Jocelyn Proust wombats, the first time we work these outfits in 2019

Lucca Dress pattern by Schultz Apparel

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Pattern Testing

We joined the pattern testing team for Schultz Apparel’s latest release the Lucca Dress 

The Lucca Dress pattern is a style with both modern and vintage inspired details.
All options comes with a curved
front waist seam, a front button
closure and a faux-shirred back.
Options can be mixed and
matched.

Fabric

This pattern called for light weight woven
fabric and can be lined in the same fabric or another light lining fabric in the same fibres.

We created this Lucca dress in printed cotton from East Coast Fabrics. It was a white floral pattern with a green background.

Finished Lucca Dress

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Lucca Dress Sewing Pattern from Schultz Apparel
Fabric: Green floral cotton from East Coast Fabrics

Two Sewing Sisters wear pattern test of Tetra Tshirt Top Sewing Pattern by Schultz Apparel in May Gibbs printed cotton jersey with black cullotte pants standing on the path showing a close up of the neck detail

Tetra T-shirt Top Sewing Pattern by Schultz Apparel in May Gibbs Jersey

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Pattern Testing

We joined the pattern testing team for Schultz Apparel’s latest release. We were looking forward to creating the t-shirt as just last week we were reflecting on our top collection and commented about how we were looking for a great t-shirt pattern.  

The Tetra pattern is a perfect everyday
basic top pattern for knitted fabrics. The pattern includes two options; Option A is a cropped top with short sleeve and a lower turtleneck. Option B is a longer top with long sleeves and a higher turtleneck. Both options has a cute vintage
inspired lettuce hem at neck, sleeve
and hemline.

Fabric

This pattern called for light to medium weight knit fabrics/jersey fabric with at least 60% stretch made from fibers: viscose, modal, bamboo, Tencel, or polyester. We had the perfect piece which was a 1 meter remanent of May Gibbs jersey.

Cutting

As the pattern has a small exposed edge finish there is no seam allowance on the hem of the sleeve, bodice and neckband. It does include 1cm on the side seams and armhole seams. We constructed the t-shirt on our 4-thread overlocker.

Finished Tetra Tshirt

We like the fit of the bodice and sleeve shape of this pattern. Next time we make it we will make some modifications to include seam allowance so we can add a hem to the sleeve and bodice as we had trouble making the adjustments to our overlocker to get the lettuce hem design feature and double the width of the neck band to fold it in half to able to create a folded neck finish. As this one was a printed fabric the fabric rolled showing the white back of the fabric. We are looking forward to exploring more options in jersey knits with this Tetra T-shirt pattern.

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Tetra Tshirt Top Sewing Pattern from Schultz Apparel
Fabric: May Gibbs printed cotton jersey from Spotlight Store