We were very excited to attend the VRC Kennedy Oaks Club Lunch at Crown Palladium for the first time. Where did we start with our outfits for this ladies’ lunch? We went for a hunt in our stash and found two fabrics that were just waiting for the occasion. We created two Vogue patterns for these fabrics Vogue 1723 and Vogue 1884.
Vogue 1723
We had seen a fabulous outfit of silk blue organza created by Laura Wolfgang on Instagram and set out to create our own version. The outer dress is Vogue 1723 by Carlos at Vogue Patterns in embroidered tulle from New York when we were there earlier this year. The underdress is Vogue 1834 in a peppermint rayon blend from The Fabric Store.
Vogue 1884
The fabric for Lauren’s dress was purchased in Vienna and patiently waiting in our stash since 2018! The border style print called for a skirt that would showcase the lovely design. When Vogue 1884 came out we knew it was just the design for this fabric.
Photo Credits
Pattern: Vogue 1723 and Vogue 1884 Fabric: We wish we could remember the locations but sadly all we can offer is New York and Vienna. Millinery: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery
We also got see see fellow sewer Bryony Bourke who was wearing a fabulous me made outfit!
We had the honour to be invited to attend the Cup Eve Reception at Government House. The evening celebrates the first Melbourne Cup run in 1861 when Victoria only began to find its feet as an independent colony. We chose to pull Vogue 1579 out of the cupboard and created a new Vogue 1802 for the occasion and pair it with pieces from Lauren’s millinery collection.
Vogue 1579 in Fabric Deluxe
Lauren wore a fabulous bird and butterfly with blue detail and a black background jacquard from Fabric Deluxe. We used Vogue 1579 to create the straight skirt with a fitted bodice and cape detail.
Vogue 1802
Erin wore Vogue 1802 a dress pattern from Sewdirect Australia that has a loose-fitting bodice with a neck tie and gathered dropped skirt. She stitched it up in a floral polyester crepe that we found in Spotlight.
Photo Credits
Photographer: James Christie Media Pattern: Vogue 1578 and Vogue 1802 Fabric: Blue and Black Jacquard from Fabric Deluxe and floral crepe from Spotlight Millinery: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery
Two Sewing Sisters are proud to be Brand Ambassadors for Minerva. Fabric for the projects featured in this blog has been provided by Minerva. The pattern selection, design and photography are taken by Two Sewing Sisters
We loved working with the Minerva exclusive print! As you might have seen from our previous makes we love working with polished cotton. The finish on the surface gives a rich effect but you still get the comfort of wearing natural fibres and this version is 100% cotton. This gorgeous print is called the Dynamic Brushstrokes. For this make we chose Vogue 9328 and went with View C. See more about this make here.
Papercut Patterns Palisade Pants and Juno Jacket
The Palisade Pants are one of those patterns we had been watching and seeing many amazing versions of but hadn’t taken the plunge yet. We loved making the Palisade Pants and Juno Jacket as part of the Minerva Sewing Kits.
The sewing kits for the pants and jacket included the sewing pattern, beautiful purple linen fabric and all notions (aka all those pesky parts you have to collect but are absolutely essential for success), interfacing, the perfect width and type of elastic, a new pack of machines for your sewing machine, fun coloured safety pins and the matching Guterman thread. See more about this make here.
Green Rain Jacket
We fell in love with the green leaf print of this fabric as soon as we saw it! As lovers of green, the contrast with the white and black pattern was eye-catching. The canvas fabric is 45% cotton and 55% linen with a vinyl overlay.
The Eden Coat is a fully lined, raglan sleeve rain jacket, with a hood and multiple pocket options. One of the features we loved was the shaped and lined hood. We made the short version, with flat pockets (with pocket flaps), zipper and optional storm flaps. We can’t wait to wear it on many rainy days to come! See more about this make here.
White Floral Poplin
This fabric is just what we needed to kick off our summer wardrobe sewing. The fabric is the Lady McElroy Marlie Cotton Lawn Fabric, a light woven non-stretch 100% cotton fabric. This sweet floral print has a black background and a small repetitive flower pattern with raspberry, lemon and cornflower blue centres.
For this dress, we used the bodice and skirt of the vintage pattern Butterick 5677. It is a semi-fitted design with a below the knee-length hem. The round neckline has a slit at the front that is secured with a button fixture and loop. The sleeves we added to the bodice was the short sleeve version from the vintage dresses pattern Simplicity 8335. It had an additional bit of gathering in the sleeve head which we liked and to keep in line with the finishings on the rest of the garment we also put elastic in the hem. See more about this make here.
Dashwood Studio Zadie
Zadie, ohhh Zadie! With over 10.5 THOUSAND photos of this pattern on the Instagram hashtag, needless to say, it has been on our radar for a while. We finally made one, and we are hooked! Since making this jumpsuit last week, every time we talk about a fabric or a “creative vision” we imagine making a Zadie. The phrase “imagine if we made this into a Zadie” has been used in our household more than seven times this week (… and this isn’t an exaggeration!). See more about this make here.
Parrot Poplin
This fabric is just what we needed to kick off our summer wardrobe sewing. The fabric is the Lady McElroy Marlie Cotton Lawn Fabric. A light woven non stretch 100% cotton fabric. When we first saw this fabric, the bright coloured print of the dress attracted us to the fabric. The vibrant colours of birds and leaves against the navy background were mesmerising in the product photos and even more in real life!
We used Vogue 8347. This vintage Vogue pattern does not have a date, but we guess it is from the late 1980s. After working from home for almost 18 months, comfort is the key motivation in the garments we make. The pattern is a very loose-fitting flared pullover dress. The top of the dress has a self-lined yoke, with buttons creating an opening on one shoulder. See more about this make here.
Two-piece checks
We are so excited to finish this vintage inspired two piece outfit just in time to wear it before the weather gets too warm!
For the skirt, we used McCalls 5113, with the copyright year of 1976. It is an A-line skirt, with a centre back zipper and pointed patch pockets. The front skirt panels are cut on the cross of the fabric, allowing the check of the fabric to sing proud as a feature, as the 45-degree angles of the check line up down the centre front seam.
For the top, we used Butterick 3289, with the copyright year of 1985. The top is loose-fitting with dropped shoulders and ¾ sleeves. The pattern originally had buttons down the centre back. However, we really wanted the top to have an open-end zipper to make it easy to get on and off.
We used the Stretch Woven Suiting Fabric in Pink & Red. The grey background provides a solid base to allow the red, maroon and bright pink lines to pop. These vibrant colours allow for wonderful mixing and matching with other tops, skirts and pants. See more about this make here.
Floral Pajama’s
Over the last year, we have made a few sets of PJs from the McCalls Sewing Pattern 8056 pattern. The pattern has so many variables to mix and match to create your sleepwear set. For this project, I used the longer dressing gown, view B. I wanted to create a nighty that was light and floaty to wear underneath. This led me to explore our pattern collection and I came across our copy of the Ashton Top by Helen’s Closet Patterns.
For my fabric, we wanted something light and explored the Poplins selection on Minerva. This floral Art Gallery Fabric caught my eye in the Manhattans Glitz colourway. We loved the magenta-purple flowers with contrasting hues of aqua green and orange against a dark background. See more about this make here.
Red Plaid
What a fabulous check. This Polyester Viscose Suiting Fabric Black Red Grey has a bold pattern, complemented by an intense colour combination of black, grey and red. It was screaming to be made into a dress for work.
The challenge to constructing Butterick 5851 is the underarm gusset. Gussets provide a little extra room to enlarge certain areas of garments. In a pattern like Butterick 5851, the bodice and sleeve are in one piece and cut on the cross. So the gusset adds some extra space for the sleeve and arm movement. You may be thinking – wait, that isn’t the skirt to Butterick 5851? You are right. It is in fact our FAVOURITE skirt pattern, Vogue 1743. Check out the pieced sleeve head! See more about this make here.
Edith Smock
The navy colourway of this poplin has white, lavender and coral paisley shaped repeated paisley shapes. The fabric is 112cm wide and is made from 100% Cotton.
The Edith Smock is a zero-waste design with all the pieces interlocking and cut from a rectangle of fabric. Traditional pattern making has a lot of curves and abstract shapes that do not interlock very easily from a Zero Waste perspective. For the Edith Smock Pattern Union has created there is a clever approach to forming the shapes we need to fit our bodies. Check out the pieced sleeve head! See more about this make here.
Black Crepe Floral
This beautiful black floral polyester crepe features a white floral design with dark red features and a green leaf pattern. The fabric is 150cm wide with no stretch for this 100% polyester crepe. This fabric was easy to work as was easy to stitch with a new shape needle to prevent any pulls. For a crepe fabric, it held its shape well when pressed.
When Vogue 1633 was released I loved the line of the dress. A fitted waist with an A-line skirt and large statement sleeves. The stand collar allowed to fall into the drape of the fabric was a nice detail. The closure of the dress is a zipper at the centre back. Instead of the recommended press studs, I used vintage buttons with an elastic loop for the closure at the sleeve cuff and neckband. See more about this make here.
Ruby Brocade
Our most recent project has been working with this stunning ruby and taupe brocade with a metallic feature through it. This woven fabric is 94% Polyester, 6% Metallic and part of the deadstock range stocked by Minerva. The Marta dress is the latest pattern release from Schultz Apparel. For our version, we selected the style that has a fitted bodice with a beautiful square neckline and a straight skirt that features a split to above the knee. The full-length sleeves have a small amount of gathering in the head of the sleeve and bellow around the forearm before coming in at the wrist. See more about this make here.
Blue Everest Coat
Once Erin saw this bright blue wool, she knew it was time to tackle her sewing ‘Everest’. Blue is one of her favourite colours to wear. The yellow and white line through the fabric breaks up the bold colour and provides a vibrant texture to the fabric. We decided to make the fabric into Butterick 5966. It has a flattering fit and flare shape and is fully lined. The pattern did have its complexities with side pockets, two-piece sleeve and fly button closing. See more about this make here.
Schultz Apparel Paisley Dress
For this mash up of Schultz Apparel patterns, Lauren used this stunning Navy Paisley Cotton Poplin Fabric. She really wanted to use the wrap bodice from the Ottilia pattern, it has a great cross over because it does not sit too open with bust darts and long waist ties. We love the long Minna sleeve! The fullness is fantastic with gathering at the sleeve head and into the wrist. For this version, Lauren used elastic around the wrist and created a stitched casing. For the skirt, by selecting to start with 3.5m it meant she could do a tiered gathered skirt. The bottom tier contained 3 times the width of the fabric the top tier was twice the width. This was then gathered into the waist of the bodice. See more about this make here.
Navy Floral Fit and Flare
Hunting through the pattern box, Erin came across Vogue Pattern 1743. She was attracted to this pattern by the large external pockets cut on the bias, complemented with a flared skirt (that wasn’t circular or gathered, which is also perfect for work!). We have no doubt this dress is the first of many Vogue 1743 skirt and pocket combinations Erin will make for work! Paired with Butterick 6410 it was the perfect combination for this navy floral polished cotton. See more about this make here.
Tear Drop Atlas Top
It felt like time for a fun causal top in our make list and this Camelot Fabrics Cotton Poplin Fabric Navy was perfect! We have made the Atlas Top from Stitch Witch Patterns before (see here) and really loved the detail in the style. It is also a quick and easy pattern to sew together with no fastenings. See more about this make here.
Navy Jacquard
For this make, we used Woven Jacquard Fabric Navy with Simplicity 8594, which we have made before and loved the style. The pattern has two bodice options a crewneck with slit and raglan sleeve or a more open halter style. The skirt can be made in straight or flared style and has pockets in the side seam (yes pockets!). See more about this make here.
Floral Wrap Dress
This Lady McElroy, Marlie Cotton Lawn Fabric is light and breathable, perfect for a summer dress. Initially, we planned to make a vintage summer dress with a fitted bodice and a very full skirt. Once the fabric arrived, we changed our mind and decided to make McCalls Sewing Pattern 8036 instead. We wanted to make sure the pattern of the fabric was allowed to shine and not be overshadowed by a more complex bodice or the density of a very full skirt. See more about this make here.
Striped Vogue Skirt
When we saw the Stretch Suiting Fabric, we knew it would be perfect! The double line of a solid and dotted line combination within the fabric, provided a wonderful texture to the material while also providing the feature we were looking for in more subtle contrast. The rich plum colour provided a sophisticated colour, that wasn’t the classic black and white stripe combination.
We have had #vogue1683 sitting in the pattern tub waiting to find the perfect fabric. We paired the skirt with a matching top, adapted from the bodice of #butterick6556. See more about this make here.
Printed Linen Viscose
As soon as Lauren saw this Linen Viscose Blend Fabric Sage Green she knew what she wanted to make. A new pattern from McCalls called Sasha, pattern number 8036. The variation Lauren made had the Asymmetrical button feature, shoulder bodice tucks, above elbow length sleeves featuring darts in the sleeve head with an A line skirt that finishes below the knee. See more about this make here.
Fleur-de-lis Blue Printed Cotton
The Copen shade of blue was a beautiful balance of the colourway with the lightly washed blue providing a contrast to the white pattern. For this project, I was itching to make a shirt dress of some variety. Lauren loves a shirt dress! We find them a great style for work as they have a professional appearing with the button detail and collar but keep a feminine style with a skirt. Lauren had been wanting to make Butterick 6090 for quite a while with a love for the detail around the neck and the elbow length sleeve had to create balance to the pleated style skirt for those cooler Spring days. See more about this make here.
Red Floral Jumpsuit
When we spotted this vibrant red background, with white and black abstract floral pattern on the Minerva website it reminded us of one of our favourite dresses we had purchased many years ago. We started to think about how we could take this stretched polish cotton and create a similar feel.
For the pattern, we hacked together the bodice of Butterick 6410 and jumpsuit pants from Vogue 9075. We had made the jumpsuit before and loved the style and fit of the pattern. However, we really wanted to add a collar to the jumpsuit. While we could have tried to attach a collar to the existing neckline, we decided to swap out the bodice pattern altogether. Instead, we used the bodice of Butterick 6410 which also meant that we were able to include the horizontal design feature across the bodice. See more about this make here.
Frocktober is Australia’s is a month-long fundraiser created by the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) to raise awareness and funds for vital ovarian cancer research. If you have been following for a while you will know that we have taken on the Frocktober challenge of wearing a different dress every day in October. We take the challenge of wearing a me made dress every day in October in support the OCRF.
Frocktober Day 1 – Navy Gingham to start us off for casual Sunday frocks 👗
Lauren wears a vintage McCalls Boxy dress
Erin wears Helens Closet Ashton Top hacked into a dress with a three tier gathered skirt
Navy Gingham is from SpotlightFrocktober Day 2 – We converted McCall’s 8161 (previously McCall’s 7542) into a boxy dress by adding two gathered tiers in this printed poplin from SpotlightDay 2 – Senna Dress from Schultz Apparel in Dutch print cotton found at Afrodesigns.co.uk African Queen Fabrics at Brixton Markets in London.Frocktober Day 3 – This dress brings together some of our favourite features from three Sewdirect Australia patterns Vogue 1743 Butterick 6016 Butterick 6410 in navy polished cotton provided by MinervaFrocktober Day 3 – A version of Vogue 9201 in May Gibbs from Spotlight that was a gift from our high school textiles tea,cher, Gayle O’Keefe for Lauren’s birthdayFrocktober Day 4: Lauren pulled out one of her favourite Know Me 2016 from Sewdirect Australia in polished cotton purchased from Super Cheap Fabrics early in the month. Was this a frock risk wearing it so soon when we plan to wear a different frock everyday this month? Possibly but there are plenty more frocks to choose from.Frocktober Day 5: We got this material from DK Fabrics on a Fabric Hunt road trip with @stitchesandsutures over New Year in 2020, what a trip! It did take three years to make buy here it is in Sewdirect Australia Simplicity 9225Frocktober Day 5: This gorgeous print is a Minerva exclusive print and aren’t the colours just wonderful! We are on a mission to sew more work wear so chose Sewdirect Australia Vogue 9328Frocktober Day 6: Fear not there are a few more Know Me ME2016 from Sewdirect Australia on the frock rack yet. This one is a whimsical purple print from MinervaFrocktober Day 7: A night out at NGV with @sophia_rasch wearing purple floral from Mood Fabrics in Simplicity 8733 and Know Me ME2016 from Sewdirect Australia in May Gibbs (or nakie babies as we call it) from SpotlightFrocktober Day 8: Lovely sewing day in the studio!
@ritchie_robyn Vogue 1511 in linen blend from Super Cheap Fabrics
@sophia_rasch in blue corduroy
@ezziekr New Look 6694 in Little Johnny Fabrics fabric provided by Minerva
@lozziejr Simplicity 1651 in cotton print from Spotlight
@stitchesandsutures
New Look 6446 in linen blend from Spotlight
@elizarenouf in Nina Lee London Park Lane Dress in rayon from Rathdowne Fabrics Day 9: A green floral linen blend Edith Smock from Pattern Union which is a lovely zero-waste design. Have you tried any zero waste projects?Frocktober Day 10: Aura Dress by Papercut Patterns in striped cotton from DK FabricsFrocktober Day 11: Another boxy dress favourite while hanging out with Fergus McCall’s 8161 (previously McCall’s 7542) from transformed into a dress with two gathered tiers in fabric provided by MinervaFrocktober Day 11: Melbourne is that warm weather we feel? 🌞
Embracing the (slightly) warmer weather in #Vogue9201 with our favourite #NewLook6694 puff sleeves from @simplicitymccallsaustralia 🌸Frocktober Day 13: We used Sewdirect Australia #v9075 to show off the lovely flowers of this Spotlight Stores polished cottonFrocktober Day 12: Our favourite bodice to hack into a dress yet again #m8161 from Sewdirect Australia cotton purchased from Super Cheap FabricsFrocktober Day 14: Finder Keepers with our friend Nic
Lauren Schultz Apparel combination of Ottilia and Minna in viscose Mindthemaker from Maai Design
Nicola Helens Closet Ashton top
hacked into a dress from fabric from Salvosstores Wangaratta
Erin Sewdirect Australia
#m7969 in viscose from MinervaFrocktober Day 15: Dinner at Mamasita in Melbourne
Erin a Sewdirect Australia (…we need to dig for the pattern number because we can’t remember) in a linen look print from Super Cheap Fabrics
Nicola #s1610
Fabric: purchased at Komolka Stoffe while visiting Vienna, Austria
Lauren #v9370 Asymmetrical Shirt dress in stripes from DK Fabrics
Frocktober Day 16: A shirt dress in Sewdirect Australia Simplicity 8014 in dotted cotton from ClearIt Outlet when it was on Brunswick StreetFrocktober Day 17: A favourite work dress today 🌊 Sewdirect Australia Vogue 1633 in crepe from Fabric DeluxeFrocktober Day 17: Schultz Apparel combination of Ottilia and Minna in a bright zoo print poplin from Spotlight Stores🦩🦒🐅Frocktober Day 18: Yay for a warm Spring Day! A floral polished cotton from Spotlight Stores in By Hand London Flora Dress with a gathered skirt. We used a rectangle and added some darts for shape before gathering the skirt.Frocktober Day 18: Another dress in Sewdirect Australia Vogue 9021 a pattern that we enjoy making as it has the collar and placket but no drama of a button front. We made this version in a poly print from @spotlightstoresFrocktober Day 19: A button front Butterick 6090 in fabric provided by MinervaFrocktober Day 20: The weather roller coaster continues! 🎢 🌞
This fun fabric is the
Lady Mcelroy Fabrics parrot Marlie cotton lawn gifted by Minerva
Pattern: Vintage Vogue 8347Frocktober Day 20: A version of Sewdirect Australia Simplicity 8594 in cotton poplin from Tessuti Fabrics for a day of teaching at Holmesglen FashionFrocktober Day 22: This is the original conversion of McCalls 8161 (previously McCalls 7542) into a dress by adding two tiers in checked linen from Darn Cheap Fabrics to the top pattern
We were excited to make this stunning fabric from Fabric Deluxe into the #JosieMcCalls McCalls 8030 from Sewdirect Australia which we got on our fabric hunt day.Frocktober Day 22: Magnolia Dress from Sola Patterns in Liberty Fabric from Fabric HoardersFrocktober Day 22: Isn’t it too cold for this dress? Correct. We’ve hit the point of Frocktober where jackets and layers help us keep warm 🌧
This is an out of print @simplicitymccallsaustralia
t-shirt pattern which we hacked into a dress and made pretty much entirely (except for the hems) on the four tread overlocker 💚Frocktober Day 23: This checked fabric was the material for the @tessutifabrics Skylines Sewing Competition a number of years ago.Frocktober Day 24: A flash back to Stakes Day from last year taking it to the office, Sewdirect Australia v9357 in stripes from DK fabricsFrocktober Day 24: A very fun Dashwood Studio pear print from Minerva in Sewdirect Australia New Look1619Frocktober day 25: Our favourite pattern of winter – Know Me 2016 in cotton from Darn Cheap FabricsFrocktober day 26: A wizzy skirt on a Schultz Apparel combination of Ottilia wrap top and Minna sleeve in a paisley from MinervaFrocktober Day 27: Simplicity 9136 in cotton from Spotlight for a day of teaching at Holmesglen FashionFrocktober Day 28: Studio weekend as we enter peak sewing period! 👒
Erin: McCalls 8282 in cotton poplin Spotlight
Lauren: Butterick 5840 in fabric provided by MinervaFrocktober Day 29: Studio weekend as we enter the busiest sewing week of the year! 👒 We’ve got plenty of projects on the go – hats, tassels and #MelbourneFrocktails outfits! We can’t wait to share them all with you soon 😍
Fergus is keeping a close eye on our sewing progress (and the treat in Lauren’s hand 😂)
Lauren: April Pattern by Forget Me Not Patterns in aqua cotton from our stash
Erin: Adrift Shift Dress by Gracie Steel with hacked detachable in a bee embroidered white demin from Joann Stores
Frocktober Day 30: Simplicity 8014 in a floral from Spotlight StoresFrocktober Day 31: Last day of Frocktober! We have loved sharing some frocks with you and raising awareness for OCRF.
Erin’s frock is a Woven Stretch Cotton Sateen from Minerva in a mash up of the skirt and pockets of Vogue 9357 to the bodice of Butterick 6410
Lauren’s frock is Schultz Apparel Minna dress in a dutch print cotton found at afrodesigns.co.uk African Queen Fabrics at Brixton Markets in London
Ah the popular McCalls 7969. We finally got the chance to create it after watching so many other fabulous makers create their version of it. Here are the details of our version
As Minerva Makers (link), we were looking forward to creating something with this vibrant Blazing Bouquet design that is exclusive to Minvera. For this dress, we chose the viscose challis base cloth.
Viscose is a fibre that is derived from wood pulp, making it a natural fabric that is more breathable than cotton.
McCalls 7969 is a very loose-fitting dress that easily pulls over the head. We made view A, which is the view without any ruffles on the sleeve or hem. Given the fabric is so bright and colourful, we didn’t think it needed the extra ruffles.
You can find the pattern on the Minerva site here.
Finished M7969
For this fabric we would highly recommend making sure you have sharp needle in your sewing machine as the threads of the material can pull and cause damage to the print if it gets caught on a blunt needle. This dress will serve as a casual home dress for us.
The new Velvet Stretch Knit fabrics come in all our favourite Minerva Exclusive Prints. We are slowly making our way through all of the wonderful Minerva Exclusive Prints in the different fabric types. This one is the floral Resort Print! It has so many wonderful colours, with the greens, pink, yellow, red and blue all standing out against the black background. See more about the fabric here.
Pattern: Simplicity 9175
We made Simplicity 9175 view A, with the long sleeves (without the slits in the arms) and pareo wrap across the front of the skirt. In the last year we have started making more knit garments. The wonderful thing about knit fabrics is that they can mostly be sewn on four thread overlocker. For this dress, we did a combination of machine and overclocking. Find your copy on Minerva here.
Finished Make
We ‘bagged out’ the skirt panel first, stitching the edge of the skirt piece and hem with ride sides together. Then turned to the right side and stitched onto the waistband (consistent with the instructions when you aren’t lining the skirt), then stitched both into the side seams. Otherwise the construction of the dress remains the same. There is more bulk in the side seam which includes the skirt seam – to address this we stitched on the machine first, then cut back the seam allowances before overlocking
For this project as always in the Minerva Kits it had everything we needed! The absolute essential is the Minerva exclusive print quality Viscose Challis, a feature red cotton velour for the bands, pre-made (thank goodness) piping with bias binding for features in the pockets and the edge of the bands. Find the kit here.
Pattern: Style Arc Loungewear
This set is a combination of the Style Arc Sewing Pattern Loungewear patterns which includes the PJ Pant, PJ Shirt and Robe.
We were excited to be invited to be part of the testing team for the new pattern release from Gracie Steel. This dress is a great beginner make with a loose fit. It has simple bust darts and a tie feature at the top of the centre-back keyhole.
Adrift Shift Dress Design
The Adrift Shift Dress sewing pattern is a classic and timeless shift dress. This shape was a staple of the 60s and continues to stand the test of time.
The swing bodice shape features a bust and shoulder dart. You can choose a round neck or sweetheart’s neckline with a back keyhole and tie feature.
Gracie encourages hacking of her patterns but for the pattern testing, we wanted to create the pattern just like the original design with the round neck for the first time we made it. However, we have a few hacks up our sleeve and can’t wait to see the different versions that come through in the #adriftshift on Instagram.
Fabrication
The pattern is described as being suitable for a range of fabrics, both knit and woven, including cotton, linen, and silk or jersey.
We went through our stash to find a fabric looking for a bold print that would be a great showcase for this dress. We came across this canvas from Nerida Hansen that we had purchased at a Finders Keepers Market in Melbourne a few years ago.
When we were testing this pattern the fabric requirements had not been released so we worked out that we would need two lengths of the dress, as we assumed the front and back dress pieces would not fit side by side.
The fabric we found was not quite wide enough to place them side by side. As a result, we made the width of the doubled-over section and were the fold the width of the dress so that we could keep the long length for another project.
Once we had placed the front and back dress pieces we then fitted the facing pieces in around the larger pieces.
Construction
The instructions provide great step-by-step instructions for a beginner sewer and a “Super Speedy Construction Summary” for those more familiar with garment construction. If you would like some more support for the construction you can also watch Gracie’s sewing along video on YouTube.
For the back keyhole feature, the facing piece provides great coverage of the seam. It is a great technique to mark the centre backline and then stitch either side of the chalk line before cutting it open.
We joined the pattern testing team for the release of the Mona Dress by Schultz Apparel.
Pattern: Mona Dress by Schultz Apparel
The Mona Dress pattern is a PDF dress pattern that features a V cutout at the front neckline and V shape center front dart. The bodice is fully lined, and the dresses are closed with a Center Back zipper. The skirt options includes circle skirt, pencil shirt or gathered skirt. See the pattern on the Schultz Apparel website here.
Fabric: Amalfi Coast border print cotton sateen print by Gertie from Spotlight
We had purchased this Amalfi Coast Border print by Gertie from Spotlight many years ago and were waiting for the perfect project. When we saw this pattern testing come through were knew which fabric were were going to use. There were so many elements to showcase this bring including the gathered skirt for the border print, clouds for the bodice and lemons in the strap.
Finished Make
The construction of the dress went well, just make sure to clip the center v point before understitching and check the angle of the shoulder straps to ensure they don’t feel like they are slipping for you body shape. What a fun dress! We loved the dart detail in the bodice and will be using this bodice pattern again.
If you have been following along with your makes over the past few years you will know but this family tradition. If this is a new project for you we are excited to welcome you to our family Christmas! One of our favourite family traditions is that every year we make matching Christmas outfits.
Christmas outfits is something we’ve been doing in our family since our Nan made Christmas shirts and dresses for our Grandad and parents before we were born! You can see last year’s red Liberty outfits here and see the historical collection here. This get pulled out every year as every December you will see us wearing the outfits from previous years.
We continued the tradition of family Christmas outfits continued this year. This year we were all home together in North East Victoria for the first time in a long time. We celebrated this with a green backed echidna print by Jocelyn Proust.
Lauren in Vogue 1723 and Fergus
Lauren made the cotton into Vogue 1723 and put elastic around the sleeve hem instead of using the sleeve stay for a more casual look
We have made this dress before but in more formal fabric for Lauren’s Myer Millinery Award entry and Erin silk fabric from @injalakarts for the Cup Eve celebration but in cotton. It is such a comfortable cut especially for that big Christmas lunch and the cotton sits so well in the dramatic sleeve and neck tie.
Fergus practised this posing and sitting very patiently for his photo his year. If you missed his efforts last year check out our blog post. Let’s just say there was a lot less handsome puppy face and a lot more fluffy happy tail. With his sit more solid than ever thank you to the team at ProDog training Fergus wore a Two Sewing Sisters original dog bow tie pattern that included a D ring for his lead and quick-release buckle.
Robyn in McCalls 7542 and David McCalls 6044
For Dad’s shirt, we used McCalls 6044 which features a shaped body, curved hem, collar with stand and front placket detail for the buttons.
This year Mum chose to create her Christmas dress this year using McCalls 7542 bodice and attached a box pleat skirt with pockets. We have made a few versions of hacking this McCalls pattern into a dress, the first was this blue checked number, check it out here.
James in McCalls 6044 and Erin in Schultzapparel Senna
James chose his go-to collared shirt pattern McCalls 6044 which is a popular shirt pattern in our make set at the moment.
Erin made a variation of the Schultzapparel Senna. We were part of the pattern testing team for this Schultz pattern, you can see this make here. For this Christmas version, we straightened the waist seam and created a tiered skirt but kept all of the great features of the bodice which include a fastening-free finish with very clever ties.
Photography Notes of Christmas Outfits
Photographer: James Christie Dress Fabric:Jocelyn Proust green background with echidna with Santa hat Christmas fabric Patterns: James – McCall’s 6044 Erin – Schultzapparel Senna with tiered skirt David – McCalls M6044 Robyn – McCalls 7542 with pleated skirt Lauren – Vogue 1723 Fergus – Two Sewing Sisters drafted doggy bowtie