Tag: Vogue

Christmas Me Made Outfits 2024

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

This year, we took our Christmas outfit game to a whole new level — well, more accurately, Audrey did. Every year, our family Christmas dinner is a chance to channel our Nan’s tradition of creating festive outfits for the whole family. It’s a nod to her legacy, and we’ve kept the tradition alive with something handmade for the occasion.

But this September, Audrey threw down the ultimate challenge. She casually said, “You know how you all wear matching outfits? What if ALL of us matched this year?” Game. On.

We dove into fabric hunting mode, shared a few options in the family group chat, and the clear winner emerged: a cheerful red and white gingham from Birch. Next up, everyone shared their vision for their Christmas ensemble, and we hunted down the perfect patterns on the Sewdirect Australia website.

What followed was a marathon of stitching: 10 garments, a mix of our tried-and-true patterns and some exciting new styles. By the time we were done, the sewing machines deserved a rest as much as we did!
Wishing you a Christmas as merry and love-filled as our matching outfits!🎅🎁✨

The Full Family Lineup

The full family line up of Nathan in McCall’s 6044, Audrey in Simplicity 9597, Tracy in McCall’s 8030, Lauren in Know Me 2076, Fergus in Two Sewing Sisters Bandana, David in McCall’s 6044, Robyn in Vogue 9237, Austin in McCall’s 6044, Amahli in Simplicity 9848, Erin in Know Me 2091 and James in McCall’s 6044

Ritchie line up

James in McCall’s 6044, Erin in Know Me 2091, Lauren in Know Me 2076, Fergus in Two Sewing Sisters Bandana, Robyn in Vogue 9237 and David in McCall’s 6044,

Taylors line up

Audrey in Simplicity 9597, Tracy in McCall’s 8030, Nathan in McCall’s 6044, Amahli in Simplicity 9848 and Austin in McCall’s 6044

The creative team

Audrey in Simplicity 9597, Erin in Know Me 2091, Amahli in Simplicity 9848, Lauren in Know Me 2076 and Fergus in Two Sewing Sisters Bandana.

Two Sewing Sisters

Erin in Know Me 2091 and Lauren in Know Me 2076

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Fabric: Red and white cotton gingham from Birch
Patterns supplied by Sewdirect Australia:
Nathan – McCall’s 6044
Audrey – Simplicity 9597
Tracy – McCall’s 8030
Lauren – Know Me 2076
Fergus – Two Sewing Sisters Bandana
David – McCall’s 6044
Robyn – Vogue 9237
Austin – McCall’s 6044
Amahli – Simplicity 9848
Erin – Know Me 2091
James – McCall’s 6044

Melbourne Frocktails Vogue 1723 Injalak Arts Linen

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

Melbourne Frocktails upped the game again this year, with a change of venues they had space for more makers to come. It was a wonderful night with a sea of fabulous me-made outfits!  At every turn, you could see a great fabric, design or skill.  We each wanted to create some new for the occasion.  Lauren turned to our stash and came across a beautiful linen that Mum and Dad had purchased when they were visiting Darwin from Injalak Arts.  

Pattern: Vogue 1723

We have made this dress a number of times and love that it offers a full silhouette but is a great showcase for fabric that has a strong print. It does not have many design lines or darts that break up the fabric so it was perfect of this fabric which we wanted to be the hero.

Vogue 17233 is a very loose-fitting pull-on dress that has a stand collar that extends into ties at back, with a slit opening at the neck. Imporantly it has side seam pockets and the balloon sleeves are held in shape with a stay. 

We were limited in fabric so had to cut economically with the priority of placing the centre on the fold.  So we finished the neck with a internal bias. 

This pattern is available on Sewdirect Australia here. 

Fabric: Linen from Injalak Arts

Injalak Arts is based in remote Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, with over 200 active members – artists, weavers and craftspeople from Gunbalanya and surrounding homelands.

This linen is a hand-printed design created by three talented women, Priscilla Badari, Katra Nganjmirra and Sylvia Badari.

Finished Injalak Arts Linen Dress

Photo Credits

Pattern: Vogue 1723 available at Sewdirect Australia
Fabrics: Linen from Injalak Arts 
Headpiece: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery

Vogue 1902 with Butterick 5951 in Cotton from Tessuti Valli at Oaks Day

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

The theme of purple floral continued for Lauren on Oaks Day at Flemington Racecourse this year.  The hero and starting point for this dress was the beautiful floral cotton she found when travelling in Florence earlier this year. 

Pattern: Vogue 1902 with Butterick 5951

We mostly have a me made wardrobe but recently we were looking through Myer and wanted to check out what Cue had in their latest collection. Lauren spied a few dresses with drape detail and knew this was a detail she wanted as part of her Cup Week looks. With the neck detail of Vogue 1902 in mind, she transformed it into a dress by added the A-line skirt of Butterick 5951 to it. This pattern was supplied by Sewdirect Australia.

Fabric: Purple and yellow Floral Cotton from Tessuti Valli

This fabric caught Lauren’s eye when she was in Florence and visited Tessuti Valli for the first time. The print was quite large and had vibrant yellow centres in the flowers. We had spoken quite a bit about what we wanted to create for the Melbourne Cup this year, focusing on natural fibres and styles we would wear repeatedly throughout the year. Due to how light this cotton was we lined it with a light pink cotton poplin weight to help support the fabric and make it more opaque.

Finished Vogue 1902

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Vogue 1902 provided by Sewdirect Australia with Butterick 5951
Fabric:  Purple and yellow Floral Cotton from Tessuti Valli
Yellow Beret: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery

Vogue 1708 in Minerva Exclusive Electric Blooms Double Georgette Crepe

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

When we saw the Electric Blooms printed fabric we knew it was the perfect party fabric for us.

Fabric: Minerva Exclusive Electric Blooms Double Georgette Crepe

This is a Minerva Exclusive fabric that comes in a few different types. This one is the double georgette crepe fabric in the Electric Blooms, it is a woven non-stretch fabric made of 100% polyester. We don’t usually work with this type of fabric —we tend to pick cotton fabrics over polyester fabrics. We were planning our outfits for the Oaks Day Luncheon, so it was the perfect opportunity to try something new!

Pattern: Vogue 1708

We had to hunt through the Sew Direct patterns to find the perfect pattern and landed on Vogue 1708. It is a jumpsuit pattern with v-neck, wide leg pants and a wrap top that extends to a cross over back and tie ends (which could be tied in either a knot or a bow).

Finished Activewear

Find out more here

Photo Credits

Pattern: Vogue 1708 provided by Sewdirect and is available on Minerva here. 
Fabrics: Minerva Exclusive Electric Blooms Double Georgette Crepe provided by Minerva

At the Oaks Day Luncheon at Crown in Melbourne both wearing Minerva, Lauren wore her purple Vogue 1723

Vogue 1884 in Toile de Jouy from Tissus Coupons Saint Pierre

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

This beautiful feminine fabric called for a classic style.  While not a typical Melbourne Cup Day look the need for a wide brim on this lovely spring day.

Pattern: Vogue 1884

Vogue 1884 is a fitted bodice with a wide square neckline, flared skirt with diagonal gathers under the waistline, side seam pockets and low cut back. This pattern was supplied by Sewdirect Australia.

Fabric: Toile de Jouy from Tissus Coupons Saint Pierre

When Lauren was travelling in Paris earlier in the year she visited Tissus Coupons Saint Pierre and selected this green and white Toile de Jouy. The cotton piece of fabric came in a pre-cut length of 3 meters long. The print featured the iconic style of scenery in the print. It called to be a very feminine style so was the perfect pairing for this dress pattern.

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Finished Dress of Ellie Whittaker Fabric

Photo Credits

Photographer: James Christie Media
Pattern: Vogue 1884 provided by Sewdirect Australia
Fabric:  Toile de Jouy purchased from Tissus Coupons Saint Pierre
Wide brim hat: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery

Butterick 6280 with Vogue 1647 in black and white from Super Cheap Fabrics

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Events

Earlier this year when we were planning our Cup Week outfits we chatted about creating stylish pieces that were fun and comfortable to wear and this definitely fit the brief. 

Patterns: Butterick 6280 with Vogue 1647

This was a pattern mash-up of the sleeveless view of Butterick 6280 for the bodice transformed into a jumpsuit using the pants of Vogue 1647.

Fabric: Stretch Black and white from Super Cheap Fabrics

On one of our last fabric hunts, we came across this black and white stretch fabric on the clearance table at Super Cheap Fabrics and well, it came home with us. It does stretch in every direction, it makes for a challenging make BUT is super comfortable to wear.

Derby Jumpsuit

Photo Credits

Pattern: Bodice of Butterick 6280 with pants of Vogue 1647
Fabric: Black and White Gingham purchased at Marché Saint-Pierre in Paris
Millinery: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery

Vogue 2042 in Bella Riveria by Anthea Jacklin on Spoonflower

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

It was an Italian-themed engagement party, in honour of Erin and James’ Italian engagement and this Anthea Jacklin fabric was right on theme 🍕

Fabric: Bella Riviera by Anthea Jacklin

We have been following Anthea’s work on Instagram and when Erin saw this print she knew it was perfect for this event. She chose the Bella Riviera print for the Italian theme on Organic Cotton Sateen.  

Anthea’s print was very clever as it does not have one direction with the elements rotating, check out the text to see this in action.  

Check out some of Anthea’s work on her website here.

Pattern: Vogue 2042

This vintage reprint, Vogue 2042 was a recent release from Sewdirect Australia, it is available here.  We loved the ring detail at the front that extended over the shoulders to form the back. 

We made some alternations by cutting a waist line which meant we could gather on a fuller tiered skirt.  For the ring at the centre front, we used a part of an old handbag that had fallen apart and some brute force to get it open and the fabric threaded on. 

Finished Vogue 2042

Photo Credits

Pattern: Vogue 2042 provided by Sewdirect 
Fabrics: Bella Riveria designed by Anthea Jacklin purchased from Spoonflower
Photos by James Christie Media

The event wouldn’t have been completed without a new McCall’s 6044 for James, Lauren wore Amalfi Coast border print cotton sateen print by Gertie Mona Dress by Schultz Apparel (see more about this dress here) and Fergus got a new bandana.

Holiday Wardrobe: McCall’s 7695 with Vogue 1961 in Linen from The Fabric Store

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

Summer in Scotland 🌧 It is warmer in Melbourne this week than it has been in Scotland – so this jacket and pants have been worn on repeat!

The jacket has two layers of bamboo/cotton batting quilted in between two layers of linen. We wanted the jacket to have a similar shape to a bomber jacket, so we added elastic around the cuff and two lines of elastic around the waist 🧥

The Patterns

This Palm/Pletsch pattern is no longer in print but we love the simple lines of the puffer jacket and vest it has.

We used the pants of Vogue 1961 that has two tucks in the front with a slanted pocket and fly front with lock stitch hem.

McCall’s 7695 in black Linen from The Fabric Store with Vogue 1961

Photo Credits

Jacket: McCall’s 7695 from Sewdirect Australia in linen purchased from The Fabric Store
Skirt: Vogue 1961 provided by Sewdirect Australia in Cotton Drill purchased from The Fabric Store
Photos by: James Christie Media

Vogue 2000 in Green Leopard Lycra from Super Cheap Fabrics

by two.sewing.sisters, posted in Sewing Project

Super Cheap Fabrics invited us to explore their current collection of fabrics and select some projects to share with you.  This was an exciting opportunity to explore the fabric selection and create something that was different to our usual style. We jumped at the chance to create the iconic DVF Vogue 2000 wrap dress in a vibrant green leopard print which are both available on Super Cheap Fabrics. 

Green Leopard Print for Vogue 2000 by DVF

The iconic Wrap Dress by Diane von Furstenberg is back! In an exciting celebration of 50 years of the wrap dress, the style was re-released in the latest collection from Vogue Patterns.

This dress is a front-wrapped dress with a fitted bodice and slim line skirt that is secured in place with a feature tie. The full-length sleeves feature pointed cuffs and a matching pointed collar.

When picking which elements of the pattern to combine we what to create a version of this dress with the elements are are associated with this iconic design. For us this meant we simply had to include the collar!

The dress gives many options for the fabrication and we selected to use a jersey knit. Browsing through the Super Cheap Fabric website we can across this Printed Lycra – Scattered Jungle.

Coming in at 150cm wide this was a fantastic fabric to create the iconic dress in. The challenge of the knit fabrics is always front of mind for us when creating something in a jersey. We interfaced the collar, cuffs and facings as suggested. To help the fabric move with its knit properties with used a stretch thread that matched the green of the fabric.

Finished Make

Explore Super Cheap Fabrics

Photo Credits

Fabric:  Printed Lycra – Scattered Jungle – 150cm provided by Super Cheap Fabrics
Pattern: Vogue 2000 available on Super Cheap Fabrics
Photos by: James Christie Media

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