THE DRAPERY BLOG

Some patterns sneak up on you. This project started out as a practical shop sample which took me a couple of weeks to slowly cut out and put together, as a job - a not unpleasant one, granted - rather than a passion project. The moment I tried it on however, I wanted one for myself. In a cosy wool. NOW! Adelaide has been so cold lately (by Adelaide standards) and I lacked the mid-length jacket or cardigan this weather demands. The Assembly Line Wrap Jacket combines unlined, raglan-sleeve softness with long, clean lines for a mix of comfort and put-togetherness. This pattern was formerly known as the Kimono Jacket but, as with a number of similarly-named patterns by other designers, has changed name to respect the cultural importance of the traditional Japanese garment. The shop sample shown above is made in 'This Way Up' Japanese Textured Indigo Cloth , a white print on yarn-dyed indigo-coloured cotton. This fabric is 110cm wide, while the pattern only states fabric re...

I'm an overalls fan from way back... from 70s toddler style, through 80s black denim with badges all over the bib, some late 90s op-shop classics, a roomy maternity version and more recently, the overalls' close relatives the jumpsuit and pinafore. I've been very tempted by the Pauline Alice Turia Dungarees but never quite taken the plunge. And then, just recently, Sew House Seven (of the gorgeous Tea House Dress and popular Toaster Sweater) released the 'Burnside Bibs' pattern. I was smitten. (Just a little aside for non-Adelaide people, the name Burnside Bibs sounds kinda funny to our ears because Burnside is renowned as a rather toffy area with a rather toffy shopping centre; a not very overalls-ish place at all .) I digress. The wide legs and fabulous back strap/belt loop detailing on this pattern elevates it from workwear to stylish casual, and it works in a wide variety of fabrics. This is well demonstrated in the samples shown on the Sew House Seven ...

Thread Theory is a Canadian independent pattern company designing for men (with a couple of women's patterns in there too). The Belvedere Waistcoat is their latest release, currently available only as a pdf but eventually to be in print like their other patterns. This is the third Thread Theory pattern I've sewn. I find their attention to detail and level of instructions to be excellent, and felt confident the Belvedere Waistcoat would be likewise. And it was! My husband Andy is a great fan of waistcoats as part of his work wardrobe. The Thread Theory Fairfield shirt is a good fit on him with minor alterations, so I was hopeful this pattern would be too. I was also able to compare the Belevedere pattern pieces to one of Andy's favourite waistcoats and it seemed a good match. The Belvedere is exactly what I was hoping for in a waistcoat pattern, being fully lined, having front and neck facings and proper welt pockets. Several optional add-ons are in the process o...

We have some lovely 100% boiled wools at The Drapery for this first time this year. The care of these fabrics was a bit of a mystery to us as well as to you, so we've done some investigation. Will my boiled wool shrink if I wash it at home? More than likely, yes. That surprised us, too. One would guess since the fabric is called 'boiled wool' and has a felted, non-fray texture, that it is pre-shrunk and would not shrink further. Not so - please be well aware! Here's what we found: We tried three kinds of gentle washing: - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle', 30 degrees , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. - Gentle hand wash, warm , with wool wash liquid, rinse, press dry in a towel. - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle' cold , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. In both warm washes (machine and hand) the wool experienced 10 - 15% shrinkage in length. There was little to no shrinkage in width. The cold wash showed sligh...

We have some luscious boiled wools in stock at The Drapery right now, and have put together a free tutorial for possibly the easiest garment you'll ever make! Searching for boiled wool inspiration, we came across this simple and lovely shrug by Manda of Treefall Design, who was inspired by a ready-to-wear piece. We whipped up a couple of prototypes in the shop and arrived at this which takes just a 75cm cut of fabric and three straight seams. Edges can all be left raw because boiled wool does not fray! REQUIREMENTS 75cm x boiled wool , ours is 150cm wide - would also work in wool knit fabric such as this Japanese wool blend (or this one ) and this Merino Rib Gutermann Sew-All thread in matching colour Cut about 50 - 55cm in from each selvedge so you have 2 pieces approx. 50 x 75cm, each with a 75cm fluffy selvedge. The piece from the middle is spare so you can use it for another project, or perhaps to embellish your shrug. Pin your pieces together along th...

Here's a project where neither pattern nor fabric is available at The Drapery... but hey, we're all about sharing sewing inspiration! And we have plenty of fabrics that would work for this. This 'Seabrook' bag pattern is from the Seamwork e-mag by Colette Patterns. Many of you know about Seamwork already but if you don't, have a look. Each monthly magazine has two pdf patterns which are designed to be simple, quick sewing projects. You can also purchase the patterns individually, which is what I did here.  I chose this bag pattern because I wanted a bag that was fairly spacious and that could be worn as a casual backpack, for carrying during the day on an upcoming short holiday. I wanted to be able to whip up something quick, and use stash fabrics.  Dog helping with demonstrating the size.   Fabrics used here are a Donegal Tweed and some silk brocade, both gifts from travelling relatives.  On the bottom I used some denim, also from the stash. ...

Hello friends, it's Fabric Friday again and today our feature fabric is one we call 'Tweedy Bird '. COMPOSITION: 55% hemp, 32% organic cotton, 13% wool WIDTH: 145cm WEIGHT: mid, with a lovely soft hand and good drape PRICE: $37.50/m We have had many discussions here about whether the dark threads are black or a very deep 'ink' navy. They're probably black, but it depends on the light. In any case we believe you can wear this fabric with navy or black!  The pinkish cast that may be appearing on your screen in the photo below is yet another trick of the light on this chameleon fabric. Isn't the selvedge pretty?  What can you make with Tweedy Bird? Well, we can certainly recommend it for Merchant & Mills patterns the Dress Shirt and Factory Dress , both seen below. It would also make an excellent M&M Top 64 , Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt , Colette Juniper Trousers and more. It's a great transitional-season-weight, with the ...