THE DRAPERY BLOG

Hi, my name is Jane, and I am a fabric stasher. At least once a day someone will walk into The Drapery and mutter guiltily about how they shouldn't even be looking at fabric, given the size of their stash at home. Raise your hand if you can relate. I can! I recently decided I needed to do something about my own fabric hoarding so I thought I'd share a few tips that have been working for me. 1. No fabric is 'too precious to use'. It's fabric . It's meant to be sewn into something . I remind myself that I have honestly never regretted cutting into 'special' fabric. My son chose some stunning silk brocade that my mum had brought back from India, for the wall pocket that holds his books by his bed. It's used and appreciated every day. Some voile in a beautiful but difficult geometric print made a luxurious dress lining. I boldly snipped into some Nani Iro double gauze from a couple of years ago to make a shirt. And I stitched a dress from Libert

The Drapery has recently received some really lovely Japanese brushed cotton fabrics, and the weather here is beginning to make them look so appealingly snuggly. So what can you use brushed cotton for? Cool weather garments We tried one of our favourite shirt patterns, the Esme by Sew Liberated, in  Nani Iro 'Birds Eye' brushed cotton. We think you'll agree, it's such a lovely match of pattern and fabric. This garment will be on display in-store. (For as long as one of us can resist snaffling it home to wear.) Sew Liberated - Esme - in Nani Iro brushed cotton FYI: this top used 2 metres of fabric at 110cm wide.  You can use brushed cotton in pretty much any circumstance where you would use cotton flannel / flannelette. It's slightly sturdier (very stable to work with) and has a slightly less fluffy surface, making it more appropriate for daywear. We can also imagine: button-up shirts, dresses  and skirts for women and children, kids' pants, scarves.

Here at The Drapery we recently received our second shipment of patterns from the incredibly stylish UK company Merchant & Mills . Originally Merchant & Mills released their patterns in single-size format on sturdy brown cardboard, which was lovely but a bit inaccessible to overseas shoppers due to postage and sizing uncertainty. Their new 'Classic Export' pattern range brings us multi-size patterns in standard envelopes. Hooray! The instructions are all contained on a double-sided A4 sheet. The diagrams are charmingly hand-drawn. The pattern is printed on quality paper that's sturdier than standard tissue. (extra scribbles on instructions are my notes to self) I chose to make the Factory Dress for its combination of austerity, comfort and - let's face it - kind of schoolgirl sassiness. To up the 'Depression-Era Chic' factor I selected this beautiful, drapey  Yuwa Japanese cotton that has a definite dusty-old-armchair vibe. The pattern de

Amy Butler 100% cotton voile in two beautiful floral designs from her range 'Hapi', just in time for the last blast of summer weather we're having. Incredibly silky and floaty. How lovely would these look as a Saltspring Dress from Sewaholic? Or a Victory Satsuki  (pattern in-store)? Below is a new Amy Butler quilting cotton we simply couldn't resist. The colours are even more vivid in person. And this is a quilting cotton from Anna Maria Horner's Dowry range: 'Dresden Bulbs'. Voiles are $35.20/m (137cm wide) and quilting cottons are $23.65/m. - Jane & Fiona xx

You may have noticed our excitement at The Drapery when we received our first and second shipments of Tana Lawn  by Liberty of London. And we've just placed an order for more, due mid-2014. But what is it about Liberty that makes it so coveted among sewists? Let us count the ways.... It feels so luxurious. Liberty Tana Lawn is an extremely tight weave of very fine, long-staple cotton. This produces a silky feel and drape that is simply addictive to wear! 'Lawn' refers to a crisp, light and tightly woven cotton fabric and 'Tana' came from Lake Tana, near the original source of the cotton in the Sudan. (Find more history here .) Yet it's easy-care cotton. Wash-and-wear just like any other cotton: the strength of the fabric holds up beautifully, creases iron out easily and the prints stay sharp and vivid. Its washability (and dense prints) actually make Liberty great for children's clothing. It's stable and accurate to cut and sew. Liberty T