THE DRAPERY BLOG

 We have been so happy that the excellent Grainline patterns have recently started to convert some of their PDF-only patterns into printed versions. Hooray - less sticky taping! Among the patterns that have recently been put into print is their popular Scout Tee for woven fabrics. Yep, a t-shirt for woven fabrics. A wonderfully useful wardrobe item that can be sewn up in many of the wide world of printed woven fabrics (it would  make up well in any of our lightweight cottons . ) There are no bust darts, but it's one of those well drafted - almost magic - garments that seems to fit a wide variety of body shapes really well.  The Scout can be made from a US size 0 (32 inch bust) to an 18 (44 inch bust).  I thought this pattern would be a good one for my 11 year old daughter (so hard to find nice age-appropriate clothing for this in-between age group). So, we sewed up the size 0 in this fantastic Leah Duncan print for Art Gallery fabrics. This f...

Um, apparently, no. The Box Dress, pattern D from Stylish Dress Book 2 , is just so good, shortened into a top too! We love its simple form as a showcase for a stunning fabric like this: It's one of our new Cotton + Steel cotton lawns, in this irresistible Octopi print from the 'Tokyo Train Ride' range by Sarah Watts . All the Cotton + Steel fabrics are made in Japan and this lawn is an absolute delight to sew and wear.  This top was made without the sleeves (since the bodice makes such a lovely little cut-on cap sleeve anyway), with the neckline finished with visible self-bias and armholes with bias turned to the inside.  I made a 2-inch-deep facing for the bottom to give the impression of a deep hem. The whole top was cut from 1.2 metres of this 110cm-wide fabric. You can find some other beautiful Cotton + Steel lawns here ... it's tempting to make a Box Top in every one! - Jane & Fiona xx