THE DRAPERY BLOG

Our feature fabrics this Friday are all the shiny, pretty metallic prints! Over the last year we've been tempted by quite a few fabrics with subtle sparkle and once we started hunting around the shop, we realised just how many we had. There are even a few more not featured here. You can get your shiny fix at The Drapery on cotton double gauze, linen/cotton blends and pure linens. Just lovely for special garments and homewares with a touch of bling.  Cotton + Steel 'Sparkle Canvas' linen/cotton Clockwise from top:  Tsumiki 100% linen, gold stars on natural , Ellen Luckett Baker 'Charms' Posies on cotton double gauze, Cotton + Steel 'Sparkle Canvas' linen/cotton ,  Ellen Luckett Baker 'Charms' half-round, gold on natural  Charms Posies (again), Nani Iro Jewel Song Pocho pink with gold dots on cotton double gauze, Nani Iro Clear Heart cotton double gauze in silvers and grey/blues.  Nani Iro 'En Garden' cotton Double Gauze

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

 Hello and welcome to the first in a series of regular posts where we feature a fabric, every Friday! Today's feature fabric is our Hemp and Organic Cotton Denim .  COMPOSITION: 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton WIDTH: 150cm wide WEIGHT: 350gsm  PRICE: $48.80/m This denim is a real favourite at The Drapery and one that we hope to always be able to keep in stock. It's a lovely substantial weight, with none of the stiffness that you sometimes find in heavier weight denims. It is remarkably soft and drapey, and quite easy to cut and sew with regular tools, needles and thread. Yet it retains the incredible strength and durability of hemp. I have made three garments for myself with this fabric and they have been items I've reached for over and over. (Because of this they're not going to look like pristine brand new garments but you can get an idea of how well the fabric has stood the test of time.) Dress A from Stylish Dres

UPDATE: SOLD OUT Thursday 3rd September 7pm - 9pm Brick + Mortar Creative 49 George Street, Norwood (rear of Norwood Town Hall)  We are thrilled to announce our latest workshop to be held at the new Brick + Mortar Creative Hub in Norwood.  Learn to make your own simple hand-stitched linen scarf in a one-evening workshop of relaxing hand stitching. Come alone or with a friend!  Beautiful washed linen from Lithuania makes a soft and light scarf or cowl that’s cosy in winter and breathable and provides sun protection in warmer weather. This project is beginner friendly: anyone can master this extremely simple hand-stitching project with beautiful results. Finish your scarf with simple hand stitching, or embellish with felt balls or trimmings - the choice is yours.  All materials and tools are included, and you'll leave with your own 100% linen scarf. Session costs $40.  Places are limited! To reserve your spot, please call us during openi

I've been pretty much living in my first pair of Deer and Doe Chataigne shorts , in denim, worn with leggings or tights. So while I was on a roll I made another pair: the fancy-pants version!  In red cotton velvet with scalloped legs and Liberty for the facings. Fancy! Where does one wear scalloped red velvet shorts? I don't know... to work at the fabric shop? That'll do me. A few too many colours going on in this ensemble I'm afraid. But the jacket is a vintage 50s one I treated myself to at the Clarence Park Bazaar . Because you can't always sew all the things, right? This velvet sewed up beautifully and takes topstitching well. The pattern does not suggest top-stitching the scallops but I thought this was the best way of ensuring they keep their shape. When sewing velvet-to-velvet, there were no issues. When sewing Liberty lawn to velvet, the Liberty would slide across the pile, so a lot of pinning and slow sewing was required. I hand-sewed down the w