THE DRAPERY BLOG

Well this may be our last official Frocktober frock post for 2015 but rest assured, the frocks don't stop here! Frocktober has had us thinking all the frocks, all the time and we will do our best to keep the inspiration flowing. We've been very pleased with the support of our Frocktober fundraising and awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Thanks to all who have got behind this important cause! The Sylvie Dress pattern was released by Christine Haynes early this year, just as we were heading into the cooler months. So this sleeveless style is really just starting to make sense about now for us southern hemisphere types! I made this in a lightweight denim that we recently began stocking at The Drapery, and neither of us had tried yet. I am pleased to report that it was lovely to work with, and is soft and relatively non-wrinkling to wear. A lot of blue dye came out in the pre-wash so that is something to be aware of - although generally to be expected wit...

Our final Frocktober Guest Post is our lovely customer and friend Amanda. We've seen Amanda's sewing skills blossom over the last couple of years. She's been able to create some really beautiful clothes custom-fitted to her tall, slender frame. She really is one of the nicest human beings you could possibly hope to meet and is always generously thinking of others, so we were pleased to encourage her to do some selfish sewing for Frocktober. Amanda doesn't have her own blog so we welcome her to ours, with her stunning new frock! The Drapery kindly invited me to be one of their Frocktober friends. Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose and is rarely caught early. Its impact can be widespread and devastating. By supporting Frocktober we're raising awareness and much needed funds for research and support. The pattern I chose was the Deer & Doe Belladone which I've made once before. I really love the feature back and of course the pockets!  The on...

In this Friday's Fortnightly installment of fabric goodness, we have a simple classic: navy and white striped cotton jersey that we call 'Hello Sailor' . (It may look black on your screen but it's really a very dark inky navy.) This is a 100% cotton jersey, made in New Zealand, and a lovely quality. We've had the red & white stripe 'Where's Wally' (just a metre left at time of writing!) from this manufacturer and also 'North Sea/Kalamata' and been very happy with the fabric. So although we had to wait several months for this deep navy stripe colourway to have its turn at the knitting mill, it was worth the wait. Jersey fabric has a right and a wrong side, like a tiny version of traditional plain hand-knit, as you can probably just make out below. The edges can be a bit curly so you may want to do a fair bit of pinning as you use this, especially to accurately match the stripes. You'll find that this 100% cotton jersey doesn...

Today we have the delightful Pips (also on Instagram as magdalenesmuse ), sharing her Frocktober frock over at her blog Girl in a Teacup ! Not only did Pips sew up a dreamy version of the Christine Haynes Emery Dress in Nani Iro double gauze, she also held a morning tea to raise funds for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation's Frocktober . We just love Pips' style and if you don't already follow her, you'll have a great time combing through her blog archives for sewing inspiration! Thanks Pips, for the Frocktober loveliness ( see more here ) and dedication to a wonderful cause. Don't forget to claim your Frocktober 10% discount on frock pattern + fabric purchases all this month, in store or online with the discount code FROCKTOBER. - Fiona & Jane xx

We're keeping the Frocktober inspiration happening for you! Don't miss your chance to receive 10% off all Frock pattern + fabric purchases during the month of October, and for each combo we'll donate $2 to the frockin' great cause that is the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation . Deer and Doe + linen + Liberty = a recipe for Frocktober happiness, in my opinion! Since I've been wearing my first Arum Dress on high rotation, and since it's Frocktober, and we had a large new delivery of beautiful Lithuanian linens, and a new delivery of Arum patterns, well... how could I resist? I was keen to try adding a functional pocket to the frock, rather than the decorative chest-height one as per the pattern. The pocket I ended up with was the result of a Pinterest 'patch pocket' hunt. The original was for a child's size pocket so I made a couple of samples before I was happy with the shape and size. Below shows the shape untied. The lining is Liberty ...

  We are still frocking it up for Frocktober, dutifully sewing our way through some of our favourite dress patterns. My first Frocktober make is the Deer + Doe Cardamome dress. I made the sleevleless version, view B, so it could be easily cardied-up and also to accommodate the long, hot summer that is almost upon us. This dress is made in one of our soft light denim fabrics from Japan. I cut this one out only to realise that Attack of the Seam Ripper had already made an identical one - and it's beautiful. Ack! Um, great minds?    This came together so easily, like other Deer + Doe patterns the Cardamome is beautifully drafted and the instructions are clear. This was the first time I'd sewn a full collar with collar stand and the D+D instructions were delightfully unintimidating. (It's sitting a bit funny here, but this is straight off the machine - it needs another wash and press). The fabric I used is probably slightly on the heavy side ...

Frocktober has begun with a number of decently warm - even hot - days. Suddenly we're putting away the boots and leggings and layers and reaching for a single summery frock! I felt the call of the Japanese pattern books, and chose the Pinafore Dress, Pattern P from Happy Homemade Vol. 1 Treasured Collection. I made it up in a beautiful lightweight cotton from Alison Glass's Handcrafted collection, which is hand-printed in Indonesia using the traditional wax resist technique. (There are even wax remnants on the fabric to prove this, but they wash out really easily!)   Neither Fiona nor I had made anything from this book before so I whipped up a quick muslin of the size according to my measurements. Lucky I did because it was vast and I went down two sizes! Now, when we talk about 'whipping up a quick muslin out of an old bedsheet or something', we really do mean quick & rough much of the time. (Although it depends of course upon the requirements of...

Perhaps our absolute favourite fabric fibre here at The Drapery is linen . Since we opened our store in April 2013 we have had beautiful linens from Lithuania as a large proportion of our stock. We're so pleased with how our customers have taken to them and it seems every time we order, we are able to bring in larger quantities and greater variety.  As a garment fabric, linen is ideally suited to the Australian climate. It's cool and breathable, and absorbs perspiration. It's easy to wash and line-dry. Iron with plenty of heat and steam, but don't be too fussy because once you've thrown it on any residual creases will just become part of the rumpled linen elegance that we love. For fact-lovers, here's a bunch of information from the report 'Barometer of European Flax 2015' by the CELC - Confédération Europeénne Du Lin Et Du Chanvre (The European Confederation of Linen and Hemp): Flax was the very first textile developed by people, with th...

Happy Frocktober lovely sewing people! This year we've asked a few friends to join us in celebrating fabulous frock patterns and fabrics, and supporting the incredibly valuable work of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). Today we have the delightful and always stylish 'Blogless Anna' from Melbourne. Anna made comments on others' sewing blogs in the early days under that name. Then she started her own sewing blog and kept the already-familiar screen-name! She's on Instagram too. Anna blogs a lovely variety of handmade clothing, especially our favourite independent designer patterns. She always includes lots of useful information about the patterns, processes, fitting and so forth so if you haven't seen her blog before, you can have fun trawling her archives. She has a great sense of fun and finds some awesome locations for her photo shoots ! Visit Anna's blog to find out more about her fabulous Merchant & Mills Fielder Dress , ma...