THE DRAPERY BLOG

We're rounding up our Spring Tops series today with another item to add to the growing Drapery "never say never " file . A top with a peplum - and a frilled peplum at that! I' d sworn off both of those things in the past as a no-go zone for me and my shape, bu t, well, here we are. L et's lay the blame squarely on the lovely Emily, whose pattern company In the Folds produced the Rushcutter dress, a Drapery favourite from last Winter. The Peplum top is a free downloadable Emily produced for Peppermint Magazine's Sewing School series . At 21 pages it's not a very big PDF - and, honestly the Rushcutter was such a pleasure to sew, I was fairly sure that the Peplum pattern would be cut and paste worthy. And indeed it was. The Peplum Top comes together so nicely, the drafting - as with the Rus hcutter - is spot on . This is the perfect beginners pattern , the directions are very thorough and there's a nifty glossary of terms as we...

When we received the preview email about the new Farrow Dress by Grainline Studios , we knew this was a Good 'Un. We both wanted to make it up for ourselves and we knew it would appeal to lots of Drapery customers. The swingy shape is flattering to all kinds of figures, the diagonal seam lines lift it out of the ordinary and the pockets - well they just seal the deal!  Naturally, we leapt upon the pattern delivery and set about tracing and sewing like mad. Here's mine, made up in a 50/50 cotton/linen lightweight denim. (There's a small amount left in the shop, and this light denim would give a similar result.) FITTING From previous experience with Grainline patterns I know they are drafted for a figure with wider shoulders and a smaller bust than my own. Grainline always provides finished garment measurements on the pattern envelope which is a great help in selecting size. The swingy shape of the Farrow means there is more ease than usual at the bust. So I sele...

As far as we're concerned, no run-down of Spring Tops could possibly leave out one of our favourites, Grainline Studio . Jen Beeman's well drafted patterns and cleverly clean design always give non-fussy and (we think!) eminently wearable clothes. How's that for some introductory fan-girling?! And, you guessed it, the Willow tank is no exception. It's been doing the rounds since its release during the past American Summer, and now our weather is finally warming up, it's our turn to give it a go. This is a great pattern for first time garment makers. There's a few useful (but not scary) techniques in here, like sewing darts and understitching a bias-facing, but the directions & diagrams are clear and there's a handy glossary at the back. For experienced sewists, it's a nicely drafted, quick sew. Not to mention a good wardrobe basic to thrash. I made my Willow up in this light/mid-weight cotton denim . Because it's a non directional fab...

Are we really banging on about the same pattern for the third time on this blog? Well, yeah. In our defence:  1. it's a really good pattern; 2. this is a different version; 3. how could we not include the Deer and Doe Melilot in our Spring Tops series?  So there you go, it was unavoidable.   The Deer and Doe Melilot view B has short, dropped/cut on sleeves with cuffs and regular button placket. As shirts go, there are refreshingly few pieces - the placket is a folded over number and is included as part of the shirt fronts, plus there's no yoke at the back.  Our English language booklet instructions had gone awol, so I doddled along with the French instructions, the (excellent) diagrams, an online translation service, a wing and a prayer. It worked out fine! It's labeled as difficulty level 4/5 but I found that it all came together without too much confusion. To be honest I was also really just looking for an excuse to use this fabric, because I've ...