Outback Wife by Gertrude Made - what to sew with these beautiful barkcloths!

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There was a great suggestion on Instagram that we do a blog post on pattern recommendations to go with the gorgeous new cotton barkcloth fabric range Outback Wife. They've been selling very quickly though so please don't hesitate to snap some up - otherwise we have plenty of other fabrics that will be equally well suited to the patterns below.

From parent company Ella Blue's website:
"Outback Wife is the debut collection of Cathi Bessell-Browne, the hands and heart behind Gertrude Made. Each fabric has been a labour of love and they have taken more than a year to complete.
Inspired by the beautiful floral barkcloth fabrics of the 1940s and 1950s, each detail of this collection has been meticulously and sincerely considered to create a range with an authentic vintage voice. The stunning hand-painted floral designs printed on an exclusive cotton barkcloth base, tell the story of four Australian rural women. Outback Wife is an ode to the strength, passion and courage of rural women across Australia."

At 150cm wide, these fabrics are fantastic for dressmaking, with a medium-to-light weight, soft hand, a little give and medium drape. Produced in Japan, the quality of the basecloth and the printing is just beautiful. It really is like original mid-century barkcloth that was often used in curtains.

So what sort of garments could you make with Outback Wife? Here are some suggestions:

Deer and Doe Belladone Dress
Anna Maria Horner Painted Portrait Dress 

Grainline Willow Tank Dress and Top
Grainline Alder Shirtdress
For little girls: Merchant & Mills Trapezette Dress

 Named Patterns Lourdes Cropped Jacket
Merchant & Mills Trapeze Dress

Merchant & Mills Dress Shirt
For the blokes: Merchant & Mills All State Shirt
Merchant & Mills Top 64
 
Deer and Doe Chardon Skirt

With the vintage vibe of these fabrics we can also really imagine them in a 1950s fit-and-flare style dress. People have also been buying Outback Wife prints for use in quilting. What would you use them for?

- Jane & Fiona xx

Comments

  1. Beth of The Linen CatFebruary 7, 2017 at 9:58 AM

    OMG those fabrics are to die for!!! Especially the green. Love your pattern suggestions too. Bet they never make it to the UK :( I'm thinking of my vintage pattern stash and of so many nice dresses I could make *sigh*. Beth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JaneFebruary 8, 2017 at 4:41 PM

      I hope they do make it over your way Beth! We usually have the same issue here in Australia. Or it gets here a year later and at twice the price! Vintage dress patterns would work so well with these :)

      Delete

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