The Charlie shirt first caught my eye because of the interesting pleating detail on both the back and front, and I was curious as to the construction method. Funnily enough, I initially misunderstood the front closure to be a covered button placket, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the same design aesthetic could be…
Pattern Review: Charlie Blouse in Handkerchief Linen
From textiles to furniture, architecture, restaurants and book publishing, British designer Sir Terence Conran is one of the foremost figures of the late 20th century. A man of many talents, his simple, streamlined designs had widespread, mass appeal. Perhaps best known for founding the Habitat stores and penning the iconic 1970s lifestyle publication The House…
This tutorial is to support the welt pocket instructions in the Mykonos Pattern booklet found on pages 60-63. Position the Welt Opening Fusing (AG) on the wrong side of the pants using the Back Pocket Template (AH). Apply fusing with an iron and transfer pattern markings. On the right side of the fabric, transfer all…
Tea towel kits from Fabrics-Store – If you haven’t checked them out, now is a great time. There are many lovely patterns with fruits, florals, mushrooms, vino and the adorable village rooster and these kits are perfect for all skill levels. If you’re just starting out and practicing sewing a straight line, or if you’ve…
Although green is found abundantly in nature, especially here on the “Emerald Isle”, there is no one plant that gives you a rich deep green directly from the dye pot. Yes, a variety of plants can indeed give you subtle hues or shades of green but to get a true green one has two main…
Textile designer Eddie Squires was a true innovator in his field, pushing the scope of printed patterns in a series of daring and bold new directions. As a key designer and director for the leading textile company Warner & Sons Ltd., Squires played an instrumental role in enlivening British textiles during the latter half of…
This tutorial is to support the neckline placket instructions in the Cameron Pattern booklet found on pages 27-35. This tutorial uses dark blue thread to clearly show stitching. Be sure to use matching thread when sewing your Cameron. To get started, make sure the interfacing is applied to the wrong side of all four neck…
DOVE linen’s near white has just a hint of turquoise blue, mimicking the pale, salty light of JMW Turner’s stunning Venetian marine views. Known as the ‘painter of light’, Turner was entranced by Venice, with its green-blue water reflecting the sky into illusions of infinite, endless space. The floating city became a recurring theme in…
I’ve been on the hunt for 100% cotton poplin fabric for the last several months and I had no clue Fabrics-Store had a whole range sitting pretty on the site. Of course they offer the fabric in a quintessential white color as well as a bevy of gorgeous floral prints; but when I saw the…
Enid Marx, also known as ‘Marco’, was one of the early 20th century’s most prolific and prodigiously talented designers, expanding her creative vision across a huge range of disciplines. From painting and printmaking to illustration and textiles, she spread her singular vision far and wide in a career spanning over 70 years. As a textile…
This tutorial is to support the dart instructions in the Nico Pattern booklet found on page 23. Transfer the dot markings from the Front (Piece A) to your fabric using your preferred method. This tutorial uses small red dots with a fabric pen. Fold the upper strap down to align the dart edges with wrong…
There is a pale, almost lilac tinge to Gouache Linen’s pastel blue, echoing the dreamy, mystical light of Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte. Master of the uncanny, Magritte transformed familiar objects into magical or metaphorical symbols by floating them amidst hazy, pastel skies and airy white clouds, letting them drift off into another world, where lucid…
Louise Bourgeois was one of greatest figures in modern and contemporary art, world renowned for the incredible scope and ambition of her sculptural work. Much has been written about the uneasy psychological tension of her art, which explores memories and traumas from her troubled past, casting light into the darkest recesses of her mind. But…
Contemporary artist Brent Wadden makes woven artworks that deftly blur the boundaries between textile and painting, proving the two disciplines aren’t so different after all. Stretched over canvas and hung on gallery walls, his boldly geometric textiles might first appear to be abstract paintings, but closer inspection reveals they are tightly woven by hand, lending…
This tutorial is to support the collar instructions in the Capucine Pattern booklet starting on page 36. At this point in the process, the pieces should look something like this. Interfacing applied, the hang loop installed, pattern markings drawn, stay stitching in place, and corners clipped. Note: Make sure the pattern markings are transferred to…
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