Category: The Cloth Shop

Blue poppies

~ velosews ~ Leave a comment

New Look 6000 is a good basic dress block so this was perfect for this blue poppy print. I bought this fabric from The Cloth Shop Ivanhoe as soon as I saw it online.


The key to placing this print is when you layout the pattern. I was more than happy for the bulk of the blue to be across my waistline.

These patterns have my basic adjustments and the bulk of the print is across the waistline point. It was simply that easy to do.

There was no need to match poppies at the seams.

I kept the full border across the waistline.

The neckline was a high square neckline I drafted and instead of using facings, I fully lined this in dress with a white sunsilky fabric.

I clipped the sleeve seams to flatten the sleeves at the front of the dress.

Pattern adjustments:

  • 4cm off the sleeve length and forward shoulder adjustment
  • 7cm off the hem
  • sway back adjustment
  • 2cm off the bust point.
Wearability:
I can safely say, this dress held its own on Saturday night at Brisbane’s Spoolette party.
I enjoyed catching up with everyone this year and the venue was perfect. 

Future versions:
You’ll see my work version later this week.
Possibly there may be a side pleat version too.

Starting to feel Spring

~ velosews ~ Leave a comment

One Saturday morning the Cloth Shop Ivanhoe had a photo of a poppy fabric in a blue and red colourway. This is the same fabric that Kate Middleton has worn.

I decided to go for my usual Saturday morning ride but while I was training I just couldn’t get that fabric image out of my mind. As soon as we got home and got myself organised for the day, I gave the Cloth Shop Ivanhoe a call.

Now if that’s not being dedicated to fabric, I don’t know what is. Kim was a lot of fun to talk to. When I occasionally visit Melbourne, I try to visit their store because they have a high end range of fabrics and they usually have fabrics I can’t find locally.

Again I used New Look 6067 because I’d already adjusted this dress for my current shape and decided this version would be fully lined.

I’ve used a cotton poplin so the dress lining is firm even though this fabric is a stretch woven. 

Above is an inside view of the front pleating and darts before being lined.

My aim for fully lining this dress was to keep the dress structure firm but not tight.

This photo shows how I placed the print on the skirt. The 3 inverted pleats at the front waist don’t detract from the print.

I had a thing for piping and this WIP picture shows you the sleeves with red piping. The red is not exactly the same as the poppies but it works.

I follow the advice I’ve read in Threads magazine to keep stitching closer to the piping to keep the piping from looking twisted. This piping was premade from Minerva Crafts UK.

Long story short: I wore this dress out for a Friday night out and felt great. It’s Spring right!

PS: I did buy the blue poppy colourway fabric so I hope to have that made up in the coming weeks, using a different pattern New Look 6000 😉

Enjoy your week.

$3 skirt

~ velosews ~ 4 Comments


At The Cloth Shop Melbourne, we saw the nicest fabric. This confirmed that Melbourne sewers have loads of taste and choice. As I’m a bit of a bargain shopper, there was a roll of corduroy, black with a greenish print. The aim of our Melbourne trip was to build green into my wardrobe, so this was perfect. The price of the fabric was more perfect $3/metre.


Once I’d completed my slow walk around the bolts of fabric, imagining ‘what could be’, I found the bargain box and this fabric was peeping at me.

The owner at The Cloth Shop was very chatty and we arrived there at the end of a long day of fabric shopping. If there were cappuccinos in the store, I think we would have stayed longer.

I don’t normally use a red zipper for a black shirt but this is a casual zipper. I wouldn’t try this with properly tailored garments.
The skirt is fully lined because this is a winter skirt and without lining, it clings to my winter tights or fishnets.

McCalls 8557 – tunic to dress

~ velosews ~ 1 Comment

Being short is always a design challenge. This season there are some great prints out there and I just love them when the fabric quality is also available.

We (the girls) recently went on a fabric shopping trip to Melbourne and we had a jam-packed three and a half days of scouring the fabric stores in and around the CBD. With so much great quality fabric, how could a girl resist.

The challenge now is to create these fabric into this season’s wardrobe because there’s always nothing to wear…

This pattern has a dress, tunic top and pants pattern and it’s now out of print. The pattern is an early overlocker/serger sized pattern that I’ve made up in a grey jersey sans spandex.

This pattern has both centre back and centre front seams.
This feature makes the pattern easy to fit for instance, I have a sway back so this was easy to fit.I will use an all-in-one facing at the neck opening because it’s a bit tricky for young players. I increased the hip width and straightened the hem width so it wouldn’t add too much bulk around my hips and thighs. I took the fullness out of the sleeve so that pattern wouldn’t engulf me.I did a rolled shoulder adjustment so the collar would sit nicely.

I will sew this again as it’s very similar to Leona Edmiston’s latest dress design.

This fabric is from The Cloth Shop and it’s great to wear. Just ask them for a piece.