21st Birthday winners announced!

Aw, you guys! Thanks so much for the birthday wishes and for the UNBELIEVABLE response to our 21st birthday blog giveaway. The three lucky winners are:

Lucy Legget
Jennifer McLaughlin
Janis Brooker

Congrats ladies! Please email us at fabrics@tessuti.com.au with your address details and we'll post your lovely linen straight to you.

Look! I made a bag and it's not a tote!

Around three birthdays ago, I was fortuitously gifted a bag that ticked all my bag-needing boxes. It was simple in design, there was no visible branding, it went with just about everything I wore, it had the perfect amount of pockets, it was sturdy, it felt comfortable, it was relatively trans-seasonal and it was big enough to carry all my crap as well as children and partner's assorted crap on random (though increasingly frequent) occasions.

Yep, this was one awesome bag. Towards the end, I think I took it (her?) for granted because it wasn't 'til I saw the wear and tear that I realised how much I was going to miss her (yes, definitely 'her') when she was gone. And then one night where alcohol may or may not have been involved, I grabbed my seam ripper and just pulled her apart. And when I saw her lying there in a myriad of parts and pieces, I knew my plan to sew up her reincarnated self was going to be more complicated than I'd thought. And I felt a little sad. And scared.

Now let it be known that beyond the odd library book bag, I have zero experience in bag making and if you're making the real deal, there is definitely a lot more to it than your average tote. I worked on mine over numerous sewing classes, with much supportive guidance, and I don't mind admitting to more than a few moments of wanting to chuck that towel right in. But as is so often the sewing case, I'm VERY glad I didn't. Because she's done now and I LOVE her and I learnt a hell of a lot during the process. And isn't that what this sewing thing is all about?

The main outer fabric is our PVC coated cotton canvas Spotted Rows - it's sold out online and in Sydney but there's a wee bit left in Melbourne. I had originally planned on getting some black leather to replicate the pocket details until I had one of those forehead-slapping moments where I realised I could re-use the existing ones. The beautifully worn, thick, brown leather straps are also recycled from the original and were applied with new rivets by my local shoe repairer.

The bag lining is our 100% polyester Night Grid (available Surry Hills and Melbourne only). Sewing both leather and PVC coated fabric meant I gave my teflon foot a damn good workout and I'm very pleased to say it passed with flying colours.

 

 

And so, once again, everything is right in my bag-carrying world - all my crap has its place and there is a place for all my crap. And it looks better than the original. Oh yeah, and I made it. Just call me Bag Lady. Or maybe not.

Project Sewn

Have you heard about Project Sewn? It's the brainchild of Elizabeth and liZ over at Simple Simon and Co and their website says:

Project Sewn is a 4 week sewing competition comprised of 6 designer/seamstresses.  Designers are given a theme each week to base their looks on.  These looks are then scored by their fellow competitors and are opened to an online popular vote.  At the end of the voting period the scores and votes are tallied together.   Then according to this combined score one designer gets "sent home" and one will be announced "the winner" for each week.  This continues until the final week where a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner will be announced.

Between scheduled seasons of the competition Project Sewn will host tutorials and posts relating to fashion, trends, style, and of course, sewing tips and tutorials. 

Sounds fun, no? Participating blogger and seamstress Sophie from Cirque du Bebe describes it as "kind of like sewing Survivor"! This week's theme was the Summer Sundress and you can see all six gorgeous creations on the Project Sewn homepage. Sophie made hers up in our (now sold out) silk crepe de chine Pick a Bloom that she won in a giveaway early last year. Good luck Sophie and all the Project Sewn participants! We look forward to following the competition in the remaining weeks to come.

From Sand Hill Como to a linen smock top

 

Judith works in our Melbourne store and, like me, is a great lover of all things linen. This amazing smock top, inspired by a found image and created from her own pattern, is made up in our Sand Hill Como. Judith refers to her sewing style as 'totally free-form'. She says 'if something goes wrong, I have to think outside of the square to make it work and I always end up with something better. I love a challenge and I hate wasting fabric so I plod on until I end up with something I adore.'

Now when Judith bought this linen, we got to talking about our mutual adoration of this awesome fibre and subsequently did a bit of ooh-ing and ahh-ing over its very attractive selvedge.

I happened to mention that I'd seen a customer creation where the selvedge had been used to great effect in enhancing seam details. And so that's just what Judith did - along the placket, around the cuffs and (dropped) sleeve seams and on the back beneath the pin tucks.

I freaking love everything about this top. It's the very definition of a sewing labour of love in that it's been created via an original image, adapted for Judith's style, collaged together with a combination of ideas and inspiration, ultimately resulting in a very wearable, classic and comfortable garment. And it's linen *sigh*.

It's kinda timely that I should be posting about a linen top given yesterday's announcement of big 21st blog birthday giveaway. Just leave a comment and you could be one of three lucky winners each taking home SEVEN metres of our newest and yet-to-be-released linens. Imagine how much you can make out of that! Comp closes Sunday 19th May 11:59pm AEST.

We're 21! So how about a giveaway?

***COMPETITION NOW CLOSED***

Last Mother's Day weekend marked the 21st birthday of Tessuti Fabrics. Our little business baby is all grown up now and I still pinch myself when I think about how we started and just how very far we've come. The photo above was taken in the mid-nineties at the same store in Chatswood that's still going today. Since then, we've opened Surry Hills (2005) and Melbourne (2009) and an online store that caters to everyone near and far and in between.

And so to celebrate this milestone and coming of age, we're giving away 21 metres of our latest and yet-to-be-released linens in a timeless range of colours! Three lucky winners will be chosen at random to each win an assorted bundle containing seven metres each! To be in the running for this fabulous prize, all you need to do is leave a comment below. Don't forget that if you're commenting anonymously you'll need to leave an email address as well. Comp closes Sunday 19th May 11:59pm AEST

Ah, it's a nice thing to be a fabric shop and all grown up. So very many thanks to you and to all our customers and readers for supporting us and helping us grow and get this far. Here's to the next 21 years! x

Our latest pattern - The Tokyo Jacket

I'm really excited about the release of our latest pattern, the Tokyo Jacket. This loose, relaxed style has three-quarter length magyar sleeves. The neckline, cuffs and pockets are trimmed with a band that provides smart and simple detailing. This jacket is suitable for all ages and can be dressed both up or down. Best of all is that that no interfacing, lining, buttons, buttonholes or shoulder pads are required!

 

 

Our Tokyo Jacket Pattern comes complete with sizes XS, S, M, L and XL  and is available in both hardcopy OR print at home A4/copy shop.

The spotted version is made in Gold Classico Spot, but by the time I had my sample finished, the fabric had sold out! The plain version above (pictured in the first, top image) is made in Claudia Ash (75% tri-acetate/25% polyester). The jacket makes up best in drapey fabrics such as viscose, tri-acetate/poly, wool crepes, textured polyester as well as medium weight silk. Please note it is not suitable for jersey fabrics.

Other suitable fabrics for this pattern:

Classic Black Crepe 

Fiori Grandi

Claudia Range

Motiv Wool Crepe Range
Urban Scratch
Brother Slate
Classic Black Claudia

Anita Ponti Pants with cuffs

Here are our popular Anita Ponti Pants made up by Tessuti Chatswood customer, Florence. She's thrilled with how comfortable and quick they are to make and Florence says she can't remember the last time she enjoyed sewing a garment this much.  She's also customised them by adding cuffs.

This is her first pair made up in our Carob Ponti. Florence is planning to make up a few more as they're an ideal travel staple for a forthcoming overseas trip.

We're happy she loves them as much as we do!

Autumn Dreams Jersey/Ponti Dress

Regular Melbourne customer Clare is a designer/dressmaker based in the Ballarat area. Mostly, we shoot the fabric breeze over the phone but it's always lovely to see her in person. She recently visited us wearing this very simple, striking dress that features gathered panels of our Autumn Dreams on the front and back, with a black ponti panel along the sides.

Clare specialises in weddings, formals and all special-occasion wear. If you'd like to see more of her creations, check out her website.

Shirley's Sunflower Love Skirt

 

Had to share with you, this vibrant and cheerful tulip skirt Shirley (Fashion 53) made and wore to sewing class yesterday. The pattern for this Sunflower Love jacquard skirt was adapted from Anne Klein Vogue 1025. Shirley simply used the skirt portion of the dress, turning the centre pleats into one deep inverted pleat at centre front and adding a narrow band to the waist.

Have you seen our latest jacquard and brocade-like fabrics instore and online? So popular this season! 

Beginners Sewing Workshop - Nani Iro Top

Today we took a group of 6 super keen beginner sewers through the process of sewing together a simple top. Starting from scratch eg. selecting the fabric, cutting out, sewing, and all finishing off with a garment to be proud of!

We chose this Nani Iro top pattern as a great first project for everyone to work on. This top incorporates most of the basic techniques we teach in the our beginners class, but there are also some added challenges allowing these beginners to expand and learn new techniques eg. topstitching, how to neaten back edges, attaching bias binding to a neckline, sewing and attaching lined patch pockets and finishing off hems.

It was a great and satisfying day, and at times felt a bit like an episode of The Great British Australian Sewing Bee!

We look forward to more workshops like these in future. If you feel that you would be interested in such a workshop, keep an eye out for new dates here on this blog or on our online store.

UPDATE: Nani Iro Workshop Sewing Class @ Tessuti Surry Hills
Sunday 21st July (10am -3pm)
Saturday 14th September (10am-3pm)

Burda 7286 in Nickled Jacquard

Here's a stunning jacket made by Melbourne regular Kate. The pattern is Burda 7286, view B minus the pockets. It looks super classy and is made to absolute perfection in our Nickled Jacquard.

My Bad - Melb skill-building session (TAKE TWO)

Oops...turns out I got my dates wrong for our latest Melbourne skill-building session. It wasn't last Friday - it's actually this Friday! Details below:

This month's FREE skill-building session is all about one of my personal, frequent sewing frustrations - the sleeve. In this session, we'll demonstrate how to set in a sleeve, showing how to manipulate the ease in the sleeve fabric to give a smooth result and avoid puckering.

Topic : Inserting sleeves
Date: Fri 3rd May
Time: 12:30 - 1:15pm (no food or drink allowed in-store so be sure to have your lunch before or after the session) Bookings are not required
Location: Tessuti Fabrics - Ground Floor, 141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Apologies again to those of you who turned up last week (*slaps wrist AND forehead*) and thanks for being so understanding.  And to those of you who couldn't make it last week but can come this Friday - well, I'm happy you will reap the benefits of my (momentarily, I assure you) scattered brain.

Oh, and did you see we've started Sydney sessions too?