Scrap Hexagon dress

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on March 13, 2020

13 Mar

Scraps of fabric take up a lot of space and I have never been sentimental enough to waste any of mine on a basket of scraps. I have however cut hexagons out of most of them and kept them for quilting.

For Breakfast at Tiffany’s this past year the theme was inspired by using recycled materials and I was inspired to see if could make them into a dress.

Hexagons like this always need to be sewn together by hand. Very time consuming but has the advantage of being portable so I can work on the couch.

I pieced the hexies together over my dress form set to the measurements of the model for the bodice. She came over for a fitting to refine the shape around the neck and arms. The skirt was one large rectangle draped into pleats at the front and joined at an angle at the back allowing the skirt to flare out more and create a little train.

Feather obsessions

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on February 8, 2015

08 Feb

Feathers are amazing structures and its no wonder they have been used in fashion since as long as people have been adorning themselves. There are a large number of feather types commonly used in fashion and even more ways to use them. In this post I am going to look at Ostrich. A versatile feather as it can be used as a whole feather or pulled apart.

This dress is probably the most simple way to use feathers, a light scattering of ostrich wisps applied to lace. When feathers are added to light fabrics they are usually stitched which can be time consuming so to keep the numbers down can save time and effort. These feathers have been dyed to match the dress colour. Dying feathers is actually quite easy.

Shoes by Jimmy Choo, well outside of my budget but I wonder if some glue and feathers could make a more simple pair of heels this incredible?

I am sure this couture feather skirt by Giambattista Valli was hand sewn individual tufts of feathers. It is possible to cheat a little as feathers are available already strung like a fringe. These fringes would then be applied to the skirt.

Vintage feather cape.

This vintage cape is using Ostrich feathers in their natural untreated colour. These feathers are likely applied by splitting the main quill and sewing down each half.

Here are some feathers looking lovely for your enjoyment.

Stripes

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on January 2, 2015

I couldnt devote a whole post to spots without giving stripes the same courtesy.

Above is an Incredible graphic stripe sash. This would be an amazing addition to a simple purchased dress. I will come back to this and make a little tutorial for how to create this look with some basic sewing skills.

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The long sleeves in this dress are especially elegant. It is decorated with lace circles but If i was going to use these stripes and lace as inspiration for a dress I would crochet the circles.

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A seperate top and skirt can be a great look for weddings. This skirt is made by joining strips of fabric so the look could be re created to work with any colour scheme. Paired with a litle lace top – White and ivory stripes for a subtle bride, White and a pastel floral print stripes for a garden wedding and white and Navy stripes for a harbour side yacht club.

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This deceptively simple dress is using a wonderful technique, It isn’t made from fabric with a natural stripe, it is made from a sheer fabric and each of those stripes are applied to the dress. An incredible amount of work. I am assuming they used bias strips so they would curve around the fluted hem, staggering.

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This dress is made of a sheer white/solid white stripe fabric. The fabric is cut as large ruffles so the direction of the stripes changes throughout the skirt. This kind of fabric can also be used for a very simple style and the stripe then gives a point of difference.

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Lastly this wonderful strapless stripe dress. The stripes make a perfect V in the front. The waist of this dress is quite high which is unusual. Here it all ties together perfectly. Also pockets.

The Finished Tutu

by Meg. Posted on November 14, 2014

14 Nov

Finally a chance to photograph the lovely ballerina in her new tutu.

Beach bag

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on November 10, 2014

10 Nov

Another search of the hardware store has yielded more sewing inspiration. This beach bag is made from scraps of the print fabric used at the Breakfast at Tiffanys fashion parade combined with fly screen mesh.

The mesh is easier to work with than I expected as long as the Iron is kept well away. I made rope handles covered by hand and 2 internal pockets, one with a zip.

Finished Tutu

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on November 6, 2014

06 Nov

My first tutu has been a great success.

The tulle has done exactly what I wanted. The base fabric has worked but next time I will use something with a little more stretch. This base was a little too rigid which is why I added the lacing into the back, a simple way in and out without any restriction from zips or velcro.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on November 6, 2014

06 Nov

Merimbula does Oaks day in style. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is the annual fashion event bringing spring racing to the south coast.

It was exactly the kind of race day even that I love, hats and fascinators everywhere, day time champagne, a chair for everyone and no time wasted watching horses.

I had the pleasure of being involved in the production of the garments that were included in the parade. The whole collection was shaped around the stunning fabric sourced from Indigenous textile designers in the Northern Territory.

Spending most of my time backstage I don’t have as many photos as I would like so here is just a little peak of the amazing day.

For more photos and some videos head to the Merimbula news weekly.

Brampton Island destination wedding.

by Kathleen Brewster. Posted on August 1, 2014

01 Aug

Destination weddings are a favourite of mine. Having an excuse to go somewhere new with family and friends then spending all the time together relaxing and drinking. I made two dresses for this wedding. One for pre wedding cocktails the evening before and one for the wedding.

The cocktail dress was a backless bias cut slip in raw silk detailed with vintage Kimono fabric. The red in the fabric highlighted with the authentic Japanese flower in her hair. Jewelled silver flat salads finished the outfit for a relaxing evening on the lawn.

The wedding dress was a simple strapless panel dress with a full hem. The inside boned and closed with lacing to give a great fit, the outside layer of the dress closed over the lacing with covered buttons. The real star of this outfit is the hair piece made by Melbourne Milliner Richard Nylon. Its base made in the same silk as the dress and it’s colours matching the minty/blue of the lovely little snake skin pumps.

The Navy Dress

by Meg. Posted on December 13, 2013

Kathleen Brewster, Fashion blog, Bridal, Weddings, Dressmaker

13 Dec