Patchwork with Rae

One of my goals this year is to try new things, including classes and learning new skills. PatternReview offers some online classes and I saw that a class on making patchwork for garments was back. It was offered last year but I missed it then, so I quickly signed up this go round. 

It's given by Rae of Made by Rae patterns, and has two units. I just watched the first class and it went over choosing fabric, kinds of seam finishes, and various considerations to think about when you are using patchwork for garments, whether as accents or whole pattern pieces. And what to know if you make your own patchwork, decide to use it just as patchwork or to layer and quilt it, or reuse exisiting patchwork like thrifted quilts. 

I found it really interesting! And inspiring. I like the idea of patchwork garments but have a less 'noisy' aesthetic when it comes to using scraps, colourblocking or patchworking. So this was very helpful, to think about colour and print and balance. 

I have a patchwork clothing board on Pinterest, where I've been collecting images for a long time, but I've never really tried anything. I need to test out some of the techniques from the class, to use up some scraps and get a feel for what goes together. 

So far I have just laid out scraps to see what combos I might like, pulling from some recent leftovers. I didn't even iron them so excuse the rumpled nature 😄

The next class (next month) is about using the patchwork you create in garments, and will talk about the best kind of patterns to choose, seams, finishing etc. I'm looking forward to it for more info and more inspo. 

Weekend Review: Keeping Up Appearances

 

I'm always interested in fashion history, so I picked up this book from my library and dug right into it. It is exactly what it says: a look at fashion codes between the two World Wars, and how they delineated class. I think it's understood from the title and cover images that it is entirely focused on the UK - but if not, it is definitely 100% England focused. 

With a lot of research (the bibliography is lengthy!) and some fun additions like editorial cartoons of the time that poke fun at fashion topics, this is an interesting read. There were descriptions of the minutiae of dress and how even a glove or a tie had so much cultural meaning. She brings up Rational Dress societies and how they tried to change men's dress habits, with very little success -- menswear seldom changes much, or quickly. There was a photo of a man striding down a street in white knee length shorts and an open shirt, surrounded by men in full suits and hats, giving him a bit of a stink eye. The photo makes you realize how startling it would have been to see that "Rational Dress" outfit in context, and why it wasn't quickly adopted. 

Another thing I appreciated was that the author used novels as part of her research. She quotes some parts of Rosamond Lehmann, Dorothy Whipple and Nancy Mitford, all authors I've read and so these felt resonant to me. I enjoyed the addition of fiction and cartoons into an otherwise quite academic book. I felt that it was a little dry, a little too detailed at times, so these elements helped give it more of a popular read feel. 

Overall I enjoyed this one and it made me very glad that dress restrictions are not quite so particular these days! 

Design: The Hinterland Dress

As part of my Word of the Year choice for 2025 - Design - I decided to take a class that would help me with my pattern design skills! I signed up for the Creative Hinterland course with Sew Liberated back during her big January sale. I have finally begun it!

I traced off the pattern and am now making adjustments to the bodice. I'll make a muslin of this one to make sure I get the bodice fit right, since all the rest of the class really depends on getting the basic fit right to begin with. 

I've watched all the intro videos (quite calming, really) and am planning to get my first Hinterland dress made according to the pattern to test out all the fit and process issues. Then I will start watching and following the pattern adjustments for all the many variations they teach in this class. There are lots of changes to make for really different looks, starting with easy and moving up in complexity as you go. 

I've been wanting to do this for a while so finally jumped this year. Even if every time I hear "Hinterland" I don't go right to the dress - I immediately think of this: 

Fellow Canadians will understand! 

I will be sharing my adventures in this class as I go this year. One big Design challenge for me!