Tailoring increasingly looks like a thing of the past, but the internet has helped new generations discover (or regain) their love of sewing.
Many are turning to online forums and social media groups to share fabric sales patterns and news and share tips and words of encouragement. Sewing enthusiasts have also been known to meet in real life and show off their fabric creations. Here, four seamstresses share their proudest projects.
‘My wedding dress is very valuable to me’
Leanne Pugh’s grandmothers taught her to sew and she immediately loved it. “I was solving a beautiful, 3D puzzle and I was fascinated,” she says.
She made this dress for her second wedding in 1985. The fabric was a bordered linen with Swiss embroidery, purchased in Melbourne and dyed pink in Sydney.
“I drafted the pattern myself, and since the fabric was cut on a diagonal, it required some maneuvering,” he says. Embroidered fabric meant that the skirt, collar and sleeve pieces had to be cut separately and pieced along curved edges rather than straight edges.
The day before the wedding, she tried on the dress with the help of her fiancée and disaster struck. Accidentally the zipper broke and the dress had to be taken to a nearby clothing factory, where workshop staff quickly repaired it.
“I would have loved to have worn a white dress that day, but it was 1985 and our marriage was already pretty controversial… many people predicted it would be short-lived,” says Pugh.
“I think the dress is getting old. “This is very dear to my heart as I lost my wife to dementia last year and we have been incredibly happy for over 40 years.”
‘Everyone saw how difficult it was to do’
Siobhan Leyne says she has been sewing all her life, but only took it seriously when she injured her legs about nine years ago. “I needed a way to feel good about myself and my body, and sewing allowed me to be creative and express myself through fabric.”
Ahead of Frocktails, a gala where attendees create their own outfits, she decided to make pieces that would challenge her skills. His initial plan was for a suit made of jacquard, but he changed his mind for a top and trousers because he couldn’t find enough material in the fabric he liked.
According to the pattern, the top had a form-fitting waist and peplum (a piece of fabric below the waist), but she changed the darts, removed the peplum, and lengthened the top.
“These garments were the first time I made major changes to the original pattern to fit my vision,” says Leyne. “I’ve never had enough confidence in my rehearsal or math skills to do this before.”
But the arm nearly destroyed him. “It’s a single pattern piece with lots of origami folds to create the shape,” he says.
However, the final result was met with great acclaim at the premiere. “The best thing about going to a sewing event is that everyone can see how hard it is to make it to the top,” she says. “It’s amazing when the compliments come from a place that understands what you’ve accomplished.”
‘A splash of color in a sea of black hedgehogs in Melbourne CBD’
Simon Turner was looking for a hobby when he was given a sewing machine and a “learn to sew” course at RMIT in Melbourne for his 52nd birthday.
She was six weeks into the course and had nearly finished a pair of pajama bottoms when the pandemic hit, and she found herself at home with plenty of free time. When he realized that he could make custom shirts, his hobby became more serious.
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Turner bought a ream (about 30 yards) of blue corduroy at a fabric sale last year and decided to turn it into a suit. He selected the patterns he had used before and made changes. “I was sure I could take advantage of a few extra design features, like the big collar. “I also widened the trouser legs,” he says.
The suit was the first full set he made, but it won’t be the last. “Having the option to wear them separately or together will ensure more wear,” she says. “And come winter, my blue corduroy outfit will add color to the Melbourne CBD’s sea of black puffers.”
‘It was actually going to be a dress with graffiti’
Lisa Howard was taught to sew by her grandmother. She remembers sitting on the floor of her grandmother’s sewing room and sewing tiny cushions, curtains and clothes for her teddy “bear family.” Today, she still uses her grandmother’s Bernina sewing machine from the 1970s.
Howard’s idea for this dress came at the beginning of 2020, when there was “a lot of climate crisis stuff going on and then… the pandemic.”
He planned to spray paint the lyrics written by his wife on silk fabric. But silk runs when dyed this way, so she used fabric dye to create a color gradient.
Instead, the belt and necklace are the canvas for her husband’s words: “When I have nothing left to spend money on, come back and sell me the end of the world.”
But it’s not as bleak as the lyrics; The silk is layered on yellow knitted fabric to highlight the vibrant colours.