Australian Stitches

Australia’s leading dressmaking magazine is a favoured by all dressmakers in every age group. Fabulous garments, technical instructions and step x step photos help guide even the most novice sewer to complete perfect garments every time. All the latest patterns and fabrics are covered in every issue plus we trial patterns to give the lowdown on how to improve on each pattern’s instruction sheet. We showcase makeovers of real people, give wardrobe-planning advice and show the latest trends from the USA and Europe.

FAIR WEATHER TRENDS friends • Some of summer’s headlining trends are more figure-friendly than you think!

Swept away • There’s a fresh breeze blowing in fashion this summer, charting a new course with clean-lined layering, spare silhouettes, airy fabrics and cool, calm shades from the sky and sea …

PLUS-SIZED Clothing Alterations

Construction Elements – Patch Pockets

Perfect in the Pool, Brilliant at the Beach • We all know how disappointing it is to create a garment and not have it fit. A comfortable, attractive swimsuit fits properly, is neither too large nor too small, and conforms to the contours of the body without sagging, straining or wrinkling. Pattern alteration is often necessary to achieve good fit in a garment, especially swimwear. Use this collection of alteration guidelines to solve some of the most common fitting problems.

Sewing Buddies • When Kerryn had two Stitches readers arrive at her shop from New Zealand, they told her they were ‘Sewing Buddies’ and they had financed their holiday to the Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia from their Sewing Kitty. This is the story of their visit to Kerryn’s Fabric World …

Say YES to the DRESS ... • … especially when it flatters your form with simple, streamlined lines, soft fabrics, rich hues and artful prints.

A Balancing Act – the Hourglass Figure • Thinking about an hourglass shape conjures up thoughts of the curvaceous femme fatale, the hippy, busty woman of the fifties – the shape we once vied for yet one that modern time negates. Current fashion dictates reed-thin silhouettes that defy the laws of sustenance, leaving our poor hourglass ladies out in the cold as far as figure-balancing garments are concerned. Using modern themes and fashion-conscious silhouettes this article takes a look at how our hourglass sewers can survive the current designer trends with simple planning and a few minor pattern adjustments.

Know Your Knickers

Cover Ups! • It might be summer in Australia at present, but that doesn’t stop it getting cooler in the southern or the mountain regions after sundown. So, Wendy from Knitwit has created these charming tops using fabrics that are lightweight, breathable and easy-to-sew.

Easy answers • What to wear when it’s getting warm and you want something not so stitched-up? In casually relaxed separates cooled with white, the answer’s easy...

COOLING DOWN • Your surest shot against summer’s soaring mercury … cool, curved lines in shapes that suit any size and the graphic snap of bright against black and white.

It’s a Wrap!

Behind the Seams • Every issue we present the latest in fabric trends, but how often do you look at those luxurious fabrics and wonder what pattern styles would be suitable for them? Here’s some inspiration for these Martin & Savage fabrics ...

Book REVIEWS

Sewing in to the 21st Century

Who Rescued Whom?