News — Makery Staff Makes

Spring is the time when people tend to think of robins, putting away the big coats and getting the gardens primed. Here at The Makery it's also the time of year when we start seeing prom and wedding garments coming in for alterations. Micheline and Johanna are kept busy upstairs in Altered sewing under layers and layers of shimmering tulle, beaded bodices and tailored tuxedo jackets.  With this in mind it seemed only fitting to make a classic Cinderella-themed window display to promote our services! We had been searching local thrift shops for weeks looking for the perfect dress. It had...

  I had been making Colette's Peony dress (in my head) for months prior to even choosing my fabric, attracted to it's clean silhouette, fitted bodice and sleeves and the oh-so-perfect boatneck neckline. It was no surprise to anyone around me that I also chose a boldly-patterned ankara wax-print cotton, as I'm obsessed with African textiles and adornment. I've always been drawn to statement pieces of clothing and accessories - I tried subtle once but it didn't take. Cutting Out & Adjustments As this was my first full, fitted garment I traced the pattern pieces onto tissue paper in the...

I tackled knits and came out on top.  I'm super happy with this dress. Before the holidays I bought the Makery's last Colette Moneta pattern with grand plans.  I hustled my way down to Patch in Halifax for a couple of yards of Chris' beautiful bamboo jersey.  I've not had much experience with knits so I set myself up with both the pattern and the Colette sew along as a guide.  More advice is better, right?Cutting out + pattern matchingAs I haven't really used knits much before I was nervous about cutting it out.  Add on top of that the stripe...

  With the arrival of Cotton + Steel fabrics to the Makery, I quickly jumped in whipping up not one, but two Wiksten tank dresses in a week.  This continues to be a favourite pattern of mine as it is a quick, easy and satisfying sew I can complete in an afternoon.   I used a contrasting solid cotton for the bias facing which allowed me to cut down on the required main fabric to 1.5 metres for the dress as opposed to the 2.75 metres the pattern called for.  Even though these dresses are both navy, the xo and arrow patterns give them...

Us ladies at the Makery are an industrious type with lives full of making in our off-makery hours.  We are lucky enough to make some of our favourite projects at work, but often we take that inspiration home. We're compiling a few of our favourite staff makes of the year.  Some you may recognize as variations from workshops while other ideas may be making their way into the Makery line up in the near future.   Having only joined the Makery in May, Rita was not short on inspiration this year, churning out one great sew after another. We're all in...