![]() ![]() It can be quite the challenge, and it was particularly difficult when I was first learning to sew and the only pattern options that really existed were the ‘Big Four’. How challenging is it to find contemporary pattern designs that vary in sizes? I really enjoy the conceptualising phase of garment sewing and have dabbled in drafting my own patterns for a few years, and I think it’s unreal that someone might want to buy a copy of a pattern that was first drafted on some leftover Christmas wrapping paper three years ago. I don’t know much about the technical aspects of pattern design but I know a bit about how a garment fits and construction works for larger bodies, and I’m excited to see how my ideas come together with Anne’s technical patternmaking skills. Some of the first ‘fancy’ fabric I bought to sew with was from Nerida Hansen, I think in 2017), and I still have those garments in my wardrobe! I love the opportunity to have some input into the design process for more size-inclusive patterns. I was very excited about this project from the get-go, especially as Nerida Hansen Fabrics have a special place in my heart. I’m glad that my sense of style has evolved since then, but I do wish I still had that skirt.Īs you know Alusha, we have approached you to help us develop a range of patterns that are more inclusive. I hand-sewed them all together to make an A-line skirt and I wore that thing to death. When I was 13 or 14, in a flash of creative genius, I went to an op-shop and bought a whole stack of garishly printed men’s neckties. I think one of my biggest sewing blunders was also my biggest ever fashion faux-pas. What has been one of your biggest sewing blunders? The kinds of garments I covet rarely come in my size, and I absolutely love being able to fill my wardrobe with the things that I could never buy for myself. Whenever I have tried out a new hobby, mum has always said ‘your grandmother’s sitting on your shoulder’ as if my nana’s crafting wisdom is being passed onto me.ĭresses in colourful prints and natural fibres are always number one on my sewing list. ![]() My nana passed away when I was very young so I don’t have many memories of her, though I do know that she was an avid sewer and crafter. My mum taught me to hand sew when I was a kid and when I expressed interest in learning to sew properly, she gifted me her mother’s sewing machine. ![]() My inspirational figures would definitely be my mum and my nana. I started to learn to sew properly on a sewing machine when I was in university.ĭid someone close to you inspire you or teach you to sew? I was a pretty voracious reader and I was always being gifted craft books of one sort or another, so I dabbled in a lot of activities. I took to a lot of crafts like painting, hand sewing, cross stitch, embroidery, origami, etc when I was a young kid. We lived too far away from a high school so I was sent to boarding school in Sydney, which is how I ended up living here long term. My parents own 100 acres of bushland there and my childhood was not unlike that of a free-range chicken – lots of creative play and ‘don’t come home until it’s getting dark’ adventuring on our property. I grew up in a tiny village in rural NSW, on shared Ngunnawal and Wiradjuri land. To me, acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land that we live, work and play on is a simple step that non-Indigenous Australians can take to recognise that this land was taken by force during invasion, and that there are myriad lasting impacts of colonisation. Great to chat to you too, Jacqui! I live and work on Gadigal land in Sydney’s Inner West. I love that, tell me about this acknowledgement and what it means to you? I notice that on your Instagram page you mention that you live on unceded Gadigal Land. Hello Alusha, lovely to chat to you via email. An instant frontrunner was avid sewer and fan of Nerida Hansen Fabrics, Alusha Newnham-Kell aka Here is an insight into this talented woman and her journey with sewing for a larger body. To help us develop such a range we took this conversation to our socials and asked for help. We heard, we listened and we responded to your cries for more inclusive sizing with our sewing patterns. ![]() The result may lead to a lot of fist pumping and strutting! It brings many of us joy, but what if you cannot find a pattern that caters for your body, especially if you are a plus-size. Sewing your own clothes is the best! It is all about that moment of triumph when you complete a garment and wear it, knowing that you made it with your own hands. ![]()
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