The Design Process
Tasche. Bag= Pocket

ABOUT The first Heldintasche was made in about 2001. What does it mean ? Heldin = Female hero Tasche = bag or pocket, the word is the same in German. It is a big wearable pocket. It is a mixture of a garment and a bag. It is shaped to fit into the curve of the waist and it is a hunting and gathering detachable pocket. The large outer pocket is for a newspaper; a bottle of water and/or the harvest. It is open- that is how it is. There is an inside pocket that zips shut for valuables;and a...
A chat with the Punk Frocker ladies. Things I said and things I wish I had said..

Listen to the Podcast here: https://punkfrockers.com/ Thank you for having me. First we will ask you to introduce yourself and tell folks how to find you. You can find me on Instagram @stokxpatterns and my webpage is www.stokx-patterns.com When, how and why did you learn to sew? I learnt to sew by hand as a child. I also watched my mother crawl around the floor cutting out patterns. We would go to department stores and look through the big books of patterns . She would buy a pattern and material and it would still be there years later. Although she...
The Zephyr- Fit tips

It is worth taking the time to fit your Zephyr dress. Unlike most of my styles it isn´t a given that it will fit you perfectly straight off the page. This is because most people are not just one size. Even the same measurement s can be distributed differently on different bodies. For this style I would need a size 4 top and a size 6 for the hip- even though I can wear the shirtdress or the Kim without adjustment in the size 4. As with every project, start with measuring yourself and measuring your pattern. I would also...
Why Octopus ?

I can´t say that it is typical of me to think “ I need to print octopuses on dresses” This is what happened.. I was scrolling through social media and I saw it...it was a lightbulb moment- YES! 2020, I was desperate to make something that made me laugh- we were heading into winter and I thought about the beach; about sunshine; light and wanted/needed a whimsical diversion from reality. I could “ see” it on the 7dress and imagined creating a seascape in my shop in the middle of the pandemic. This octopus is a classic image from the19th...
Pimping your Zephyr dress ( work in progress)

The Zephyr dress The Zephyr works best in a classic one over one under weave; like gingham, poplin or linen Then the cloth is stretched along the diagonal it should have at least 25% “Give“. There is no zip* so it needs to be able to stretch around your shoulders when It is pulled on over the head. It is a deliberately simple shape- just 4 main pattern pieces and optional pockets. One of the first ideas is to make it even more simple. By removing the sleeves.The illustrations below show how: 1.to straighten up the top back piece....