Rae and I have been friends and colleagues for quite a few years and it wasn't till a few years ago we decided to collaborate our design/patternmaking skills and bring out a range of beautiful, wear-anywhere patterns. But, little did we know it would take a lot of energy, time, frustration, very little sleep to get the patterns out there. Fast forward 3 years and we are finally ready to start releasing the patterns. But we wanted a name to suit what we and our patterns are about. Now, clever Rae said what about Drama designs? Huh? So she proceeded to explain why Drama Patterns:
"You know how long this %$@!!! thing has taken us to get it to this stage......it's been one DRAMA after another. But also, did you realise if you turn DRAMA around: AMARD it reads Ann Martin and Rae Dunkley??"
Well, that was enough to convince me that this will be the name of our new pattern range.
And DRAMA Patterns was born!
We have about 10 patterns that we are going to drip feed you over the next 12 months. We don't want you to get too overwhelmed with the patterns as there is a lot of information in each pattern on how to sew but also a few different ways of sewing your garment......the easy way and the hard more professional way! You choose! Each pattern will be a sewing lesson in itself.
But the great thing is, all the gorgeous fabrics you see in the Look Book Gallery - we will be selling them in limited quantities. So, as each pattern is released so will the fabric to make. It couldn't be any easier.
About Ann Martin
A lot of you already know me as the face behind 1 Puddle Lane - Pattern Studio but you may not know my story. So, get a cuppa and settle back.
It felt like I came out of the womb with a sewing machine attached to me. As far back as I can remember I always sewed. I had a little hand turned sewing machine in my younger years and then graduated at the age of around 10 to my mum’s amazing electric Singer Sewing Machine. And I’ve been sewing ever since! I did a 3 years Certificate of Dress Design course Seven Hills College of Art in Brisbane in 1980 and have been working in various jobs in the Fashion Industry including:
- Machinist
- Pattern Maker
- Cutter
- Production Manager
In one of my jobs as a Pattern Maker was where I met my biz partner Rae and we’ve been joined at the hip ever since! Whilst my 2 children were growing up I was lucky enough to work from home doing Made to Measure dressmaking work for a large clientele. I also dabbled in a business venture with a friend designing and painting resort wear for women and girls and selling by Party Plan. A few years ago I semi-retired from full time work but never far away from my sewing machine. I started sewing children clothes under the label 1 Puddle Lane and women’s 50’s style dresses under the label Audrey Lane. At the moment I make kids and women’s patterns for 1 Puddle Lane but spend a lot of my time creating great designs and patterns with Rae for Drama designs! Fabric is my weakness and the satisfaction I get from creating an outfit from a piece of beautiful cloth fills my soul!
About Rae Dunkley
My formal training was the completion of an Associate Diploma in Fashion/ Couture in the early 90’s, at Moreton Institute of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland. Every ounce of energy I could muster, I channelled into learning. I am forever grateful to the amazingly skilled Industry experts and artists who educated me for those 2 years. For the greater part of the 25 yrs I have spent in the “Rag Trade”, most of my skill and experience has been devoted to the technical side of garment production. Apart from being an accomplished patternmaker and designer, I would like to think I have gained an extraordinary spectrum of knowledge regarding all aspects of clothing manufacture. As most of my days were spent doing the following:
Setting size standards – using anthropometric studies
Garment specification writing
Developing garment assembly techniques and procedures to increase productivity
Product development and recommendations – testing everything from pattern to fabric, to the thread being used to manufacture a garment
And…..along came my buddy Ann. Always in the background, was my true labour of love…..Couture, which I still practice today. Bespoke Gowns are a work of art and that is how I attack it. It is where I will challenge myself continuously. There is nothing I will not have a go at. Nothing makes my heart beat faster then, when I see the transformation of a Client, as she steps into her “one off gown” 25 years later, I am still as passionate about patterns, sewing and creating as I will ever be. Fabric is my obsession and so is keeping the art of sewing alive…….