Newcastle, New South Wales
Belles and Beaux has dressed Newcastle brides from 464 Hunter Street since 1989. Elizabeth founded it with a business partner after running Libby’s Boutique on the…
Visit in person
Bridal Dress Stores · Newcastle, New South Wales · Visit in person
Stitches Dressmaking & Alterations
About
Overview & Vibe
Stitches Dressmaking is Gail Purcell’s workroom on Elizabeth Street in Mayfield, Newcastle. She has 21 years in the fashion industry — patternmaking, pattern grading, garment design and fitting — and started Stitches about fifteen years ago because, in her words, she “knew I could give my clients a quality service experience that was lacking in the industry on a local level.” The brief is simple: “come with an idea, picture or sketch” and the gown is designed and hand-crafted from there.
Dress Styles & Designers
No labels are stocked — every gown is her own design, made to the bride’s measurements over a series of private fittings, with the client choosing her own fabrics and colours and getting progress updates as the dress is built. Her portfolio runs from bias-cut satin columns and beaded lace to full bridal-party sets.
Ideal For
Three brides. The one who cannot find the dress she has in mind, or one that suits her frame. The one dressing an entire bridal party — Gail names those as the projects she likes most. And, most usefully, the bride who bought her gown online.
The Need-to-Knows
By appointment only, at the Mayfield workroom. Custom work runs as a series of private fittings rather than a single consultation, so it needs lead time. Every piece is quoted to the design, so a conversation is the route to a figure. Contact is direct to Gail by phone or email.
Standout Feature
The Rescue Service — and the reason it exists is the honest bit. Gail created it because the industry changed: “most recently with the introduction of online stores where you can buy dresses at a wholesale price… Often when Wedding Gowns, Bridesmaid’s and Formal Dresses are purchased online, they need tweaking to create the perfect fit.” Re-fitting and re-designing an online or pre-loved gown is a distinct skill she has deliberately developed, and her line on it is “Trust me — I have seen it all.” For a bride holding a dress that arrived in a satchel and does not fit, that is the most useful sentence in this directory.
Appointment Policy
- The workroom is by appointment only.
- Appointments are made directly with Gail Purcell on 0407 180 372 or by email to gail@stitchesdressmaking.com.au.
- Clients are invited to bring an idea, a picture or a sketch to the first meeting.
- Custom work proceeds as a series of private fittings rather than a single consultation.
- Clients choose their own fabrics and colours during the process and are given regular updates as the dress progresses.
- Gowns bought online or pre-loved can be brought in for re-fitting under the Rescue Service; get in touch to discuss what is needed.
Dress Designers
- Stitches Dressmaking — Gail Purcell's own label. Every wedding gown, bridesmaid dress and formal dress is personally designed and hand crafted to the client's measurements from an idea, picture or sketch, over a series of private fittings. No external labels are stocked.
Dress Experience
- Stitches Dressmaking & Alterations is a custom dressmaking workroom at 23 Elizabeth Street, Mayfield, in Newcastle, run by Gail Purcell. She has spent 21 years in the fashion industry, where she developed skills in patternmaking, pattern grading, garment design and fittings, and created Stitches around fifteen years ago because she believed she could offer a quality of service that was lacking locally. Clients are invited to come with an idea, a picture or a sketch, and their wedding gown, bridesmaid dress or formal dress is personally designed and hand crafted, coming to life over a series of private fittings during which the client chooses fabrics and colours and receives regular updates on progress. She works on individual gowns and on entire bridal party garments. Alongside custom design she runs a Rescue Service, created in response to the growth of online dress buying: gowns bought online or pre-loved are re-fitted and re-designed to fit properly, work she describes as a skill developed specifically for that buying trend. The workroom operates by appointment only, and prices come on enquiry.
Dress Styles
- bespoke
- made to measure
- a-line
- sheath
- fit and flare
- satin
- lace
- beaded
- chiffon
- long sleeve
- backless
- corset back
- classic
- romantic
- vintage
Dresses
No details available.
Nearby Landmarks
- Mayfield – An inner-western Newcastle suburb, about five minutes from the city centre
- Newcastle Interchange – A short drive east, the terminus of the Newcastle rail line
- Islington – The neighbouring cafe and antiques strip
Purchase Options
- Made To Measure
- Bespoke
Services Offered
- Bespoke Gown Design
- Alterations For Gowns Bought Elsewhere
- Alterations For Gowns Bought Online
- Preloved Gown Refitting
- Bridal Party Garments
- Formal And Occasion Dresses
- Patternmaking And Grading
Size Range
No details available.
Similar businesses
![Design by B](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62b14a564e70b4066e0ffdef/5f3b6962-ea45-49c0-8c49-3d132285ab64/Design-By-B-23-6-22-Social-Media-Size-40.JPG",)
Newcastle, New South Wales
Design by B is Brooke Osland’s atelier on Wood Street in Adamstown, Newcastle — “custom fashion design & alterations for the aisle or the boardroom.” It is a studio…
Visit in person
Newcastle, New South Wales
Genevieve Gowns sits in a heritage shopfront on Swan Street in Morpeth, the old river port outside Maitland, sharing its window with the alterations business it…
Visit in person
Newcastle, New South Wales
Loved Bridal Studio is a consignment bridal studio on Greenway Street in Wickham, just west of Newcastle’s centre.
Visit in person
Newcastle, New South Wales
Melissa Waite Couture makes one gown at a time, for one bride at a time, in Newcastle. Melissa is a dressmaker and couturier with more than 27 years in the…
By appointment
Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle Bridal House sits on Hunter Street in the centre of Newcastle and describes what it sells as much as what it stocks: “Gowns with Meaning, Moments to Match…
Visit in person
Contact
- Website
- stitchesdressmaking.com.au
- Phone
- 0407 180 372
- Address
- 23 Elizabeth Street, Mayfield NSW 2304
23 Elizabeth Street, Mayfield NSW 2304
Open in Maps