Hello all I have been without a computer for the past week which is a lifetime these days :(
Plus my husband has had cataract surgery so he needed some TLC, now I finally have my laptop back, thank God!  That's why I haven't been posting anything, it's not the same on a phone...
I am looking forward to the class in Bradford tomorrow!  We are going to analyze the mock ups, this class is always interesting but nothing I can really plan for because I really don't know the issues that will arise which makes it even more interesting for me LOL!  I have be quick on my feet to answer all the questions that are asked and find solutions to all the problems.
This weekend I am getting together with my graduates to catch up and see everyone, there will be food, most likely some wine too!  Guaranteed to have a good time looking forward to it. 

Whew!!!!  What a class!  If we were to measure the intensity on a scale of 1 to 10 this class would rate a 15!  The students worked very hard finalizing their pattern pieces then pinning, cutting, marking, sewing the mock up!  The class ended up going 2 hours overtime to complete the tasks, they knew this ahead of time to prepare and put life on hold!  I have to say that these ladies really have stepped up to plate and are doing the work, real troopers.  This program is, after all at the university level so that means work plus it's great conditioning for post grad or real life. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

Homework will be:

1. to practice tailor tacking through paper – draw a dart or line on tissue paper to use for practicing the tiny backstitch leaving a loop,  also along the side of the paper (like the dressmaker dart done in class) using it as a guide to tack along the pattern pieces using the long running stitch leaving a loop on every other stitch.  The fabric must be on the fold, like the pattern pieces were placed in class to clip the stitches in between the layers as was done in class. 
   
2. Do at least one draft of a front and back bodice using different measurements, then compare the ½ shoulder width and make any necessary adjustments in a different colour pencil, master pattern only is required.  You are to take the measurements on another person and record them to bring with you to next class. 
   
3. Also write a reflection sheet on the last class, it just needs to be a couple of paragraphs or so... please include any revelations you may have had during the class, anything that is still foggy, anything you would have done differently, your most favourite part and your least favourite part. 
   
4. Next class we will be decompressing and reading the mock ups in detail going over any issues that may be present so please bring the mock ups, pattern etc to class for fitting
   

Keep up the good work!!! 

A big welcome back to Hyacinthe!  A former student from Georgian College who also took my front fly zippers class at the Creativ Festival in Toronto is back in training!  Yesterday we had a wonderful day of learning and discovering new things together. 
Hyacinthe is an excellent sewer but fears the pattern draft which is a mystery to me because she understands it very well and can execute patterns fairly easily.  So this was a good refresher to remind her how very easy it is to draft patterns as long as one does not overthink the process and follows the method :)

So yesterday we created a pants draft for leggings with no side seams taking into account the stretch of the fabric which meant the draft needed to be 3 sizes smaller, checked previous pattern and findings were that they are to be re-drafted using new measurements.  We also created a boyfriend shirt pattern using the man's shirt base with shaping - a dressmaker dart at the front giving the necessary shape to keep the centre front straight making the shirt hang properly.  We also took into account the half shoulder width to shrink down the dropped shoulder so it hits the right spot and the sleeve cap is the right height minimizing any pull lines due to a shallow sleeve cap. 

At home please check the fit on the pants and if the crotch is too small then add 1 – 1.5 cm to the front at inseam in this particular case.  Another alteration for finished pants when the crotch is too small is to add a 2, 3 or 4 cm gusset in the shape of a triangle to the inseam of both legs then sew up the crotch curve, you will be amazed how easy and effective this is to make it work! 

For the coat sleeve alteration my recommendation is to remove the sleeves, make a paper pattern by tracing the sleeve open with the adjustment at the sleeve cap included; on the paper make the fold to remove the excess fabric and re-cut the sleeves from the paper pattern to remove all or most of the pull lines present when fitting. 

Homework is to sew a mock up of the leggings, sew a dress/shirt using the pattern made in class with the front dressmaker dart.  Keep drafting and sewing to practice. 

Next class will be spring of 2019.

Well what a weekend it was!  These two ladies are very hard workers!  In one day they put together a pair of pants with welt pockets on the back, Karen put a tab at the front and a pin tuck down the pressing line and Peggy added front pockets and a yoke to her pants!  They do love to challenge themselves don't they!  Great job ladies!!!

Saturday was the welt storyboard and finalizing the pattern pieces for the pants, they cut them out at home and marked them in class on Sunday, they proceeded with the construction. 

Construction order:

• Tailor tack pressing line/darts/pocket placement

• Darts/pleats – interface the welt pocket opening if the pocket cut through it
• Pin tucks on pants front
• Pockets – welt and front following storyboards
• Tabs on front  
• Inseam
• Yoke if used – interface the yoke before installing
• Outseam
• Zipper
• Finishing – facing/waistband/yoke
• hem
  

Homework is to finish the pants and send pix to me.  As agreed in class they will work through items in the book on their own. This session we will be starting with the dress on page 63 with the flounce, please draft this dress and bring the draft to class with you. 
Next class is November 3 and 4, 2018 to learn the Dolman sleeves and possibly the Raglan.  We will be starting with page 80 to learn about the sloper line and its placement also how to draft a front and back from the front draft only and then continue with variations of the Dolman sleeve.  Please bring some inexpensive stretch fabric and rib knit to class to make a top of your choice with a Dolman or Raglan sleeve a finished neckline and cuffs. 

Whew!  That was in INTENSE class yesterday!  Great job everyone for working so very hard to finish all the tasks assigned! 
This group of ladies is AMAZING!  In one day they learned about Maria's 3 favourite F words!  Fit, Fabric and Finish.  What did you think I was going to say? ;)

Then we went on to learn about darts, what they are and where they came from, it was men's wear actually, Coco Chanel was the one who took men's wear and made ladies clothing out of it incorporating the use of darts for shaping the fabric to fit the body.  This is what brought women out of corsets and into the clothes of today. 
If that wasn't enough the class then learned how to put this theory into practice by learning how to add the base dart into the bodice front which they did so in the form a story board to get a very clear picture on how this is done.  By this time they were mentally exhausted so we took a break by taking new measurements using the buddy system which works out great in a class of 8! 

Break time was over and they learned how to draft a back bodice block which they then executed in class with flair! But they are troopers, I did ask if they wanted to draft a back they all said YES!  (At least they think they get to choose) so we proceeded with the back draft. The class went by in an instant it seemed, before you know it it was time to assign homework and we were running overtime LOL! 

So this brings me to today's post the homework assignments that will be completed during the two week interval is:
To draft a master front complete with shaping exactly as it was done in class and a back basic block also exactly as it was done in class using personal measurements that were taken and recorded in class.  Also to complete the hand sewing assignment as shown in class.  No tracing at this time we will be finalizing the pattern pieces and tracing in class.  If students are able they are to take a different set of measurements on another body and do a front and back draft, (a repeat of the homework assignment) to re-enforce the steps by changing the numbers the whole thing changes and gives a new dimension to the draft giving a whole new perspective to the pattern maker. 

FANTASTIC JOB EVERYONE! 

I'm going to be a busy beaver this week getting ready for classes!  It really does take time to prepare for classes in order to have a good flow and make the learning fun and easy to understand.  My biggest challenge is taking what I do instinctively and put into coherent sentences!  As a result I have become pretty good at word-smithing; finding the best word to describe what I'm doing. 

In any case I hope everyone will have their homework completed by class time it makes such a difference in how well the class proceeds and understands the material and really maximizes the time allotted to tasks which is what students want, they don't want to waste precious time going over what should have been already finished.  In the end time is money to get the most bang for the buck one must be diligent and make sure ALL the homework is done. 

My favourite comparison is this:  if I had a to make a wedding gown for a bride and her wedding was only 2 weeks away, I kept procrastinating on finishing because "I have lots of time" to the point my deadline is fast approaching and I can't finish it due to other unforeseen circumstances; how do you think this bride would feel I told her the gown would be finished in 3 weeks instead of 2?  I don't think she would be happy, do you?  So when I ask students to complete homework assignments by a certain date please think of me as this bride who needs her wedding gown for the wedding date not a week later :)

Having said that all students please double check your  homework assignments and/or any addendums  that may have been sent by email or posted on my blog to be sure everything is checked off the list. 

Have a great day!

So today I'm going to be nurse to my husband who is having cataract surgery so I have to go and pick him up soon, they require a responsible adult (jury's out on this!) to look after him today, I guess I'm it! 
Haven't had much time do sew for myself this summer so in a way I'm happy fall is here, yesterday I finally finished my daughter's pants, you know the ones I started some time in July!  Well I'm happy to say they look great and they fit great when I fit her in August, lets hope they are still fine LOL! 
I'm having a great time with students getting more and more requests for kits and classes.  In fact we are making plans to meet with the graduates for a get together to catch up with everyone and see how everyone is doing.  Miss Danielle Talaska is appearing in a television show called Stitched as an assistant.  In my humble opinion she should audition to be in the competition as a designer! 
Think about it Danielle!

Wow what a class I have here!  First of all let me give a big THANK YOU  to Renate for organizing the whole thing plus allowing us to use the marvelous classroom they have to hold the class!  That is very, extremely generous of you and your family to do this.
 
The students are AMAZING!  There are different age groups in the class making it interesting for all to see how to fit different body shapes at different stages of life. This is what pattern making is all about not just constructing garments or even just drafting patterns it's all about the fit.  In my classes the fit is paramount. 

Yesterday's class was a great success, students worked very fast and comprehended the material given very well.  We started off with a discussion on terminology, continued with some foundation materials, discussed the kit and finally got to drafting a basic block for the bodice front all on the first day!  In trying to keep up with the class speed I totally gapped the hand sewing homework so it will be there waiting for next week :)

In any case there is homework and some prepping for the next class to help maximize class time and to provide some repetition; it's the key to successful drafting.  This week's homework will be to draft 3 basic block fronts; one a duplicate of the one done in class; one with the generic measurements provided below; one with different measurements, not personal measurements.

half bust measurement                  46
half waist measurement                 41
half hips measurement                  52
front neck to waist                         43

Next class we will be putting the shaping into the bodice so to prepare for this please be sure you have 3 new basic blocks using the generic measurements given in class for the storyboards (this is addition to the one above).  If there are any questions or anything that is not clear please feel free to contact me for details. 


 
 

Welcome to the most fascinating aspect of garment design, the pattern drafting!  Without the pattern drafters we would all be wearing sacks for clothes, there would be no style but more importantly no fit.  Some might argue there is no fit anyway so why bother?  I am here to tell you there is no fit because North America lacks the proper training. 

It’s the pattern makers, tailors, line sewers of the world that keep us clothed, they are the ones who are the true engineers of garment construction.  What you will be learning in this program is very much engineering with the difference that our subjects are not static, they move, our products have many different characteristics that would make a civil engineer’s head spin!  We have to account for shrinkage, movement, drape, hang while we take a 2 dimensional item and wrap a 3 dimensional person with curves comfortably! 

Seems a bit daunting but it’s not a difficult as it seems once one understands the basic principles of fabrics, foundation materials, construction and of course the human body shapes that will vary as many times as there are people in the world.  Simple right?

That is why you are here.  We are starting with the foundation materials and terminology along with some basic sewing on your sewing machines plus hand sewing, a very important aspect of not only tailoring but sewing in general to achieve an impeccable fit.  Most North American schools don’t teach any hand sewing because it’s not the "industry standard" but what about tailoring it's an industry especially bespoke tailoring, doesn't it count?  Anyway in this class students learn ALL aspects of garment construction including hand sewing, tailor tacking, hand basting, fitting, finishing, fabric characteristics etc plus students use very few pins to sew on their machines.  There is a time and a place for pins and we do use them when necessary but not for every single little bit of sewing, they take up so much time, it's faster to hand baste and less damaging to any quality fabrics that are used. 

And then there is the terminology, students should know what the teacher is talking about don’t you think?  Hence the terminology sheet that we will go over and learn very well. Things like warp and weft yarns, fabric width and how it impacts the amount of fabric required for the execution of a garment, nap and not the kind taken (or wish we could) in the afternoon!!  All of these are very important aspects of tailoring often overlooked and chalked up to "students will learn on the job" which makes no sense at all seeing employers are not in the business of educating, the schools are in that line of work and seemed to have dropped the ball so long ago they can't find it anymore! 

Welcome one and all to my program!!

What a great student Amanda has done so much on her own understanding the pattern draft very well.  We went over the draft during the session and then she requested to learn how to grade patterns in different sizes which I felt she could understand it well so we went ahead and took the plunge into grading.  Amanda said "I find the pattern drafting very easy", this makes me happy! 
So we started with the central grading, meaning the pattern is enlarged/shrunk at both the sides and centre so any darts don't need to be moved, the lateral grading is enlarged only at the sides meaning the darts will need to be moved over as well. 
I have given Amanda a bit of lee-way as far as lesson content goes she gets to choose what to draft to challenge her to see what can be extrapolated from her choice of garment.  

Homework is to draft a skirt with lateral grading moving the back dart as well.  Find a fit model, draft a pattern, create a mock up to fit the model in class.  Send me a sketch of the design and measurements for approval.