Hello all I have been thinking about online video classes with youtube for a nominal monthly subscription fee.  To see if it would be something my community is interested in I have launched an online poll, please click here for the link to answer the yes or no question. 
Thank you in advance for your participation.
Maria

Welcome to a new student from Regina, Saskatchewan!  Urvashee just started with the basic block, she does have experience with pattern drafting but wanted to simplify the process somehow so after watching my youtube videos she decided to take the plunge and bought a kit a few years ago but then life happened and she could not begin the program.  Now it seems the right time for her to start so we did with our first class on Monday at 4 pm central time which is 5 eastern, so I had in my head I have to start at 4, got everything ready, tested the camera to make sure it worked, called Urvashee but there was no answer.  I was puzzled but then realized I should log on at 5 not 4!  Should have a wall with clocks for different time zones it seems LOL! 
Anyway what a great student Urvashee is so much so that there is homework on the first day!  What a surprise right former students, I could the eye rolls now :)

Homework is to draft 2 more basic blocks using different measurements:
Draft 1

• ½ bust 42                                       
• ½ waist 34                                      
• ½ hips 45                                         
• Front neck to waist 41
• Bust height 26
• ½ bust distance 8

Draft 2

• ½ bust 52                                       
• ½ waist 47                                     
• ½ hips 58                                     
• Front neck to waist 44
• Bust height 31
• ½ bust distance 11

They are to be done exactly as shown in class, we will be adding shaping to one of the fronts on Friday and possibly start on the back draft as well if time permits. 
Have a great couple of days!

Wow this is the second last class!  Hard to believe how quickly the time went, everyone was sad in class having come to this realization on Thursday.  We will re-convene in March after the worst of winter is over, the date is to be determined. 
On Thursday the class worked very hard on their final project, the jumper or dress, they learned how to install a lapped zipper.  For many it was the first time they had ever installed a zipper, one even ventured into an invisible zipper!  She executed the task with great ease and the zipper looked very professional even though my machine did not work quite as well as it should have the shank was too long for the invisible zipper foot making it difficult to demonstrate.... In any case the class worked hard and accomplished everything they were supposed to now it's on to the finishing next week. 
It seemed like we could sew together a knit top, it may still happen if the class completes all the homework and comes in ready to go to the next step.  The homework is quite minimal this week as the work needs to be done in class, if there is anything that is foggy please email me with your questions.  Good job I re-read the hand out, there was a typo so please read below and correct it on your sheet LOL!  Everyone makes mistakes every now and again!!!

Homework is to complete steps 3 and 4 on the hand out: 

• 3) Sew together the side seams, if unsure of the fit hand baste them for a fitting before machine stitching.  Match the notches and clippies or tailor tacks for maximum accuracy
• 4) If unsure of the fit, hand baste the shoulder inclines in place like the side seams for a fitting then fit the body (there was a typo in the hand out this is they way number 4 should read).  Do not machine stitch shoulder inclines at this point 
• Cut out interfacing as an exact copy of facing
• Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the facings in the same manner as the seam allowances for the zipper were fused in class with an up and down motion and a damp pressing cloth. 
• Sew together the facings at the sides only and press
• The bottom edge can be finished by using a serger if you have one or a rolled edge if you know how to sew it  
  

Have a great week!

What a great group of ladies in this class, I know I've said it before and I will probably say it again, but it merits repeating, I continually challenge them and they come through in spades!  They even create their own challenges LOL!  Goes to show how dedicated they are to learning.  The fit on the mock ups if fantastic, there are still a few very minor issues left to deal with on some mock ups but I think it's more a sewing issue than drafting we will get them all sorted out next week and I promise to take pictures!
The project is a jumper or dress that is sleeveless and will be finished with facings with the exception of one who purchased some exquisite fabric to make a dress so she will be lining it!  I know she is up to the task :)  They are supposed to be either straight, A-line or tapered hem but one creative soul decided to add godets to the front and back princess seams (even though we haven't done the back yet!) and the sides, great idea so I asked her to do pin-tucks from the bottom of the fish eye dart to where the godet begins and the front seams should go to the hem  instead of finishing at the fish eye darts.  It will be fun to hem this puppy hahahaha!!! The beginners are progressing very well, very impressive work indeed.

Homework will be to cut the jumper/dress, mark and sew the darts and centre back from the bottom of the zipper opening ready to add zipper in class the following week.  Leave 2 cm seam allowance everywhere including the facings, tailor tack the whole garment for the most accurate sewing possible. 

Finish the hand sewing assignment, catch stitch the pressed edge to the end.   

Draft a knit pattern only  using page 84 as a guide  this can be ready for December 13th class, no sewing required on this one at home.  I just need to see the pattern and possibly the tissue pattern pieces next week to check for accuracy. 

For next week bring some lightweight or ultra-lightweight fusible interfacing strip long enough to cover the zipper opening and the width of the seam allowance.  Also enough to cover the facings for a better finish.  Bring in a short zipper and some fabric to do a practice zipper before installing it in the dress.  Don’t forget the long zipper to be installed in the garment.

Have a great week!

Hello all great class on Thursday!  These ladies are working so very hard and are improving by leaps and bounds even the beginners are keeping up!  Since the beginning of class they have created 3 mock ups; the first one took 5 hours to complete, the second took three hours to complete, the third took just over 2 hours to complete. How's that for progress?!  Plus it was noted the fit improved with each mock up, the whole objective of the program to create perfect fitting garments. 

Yesterday the class worked on the mock princess top doing a lot of the work at home and learning the value of hand basting, makes the sewing a breeze.  Yes they had to tailor tack the princess seam/dart too!  Last class we re-configured the classroom and it's making a difference in the productivity of the class.  Everyone is more relaxed, laughing, joking but most important they are really working efficiently and I can be a more effective teacher as well.  Funny how a small change can make such a big difference. 

The class was given a choice of class either the sleeves or knits for the last 3 classes so they chose to work with knits,  Good choice because T-shirts or knit tops can be made very quickly and are simple to draft with no shaping required, the stretch of the fabric provides the shaping. 

Homework is to draft a dress as shown in class in the style of the students’ choice, sheath, princess or mock princess cut.  The neckline can be a scoop, V-neck, boat-neck or jewel neckline (round), the skirt can be a pencil skirt, A-line or tapered skirt.  Students are to create a mock up of their choice of design as was discussed in class, the neckline will be drawn in class on the mock up to see which style will suit the wearer best.  Now that the class has seen how easy it is to sew when seams are basted I believe they will use the basting stitch more often. 

Whether the garment is a summer dress or a jumper is up to the student, either way it will be finished with facings at the neckline and armholes with a centre back zipper.  Next class will be only drafting, there will be two drafts; the top with two base darts plus a pattern for suitable for knits, no machines necessary. 

Please bring in your fabric for the dress/jumper for advice/approval as well if you have an opportunity to purchase some knit fabric please bring it in as well so the stretch of the fabric can be accounted for before drafting the pattern. 
There are only 3 classes left, the last 2 classes will be for finishing both the dress as well as a knit top.  The last class on December 13 will be one hour longer, there is one hour outstanding to complete the requisite hours for the semester.  This will allow the class to really complete the projects without having to rush through the work. 
A reminder the December 6 class will be in the morning from 9 to 12.  November 29 class is at the regular time 1 to 4 see you then!

Hello all how are things?  It has been busy here with all kinds of things going on, last week unfortunately there was a death in the family a beloved uncle passed away while undergoing some tests at a hospital.  His health was failing and he had a fall a few days earlier, like these stories go it seems at the age of 90 a fall is the beginning of the end.  No matter at what stage a loved one is in their death is always a shock.  The finality of it is just shocking.  What was the most sad was that this uncle was the last of his generation to go, his younger brother passed this summer in Italy, that really shocked everyone! 
That meant that last week's class in Bradford was cancelled and moved to tomorrow morning.  Can't wait to see the students how bright eyed and bushy tailed they are LOL!  I just hope they bundle up it will be cold like -17C cold!!  Good job I have coats for every temperature and I even made a fur cape for myself!  The other project I had was a little christening outfit made from the mom's wedding gown (train).  This was a favour for a friend who's mom got very ill so she was not in the right frame of mind to create anything.  I was glad to help. 
Have a great day! 

Hello all I muddled my way through the weekend retreats even without my laptop!  The students had so much fun it was ridiculous!!  I never heard so much giggling from 3 women ever, myself included!  The biggest thrill was to see the pajama tops with Dolman sleeves become a reality especially when I broke out my cover stitch machine that works like a charm on knits and gives such a professional finish.  Both Peggy and Karen were afraid of working with knits prior to this class and now I think I have created knit monsters!!  The excitement and anticipation was palpable in the class they worked so fast that they finished the pajama top in less than 3 hours, Peggy also made pants to go with the top while Karen added a hood to her pajama top in blue with contrasting beige thread that she sewed on the cover stitch with the underside showing.  Peggy opted for monochromatic also using the cover stitch with the underside showing.  In both cases it really worked well and looked very professional, they stated that this machine would be on the very top of the Christmas wish list!  Guess I'm probably going to get some hate mail from family members for introducing them to the cover stitch LOL!!!  
Homework is to complete the remaining patterns on these pages that were not done in class.   Re-draft raglan for wovens using different measurements, draft the raglan for knits on page 84 using both personal and different measurements, sew a fleece top with front zipper as shown on page 84. 
Have a great winter we will be continuing over Skype until the spring.  
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Hello all so I finally got my new laptop!  Did I ever miss it!  So now it's going to be another learning curve to learn office 365, that's the price we pay for progress!

On Thursday we had a great class in Bradford, we re-configured the class and it made a difference on the class demeanour everyone seemed to be happier and more engaged with the new configuration.  This makes me happy when the class is engrossed in the work and the time flies by.  The class actually sewed together a princess seam mock up in only 2 hours, these are beginners!  We even had time fit the body, analyze the tops and then learn a new pattern. 

Homework is to draft a mock princess top as discussed in class using personal measurements.  This is to be completed as a mock up therefore a master pattern is to be drafted, the pattern pieces are to be traced as shown in class the pinned to the mock up fabric, the back may be cut out and the dart tailor tacked, the front is to be pinned only and tailor tacked where the dart has been transferred to the armhole and down the fish eye dart.  Students will be shown how to cut out the front in class.  There will be a slight change to the syllabus, the next class will be dedicated to sewing the mock princess mock up to understand well how to ease together seams. 

Students are to choose one of the three styles on page 44 – 45 as their finished project, it may be done as a jumper to wear in the winter with a shirt/sweater underneath.  The fabric choice is up to the student, my recommendation is either a cotton twill, light tweed, wool, or suiting 1 to 1.5 metres of fabric depending on the width.  Along with the fabric students will need to purchase a regular zipper for the centre back and an additional regular zipper for practice, we will be finishing the jumper with facings so some lightweight fusible interfacing, it is sold by the package. 

Have a great two weeks and remember the key to success is repetition so keep drafting even it isn't assigned, challenge yourself by choosing something similar to the lesson and draft it or use the lesson and draft it using different measurements. 

Happy sewing!

So this young woman is very determined to draft patterns at a record speed!  She has learned much on her own with only some instruction via Skype and doing a great job I might add! 
On Sunday we covered a lot of ground in one hour, we went over the armhole adjustment to get the measurements for the sleeve draft; went over the grading for the multi-size patterns, central vs lateral grading – central grading is increased/decreased by .5 cm on each side meaning if there are any darts they don’t move, whereas the lateral grading is increased/decreased by 1 cm on the side seam only, meaning the dart must also move by the same amount. 
We also discussed a dress she is making with a French dart and front slit with no seam at the front in velvet.  A French dart is curved and has the fullness from the base and fish eye darts transferred to it so it will shape with minimal seams.  The dart will have to be cut away to decrease any bulk and for it to sit properly on the body.   I have used it many times and it works beautifully! 
Amanda said she is fascinated by bespoke tailoring  and now wants to continue with her studies to get to the point of receiving her diploma from Italy for tailor! 
I have worked out a plan for her to complete book 1 with minimal instruction, she is more than capable to execute the task as she has proven. 
Homework to be completed before the next class is to draft the patterns on pages 60 – 67 and then book a class. Do a mock up of the velvet dress with the French dart, complete a sleeve for mom’s dress and stitch it on the mock up to see how well the sleeve fits on the newly adjusted armhole.  
Keep up the good work!

Well today was a little less intense than last class!  We all agreed that on a scale of 1 to 10 the intensity level last class was a 17!!!! 

Today was the time to decompress and really absorb all the material covered in the last class such as the adjustments made on the draft even before any fabric was cut, how the front and back shoulder inclines are dealt with in the event there is a discrepancy between the actual measurement and the the pattern back so the phrase that was coined is this "decrease the back to equal the measurement, increase the base dart in the front to equal the back"  I explained to the students that this is the cure for gaposis, a condition afflicting many women around the world for which there seemed to be no help until now, at Le Grand Chic we strive to achieve that perfect fit that is also comfortable!  Basically by increasing the base dart it gives more room to accommodate the bust volume and stretches the fabric more evenly around the armhole getting rid of any gaping that may be present. 

The students were surprised by a pop quiz today!  I do that from time to time just to keep everything interesting and this is the best way for me to find out what the students don't know....

In any case this class is AMAZING!  There was very little adjusting to do on most of the mock ups, I'm glad that there were a couple of students who had some more issues that the others which gave me something to teach otherwise I would have had to make it up as I went along.  I believe all questions were answered if there are any issues still a bit foggy please write them down and ask me next class.  I keep saying to ask questions don't hesitate, it's the best learning. 

In any case there is homework: 
Homework is to complete the princess seam draft and trace the pattern pieces complete with markings as shown in class.  For the princess seam the back is the same as the sheath and front is made up of 2 separate pieces incorporating the base dart and fish eye dart right in the seam; the centre front and the side front that must be stitched together going over the apex.  This is the main difference between the princess seam and the sheath bodice pattern as shown on page 44 of the instruction book.  The mock princess seam is a differentiation of the princess seam shown only as one line on the master pattern, this will be discussed next class.
Once the pattern pieces are completed please continue by pinning the pattern to the fabric (again mock up fabric), add seam allowances to all the seams except for the neckline, armhole and hemline, cut out the top and mark the pattern pieces using tailor tacks where necessary.  Mark the seam allowances with clippies.  DO NOT REMOVE PATTERN PIECES FROM THE FABRIC BRING IT TO CLASS AS IS we will remove the pattern pieces in class and do all the sewing as well.
Next class please bring sewing machines we will be sewing the mock ups in class and fitting them on the body to see if the changes we made worked.

Great job ladies keep up the good work!