The Hello all I hope you are keeping warm in this frigid weather!  I finally had some time to post a few pix of my latest projects. 
So I have been working on a suit for Kyla.  It was funny how we met, in the gym change room, there was a conversation happening about how difficult it is to find clothes that fit properly, Kyla piped up and asked why it was that men can get suits made but there was no one around who is able to provide this service for women!  Well that was my cue to explain that there is indeed a person able to do this job; ME!  Before you know it we were exchanging contact info and the next thing you know I'm taking measurements on Kyla!  This was back in the summer, got the pattern and mock up done, we had a fitting then she left for a vacation in Italy so we could not get together until the fall to purchase the fabric when our schedules finally coincided.  That is the most time consuming part is the scheduling of the fittings, everyone is pulled in so many directions these days...  Anyway the fabric was purchased now I had to get to work LOL!  And work I did as you can see in the few pix I did take there was much hand work on the blazer, students please note the tailor tacking around ALL the pattern pieces, just saying, plus all the pad-stitching and much, much more.  The whole thing fit like a glove!   Kyla was very happy as was I, she said she has never been able to buy a blazer that actually closed at the front, I'm not surprised to be able to close the top buttons I had to add AN ADDITIONAL 2 CM to the front overlap on each side!  Now the waist and hips were too big so thank God for princess seams I could remove the excess underneath the bust to make the waist and hips fit properly.  Imagine trying to find a jacket that fit well... Now we are going to work on a dress and skirt to go with the suit, the skirt was already planned but the dress is a bonus due to frugal cutting :)  Click here to see the pix

The other thing I worked on was for myself, a faux fur cape and hat!  I kind of explain the procedure through the pictures so you can follow it if you like.  The fun fur is so authentic looking it's amazing, the seams actually look like seams in a real fur coat, the shine, the depth of colour is great!  Best of all it's totally man made, no animal had to die to provide pelts for a garment.  This makes me feel good.  Plus it's very warm even though it's faux fur, today I wore the hat at -27C and it provided a lot of warmth plus fur always looks so chic at least this is the most common comment I get....  Click here to see the pix

Have a great day and stay warm!  Til next time... 

Welcome back Amanda!  Great job with the patterns!  Amanda is doing a lot of the work independently booking lessons periodically to have questions answered and guidance in areas that are a bit foggy.  We connect on Skype, she sends me pictures of her patterns so I can analyze them and give feedback as part of the lesson.  This is working out very well for both and saves Amanda a lot of money. 
The work is completed on time and is very neat and clear it's obvious she really loves what she does and is good at it. 
Homework is:
Page 58 vest
Page 68, 69
Page 74, 75, 77
These are to be drafted using some with personal measurements and some other measurements to see how different issues are addressed.  This is especially good practice to prepare for working within the bespoke tailoring world.  Plus it's very good for working with alterations, knowing how to draft patterns makes one a very good alterationist because you know where to touch the garment to fix the issues.  We discussed some of these techniques as well. 
Have a great day and keep up the good work Amanda! 

Welcome back Bradford students!  What a fantastic group of ladies!  We started around 9ish yesterday the roads and traffic were horrendous so some of the class was late but no worries by the time they left they had a top to wear home!  Yes indeed they started drafting the pattern in class, cut out the fabric and sewed the whole thing by 3:15 they were ready for new instruction, unbelievable!  The tops turned out beautifully, they fit the students well, some needed to take in the sides, I always like to err on the side of caution and prefer to have it a bit larger and take it in rather than it being too small and have no recourse to enlarge it... 
One of the students even decided to really get creative with the neckline finishing and got a top that she likes to try and replicate the collar, well by the end of the class she succeeded, another one absolutely loved here sleeve and how they fit, one decided she wanted to shorten the top once she tried in on and then proceeded to sew on the binding on the right side rather than the wrong side!  What to do?  Design feature is what, I brought in my coverstitch machine so she stitched it with the chain on the outside instead of the straight stitch, she liked it so much she sewed the hem and sleeve hem in the same manner making a very unique top!  Two others decided to challenge themselves with a cowl neck and sure enough the finished product turned out very well much to the surprise of the students! 
Anyway homework is to sew other knit tops for other people using different measurements for extra practice.  Once the pattern is done the shirts really don't take long to sew, about one hour is all it takes from the time it's cut to the time it's finished.  I also assigned homework before the Christmas break and that still stands due in March when classes will resume.  
Have a great winter! 

Happy New Year to everyone near and far, may the new year bring only good things your way.  Everyone works so hard they deserve only the best of luck, happiness, good health and prosperity. 

For the new year I'm going to start a new adventure with Youtube, I will have paid memberships for video classes done at a slow pace so even novices are able to follow along and understand the work.  I am very excited to be able to reach so many people from all walks of life!  This does not mean I will no longer have live classes it only means it will be easier for distance students to learn this wonderful art of pattern drafting, tailoring etc. 

As soon as I make myself look presentable I will start with some videos on how to take measurements properly on both yourself and another person, how to record the measurements using the measurement chart, how to use the measuring tape efficiently etc.

I look forward to my live classes with the Bradford group, Skype classes with distance students, there is no place I would rather be than in front of a classroom!  Have a great day and an even better year!

Hello Urvashee what a great time teaching on Skype!  Gotta love technology from two different time zones we can have classes as though we are in the same room! 

Urvashee has some previous experience with pattern making so we are going ahead by leaps and bounds, today was only her third 1 hour class and she has mastered the sheath top already!  Today we added the side seam shaping along with the fish eye darts on both front and back with great success!  I also taught her how to take her own measurements so we can start working on patterns for herself.

Homework is to draft a sheath top as shown on page 45, compare the patterns on page 45 and write down the differences and similarities between them.  Next class is Thursday December 20 at 4 pm Central time, 5 pm Eastern time
Have a great couple of days! 

Hello all what a semester!  These ladies went from not knowing anything about pattern making to creating garments that looked like someone painted them on the bodies! The finished garment was graded and I can tell you they all did AMAZING!  There were 3 or 4 who received perfect scores!  The whole class really impressed me especially the beginners who had never even used a sewing machine before this class, they fit their bodies like pros!  The construction process takes a little longer to master but with practice it too will be perfected. 

We are off now for an extended winter break but the class decided they wanted to have a break from the break and do a knits class in January LOL!  I will get back to everyone with dates, I believe to get the most out of a one-off class it makes sense that it is a full day, 9 to 12, a one hour lunch break and then 1 to 4.  That way we will be able to complete a knit top from beginning to end; draft the pattern, cut the fabric and sew it together.  If everyone can have a pattern drafted before that class then we can shorten it possibly to a morning or afternoon, I will leave that up to the class. 

I hate to be the grinch but there is homework, it is going to be a long time to March so we need to keep the momentum going!

Homework is to create two more sleeveless dresses/jumpers, they can be for personal use or for someone else or mock ups for practice.The deadline for these in March 2019, they must be finished with facings the same way as the exam garments were done.The key to success is repetition, you have been taught how to take into account personal body issues, the exams were very well done, the bar has been set pretty high you have no one to blame but yourselves LOL! 

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!

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!