Hello all for this evening your homework is to create a mock up of the cowl neck.  Your options are the darts, for a more fitted look add the fish eye darts on front and back, for a more loose look no darts but cut the back on the fold.  If you choose to add darts you must have a centre back seam for a zipper otherwise you will not be able to  get it on. 
Wonderful work so far! 

Hello all it's great to have you back in class!
For Thursday you have been asked to create a mock up of either the strapless or empire cut dress, so far we have 2 for strapless, 4 for empire cut and 2 undecided!  The mock up can be to the hip or longer, does not have to be full length.  Please do not leave any seam allowance at the neckline or hemline.  We will be fitting at the beginning of class after a short lecture and then we will go on make any changes on the pattern pieces as required, then go on to draft the cowl neck pattern.  No sewing machines yet. 
You are also asked to decide which 2 garments you would like to finish between a strapless, empire cut, cowl neck or asymmetrical designs.  We will be doing all the drafting first and then go on to the sewing and finishing the 2 dresses.  Choose your fabrics wisely if you have any questions regarding fabric choices and finishes please ask t

Hello all just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that we will only be drafting tonight so no sewing machines only your drafting equipment and lots of paper!
See you tonight.

Just a reminder to anyone who wants to register for book 2 please sign up for the upcoming bridge course on May 27, it will help to get you ready for the challenges of book 2 and beyond! 
It will run on Mondays and Thursdays from 7 to 10 pm until June 27.  The class will be divided into sections working on individual garments but doing so in groups, at first there will be drafting the stipulated garments; the cowl neck top, asymmetrical top and empire cut dress then the groups will be divided based on which garment they choose to finish.  Each class we will be having discussion time to better explore everyone's findings on their chosen garments. 
Have a great wee

Wishing everyone a great long weekend, have fun and rest up for the next session of the bridge course!  I have some great plans in mind for this class! 
Don't forget to bring in the completed shirts for grading.  I have finally put the buttons on my husbands' shirts and they look great! 
ciao

Hello all for next Tuesday please bring in your sewing machine and basic sewing kit with scissors, thread, needles, pins etc.  Also small amounts of plain fabric if you have any handy, if not no worries we usually have plenty of swatches on hand. 
Anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with their sewing machines, learn basic skills to continue in this field or just learn something new, this is the course for you!  Please register

Hello all and I hope you have not been looking for me at work in the past few days..... I have been home sick with some kind of bug that my husband kindly shared with me!!!  It is very contagious so I felt I should stay home and not share the wealth!  I hope to be in this coming week, I will be in Tuesday for sure as I have a couple of appointments with clients in the late afternoon.  Also this week the intensive class did not run after all which is probably a blessing as I should not be around anyone and would have to re-schedule some of the classes.  This would not have been a good thing especially because the students registered were coming from so far away.  I guess everything happens for a reason......
Keep up the good work

Hello ladies once again!  For the front placket the finishing is very simple as it is a simple front; the raw edge on the inside of the facing can be either serged or folded under like a rolled edge, once that is done finish the hemline with a rolled edge.  You can start right from the outermost edge with the facing open and fold it over and stitch in place over the stitching line or fold the facing first and then do the rolled edge at the hemline, either way is acceptable.
I will try and take some pics of what I am trying to explain in the meantime take a look at ready made shirt and see how the front is finished just to get an idea.

Hello all once again!  Just wanted to let you know that I have indeed finished my husband's shirt this morning!  It looks really nice with the topstitching on the collar and the cuffs put in properly.  The best way to add the cuffs is to create the pleats first then stitch in place.  For the collar stand to finish the stitching  on the facing, baste it in place first, it will stay in place and for the few minutes it takes to baste it will make life MUCH easier for you in the end.  As for the cuffs, you know how when there are two sides of something and one side goes in perfectly and the other side no matter what you do it just does not want to work?  Well this was the case with these darn cuffs!  So I remove the one and try again only to find out that I removed the proper one and not the faulty one!!! GRRRR!  So a good lesson in patience, replaced the good cuff AGAIN and removed the other one and finally fixed it! 

I just wanted to say that if any of the ladies in this particular bridge class "happen" to be in the area and "drop" in to see me when I'm there I can offer some advice on how to proceed seeing that we didn't quite have enough time in class to properly go through the whole process....  It was just quick demos and hope for the best! 
What I learned during this class is that an old shirt that fits well is the best way to get accurate measurements for the collar, stand and cuffs.  Once you know what the pattern pieces should look like then it will be very easy to figure out the dimensions and shape them accordingly, already in class there were some people who shaped the cuffs like the ones on the older shirt.  That is exactly what I want to see happen, take the instruction and then make changes to suit your particular taste or lifestyle. 

Hello ladies here is the direct link to the Georgian site for the second half of the bridge course.

http://www.georgianc.on.ca/coned09/coursescertificates/?f=display_outline&p_subj_code=GINT&p_crse_numb=0228&p_title=EPGM+Bridge+-+Tops+and+Dresses