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One day class in Santa Barbara

2/28/2016

I am more than half way through my stay here in Santa Barbara. Simplicity has been keeping me very, very busy. This is the time of year when designs for the Fall catalog are done. And since Halloween is in the fall, it is traditionally when the majority of the costume patterns are made.

But, I still have been able to meet some wonderful Santa Barbara residents, so I can get out of my little shed/studio for lunch and shopping. I met Grant who owns Grant House Sewing Machines in Santa Barbara. We had a great time talking about sewing machines and trends for home sewing. He is very interested in engaging cosplayers. They have a couple large annual costumed events every year in town, Fiesta in August and Solstice in June. I told him I had started teaching here and there and he asked if I could teach a class in Santa Barbara before I go home to Maryland.

I said YES! ... my ulterior motive being, if I do a good job, I might get asked back. I love it here.

Here is the info on the class I will be teaching. There will be basic pattern combining, but I've also added basic pattern manipulation, such as moving darts and making a variety of sleeves from one basic pattern, many of the techniques I use when making a pattern professionally.

There is still space. So if you live in the area tickets can be purchased at EVENTBRITE.

Or you can buy them in the store. I would love to meet a few more of you Santa Barbara folks.

I will teach the whole class using these 50% size patterns, which means everyone can try everything I'm showing because the patterns are small and don't require too much space.

BUT ... If you don't live close or if you want a more intensive experience, don't forget about Sewcial in Novi, Michigan on April 8 - 10.

I will be teaching a 4 hour pattern combining class and there will be 3 other teachers for a great weekend sewing experience.

Click here for all the information.

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Premium On Demand ... in my hand!!

2/11/2016

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This is one of my golden oldie patterns that Simplicity is now offering in their Premium Print on Demand program.

I have been SO EAGER to get my hands on one of them to see what they are like ...

AND ...

Look what the UPS man delivered today!

I can finally show you all what expect if you order one.

It comes in a sturdy corrugated box that is designed to be opened and closed.

And everything that would be in a tiny envelope is printed on a LARGE and LONG piece of paper.

The paper much heavier that standard pattern paper but still somewhat transparent. It reminds me a bit of thin butcher paper because one side is coated with something that seems water proof. I just wet a piece of it that I cut off from the edge and it IS somewhat water proof, so not to worry if you spill your coffee on it ... well, maybe just a little bit of coffee.
And it is 60" wide.

All the information that would be on the back of the envelope and the guide sheet is all on the same long paper.

The printing is bigger but it is in English only.

I had to cut it up in sections as I was unfolding it because it is so long, 2 inches shy of 15 feet long.

It is an exact print out of the large sheets that would be in a regular envelope, only all in one piece. These words show where the sheets would have been divided ... "Simplicity" plus the pattern number, size and the numbers 0 6 6 6 tell how many sheets. A 6 stands for a full sized sheet. So for the size 10 - 14 there were three full size sheets. The maximum that one pattern can have is 4 full size sheets. Since the size pattern I have is not the largest it is good it didn't reach the maximum number of sheets. The next size group up may have required three full size sheets and one half size.

Even though this pattern is printed on really long paper you still have to join parts of some the larger pattern pieces by matching the circles with x's and tape together.

So to be able to just look at this pattern I cut it up into the 3 large sheets that it would have been printed on if sold in a regular envelope.

If sewing it, of course, it would be cut into separate pattern pieces.

And here is one of the nicest things about these ON DEMAND patterns. It's EASY to fit the piece all back into this nice box.

Ready to use the next time.

And this is one of my favorite patterns!

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Physics and garment pattern drafting

2/2/2016

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So, what I am doing in Santa Barbara anyway???

Well, my husband is Physicist, specifically a writer of physics and has the post of writer in residence at the Kavli Institute on the campus of UC Santa Barbara for three months and I came because ... why wouldn't I come?

Anyway, over the years of being married to a physicist I have met many other physicists, primarily high energy and nuclear physics and primarily men. BUT, here in Santa Barbara there are a group of physicists who study soft matter, specializing in soft matter that forms itself into sheets. And there are several women in this group ... AND they are interested in sewing and knitting and how physics is related to sewing and knitting.

This image and the one above are from an article about 3D simulation and pattern making, An interesting read, talks about the downside of pattern making on computers ... here's the link. Many people, I would guess most professional pattern makers draft on a computer now a days.

I don't know how. I learned working in theatrical costume shops and they do stuff the old fashioned way, for the most part.

Now, the reason I'm writing on this topic today is to share a sweet, interesting and funny paper written by a British Mathematician, Professor Sir Christopher Zeeman, in 1993.

He brought back a beautiful piece of silk fabric for his wife when visiting Thailand, but when he couldn't find a dressmaker who would sew it up (they all thought there wasn't enough fabric), HE decided to learn to sew and would draft the pattern himself.

He writes about the problems of fitting the curves of the human body from an analytical and mathematical perspective, also from the perspective of a man and loving husband.

He discovers darts here! But this raises more questions and problems.

One in particular, how to fit the curvy FRONT part of a woman.

He wisely makes a trial or two using old bed sheets, and does make a successful finished dress in the end, that he even sews a lining into. This is my favorite part of his discussion ... why it is impossible to turn the garment right side out after machine sewing around the neck AND both armholes.

Here is the link to the whole paper, illustrations and all. Read it, it's very good.

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One day class in Santa Barbara

Premium On Demand ... in my hand!!

Physics and garment pattern drafting

From Andrea

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