My new toy!

OK, isn't this the cutest thing?

I just bought this to teach my class showing how to combine the parts from different commercial patterns.

I've given this class several times over the last year as a one hour lecture, but someone suggested I use 50% scale patterns and someone else suggested I make the class "hands-on" so people could actually do what I'm talking about. 

I will be teaching the "hands-on" version of this class for the first time on March 28th, at the Midwest Costume Academy in St. Louis.
So ...

I got Simplicity to print out a few patterns at the 50% scale for me. I've chosen pieces from each pattern and will make copies for everyone in the class.

This looks smaller than 50%, doesn't it?  But the measurements are half of a Simplicity size 10 (which is a ready-to-wear size 4 as you can see on this little form). Remember it's 50% shorter and 50% narrower, which makes look to be 25%.  I love little things.

I will be teaching this class, also at the American Sewing Guild conference in San Dieg0, in July and at the American Sewing Expo in Michigan in September.