Carla Fredd

Contemporary Romance Author

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The Original Sewing & Quilt Expo Atlanta Day 2

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Well, I was early again today.

Wrist band for Friday
Wrist band for Friday

My first class was Tailoring Techniques for the Timid.  The instructor, Mary Ray, has had articles published in Threads and on the Sew Stylish website.  She showed the class various techniques like adding shape to the lapel, grading seam allowances, pressing.  She stressed pressing.  She had a variety of pressing cloths and a point presser/clapper.  I felt good about my purchase yesterday 🙂

All in all the class was okay.  I knew most of the stuff already and this was an introductory class.

My next class was Fitting Accomplished:  Upper Body with Cynthia Guffey.  The clouds parted and the sun began to shine when Cynthia began speaking.  She is a fitting goddess!  She talked about the shoulder slope and the upper back curve.  This one hour class really changed the way I look at fit and pattern alteration.  She showed us how to measure and calculate the shoulder slope with two clear rulers.

When the class was over, I ran to the ticket booth and signed up for her next class even though I was signed up for another class with her in the evening.

The next class was Fiting Accomplished: Transitional Fit with Cynthia Guffey.  In this class, she discussed the bust measurement and I was the person she used to make fitting adjustments.  She stressed selecting a pattern that fits neck and upper bust not the full bust for women who wear a C cup and above.  Princess seams which start at the shoulder is also good for above C cup because it gives you 6 places to add the extra width.

The last class was Fitting Accomplished:  Pants with Cynthia Guffey.  In this class, she discussed adjusting the pattern for a flat rear, round rear, adjust the crotch lenght, adjust the knee location in the pants pattern, adjusting the waist, hips and thighs.

I would HIGHLY recommend taking a class with Cynthia Guffey.  I would really like to take her four day fitting class in Louisiana.  She explains fitting in a way that I can totally understand.

My purchases:

Cythnia Guffy DVDs, bobbin buddies, button
Cythnia Guffy DVDs, bobbin buddies, button

Shoulder Slope DVD $29.99, Upper Back Curve & Back Waist Length DVD by Cynthia Guffey $29.99.  Six bobbin buddies $2.00, one brown button for neck warmer$3.99.  Total = 65.97 plus tax.

Tomorrow is the last day and I have one class in the morning.  Today’s classes with Cynthia Guffey was worth the price.  I will definitely attend the Expo next year.

The Original Sewing & Quilt Expo-Atlanta Day 1

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I arrived at the Gwinnett Center 45 minutes early.  Can you say excited?   Anyway, the first order of business was parking.  The Gwinnett Center had plenty of parking and there were nice people directing you to the main parking lot closest to the entrance.  Yay.

When I walked inside, there was someone at the information desk of the Gwinnett Center who directed me downstairs where all the action was taking place.   I’d preregistered and all I had to do was get a wristband so I could enter the exhibition hall. From there, I went to my only class of the day.

dayonewristband

Class-Pattern drafting: Tees, Tees, Teeswith Emma Seabrooke.  Cost $25 9am to 11:30 am.

The class description:  Take the “same old” out of your tees and turn them into the garments you dream of.  Try on sample size tees, learn you correct size and cut your pattern.  Draft several new necklines, draw a dress from a tee pattern, attach a tee to a skirt and learn to enlarge a sleeve.

Here’s what you get in the class.

fashion-tee-neckline-drafting

The packet on the left consists of a handout which shows you how to alter a tee shirt neckline into a V neck, modified V, Curved, lowered, soft cowl front neckline,mandarin collar, wing collar placket and how to lengthen the tee shirt.  Also in the packet is colored tissue paper and Pati Palmer’s Perfect Pattern Paper. The pattern paper is great.  I’m going to have to order some!

We used Emma’s Pattern”Claire Tee Top & Cardiagn”.  Each student selected what kind of neckline they wanted and Emma and her helper assisted students.  We traced the upper front of the pattern on to the pattern paper.  Then made the alterations on the traced pattern.  We worked alone mostly while Emma went around the room to each student.  She’d get our attention and show us different fitting techniques when she was working with a student.

I learned a lot from this hands on class.  When I asked about the fitting issue with the shirt I’d been working on at home which wasn’t knit, she said it sounded like I need to add to the back of the shirt.  Hmmm.  This  could be true.  I thought it was the sleeve but I will give her suggestion a try.

The class was informative but I think there were too many people in the class and everyone didn’t get the same amount of attention form Emma.  I would suggest taking her class if you like sewing knits because she knows knits.

I also learned from other students.  I saw two things that I’m going to use.  One student used a large make-up bag to store all her basic sewing supplies including rulers.   Target, here I come!  Another student used a Rubbermaid(TM) container to hold her magnetic pin holder and pins.  Target, here I come!

After class, I went to the exhibition hall.  I had a list of items that I wanted to buy.  With that in mind, I looked at every vendor before I made a purchase.  I test drove the Janome 1000 CoverPro coverstitch machine and the BabyLock Imagine Wave Serger/Coverstitch machine.  I personally liked the Janome CoverPro.  Ashby Sewing Machine Company has an awesome Expo price for this machine.  I wish I’d known this because I would have done my research on cover stitch machines ahead of time.

There were a lot of quilting vendors.  I enjoyed the fashion sewing vendors more.  I didn’t go to the fashion shows.  By 1:00pm, I was ready to leave.  Info overload and hunger.

I did make some purchases:

bobbinbuddiesThe bobbin Buddies were 3 for $1.00.  At my local sewing store they cost 3 for $2.39.  I bought six today and I’ll buy more tomorrow if they still have them.

tailorboardside
Tailor Board Another View

Tailor Board
Tailor Board

I bought the tailor board from Golden Hands Industries, Inc.  I’d read about them in last year’s review of the Expo on Pattern Review.  I’ve been looking for one of these.  The Expo price was $39.00.  Now, I can take clapper off my sewing wish list because the tailor board is a combination clapper, point presser and other pressing tools that I don’t know how to use 🙂

I also bought Peggy Segar’s Swing Dress pattern Silhouette #4000 for $14.00.  It was out of stock so they will have to ship it to me.

I spent a grand total of  $55.oo plus tax today.  Not bad considering… I didn’t buy fabric because it was too darn crowded in the Vogue Fabric booth.

I left the Gwinnett Center around 1:30pm and went to lunch at my favorite Indian Restaurant.  I’m going to put my feet up and plan day 2.

Stay tuned…

A very late “Year in Review” 2008

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Last year, I sewed two garments that I can actually wear and I knitted 3 items and one sock.

This seems like very little output for the year.  It’s not.

My sewing time line was:

February:  made muslin for McCall’s M5522 view A and learned about Full Bust Adjustments

March: discovered Burda World of Fashion and Burda Plus magazines!

April: made muslin of New Look 6395 skirt.  It fits.  I didn’t make a skirt..don’t ask me why.

May – July:  Took sewing classes.  Bought a “new to me” Bernina machine.  made many, many muslins of drafted skirt pattern that didn’t quite work.

August:  made many muslins of Vogue 7903 view C blouse.  Learned how to do FBA…whoo-hoo!  Bought a used serger.  Made BWOF 04/2008/131 skirt.  The first garment that I actually could wear.

September-November:  Began V7903 and then tried to figure out what was wrong with the sleeves of V7903.

December:  Made Kwik Sew 2740 muslins.  I made a  mock turtleneck shirt of Kwik Sew 2740.

I don’t know how many muslins I’ve sewn in 2008 but it was a lot!!!!

My knitting production was much better.

January:  started Nautilus Hat and Jessica’s scraf

February: finished Nautilus Hat

September:  finished Jessica’s scraf.  I’ve had the yarn and pattern for at least ten years.  I was afraid to use the yarn and my skill was great ten years ago.

October:  made fetching fingerless gloves.

November: made my first sock.

What I’ve noticed that I don’t knit consistently during the year.  Once the weather gets warm, the knitting needles go into hibernation. 🙂

This year, I plan to learn how to make fitting adjust ment s to patterns.  Last year, I  learn how to do a FBA.  In January, I read Burda’s sewing workshop on extreme swayback (aka…you got a big ol’ bootie) which makes skirts ride up in the back and hang low in the front.   I’m making a muslin of New Look 6395 skirt, to check the final fit.  I need to learn how to insert sleeves without the puckers and wrinkles.  Hopefully, I’ll learn more at EXPO this week.  A few hours until Expo…whoo hoo!

Pattern Weights

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Last week, Faye and Omega wrote blog post about their pattern weights.  Well, I HAD to make some for myself 🙂  I think they turned out pretty well.  I had to buy a glue gun (I’ve never used one) and some ribbon.  I already had 3/4 inch cut washers that I’d been using as pattern weights.

Here’s the results.

New glue gun and pattern weights

Here’s another view.

patternweights

This project took about 15 minutes total to complete.  Five of those minutes was waiting for the glue gun to heat up.

I bought the 3/4 in cut washers from Home Depot months ago.  I bought the mini glue gun and 5/8 inch wide – 3yds ribbon from Michaels.  The ribbon was on sale for $1.  I need to buy more tomorrow.  I covered 3 washers with one roll of ribbon.  The weight covered with the fuschia and polka dot ribbons (on the left in the photo above) consists of two washers.

I’ve got about nine or ten bare washers left and I could go back to Michaels now but I’m just lazy and I don’t want to get rained on again… once was enough.

As for sewing, I will cut out another muslin of Simplicity 4273 skirt this weekend.  I want to make sure the adjustments I’ve made really work.

I’m getting really excited about the Expo next week.  I know they don’t allow cameras so I’ll have to write down all of my thinks that day.

That’s it for now.

2009 Sewing List and Goals

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Here’s my list of remaining sewing items to buy from 2008

1. Rotary cutter mat (big one to go on cutting table)
2. More Pattern weights of some kind
3. Sewing table
4. Clapper

It’s not a long list but I think I’m going to make some changes. I’m going to the Sewing Expo in two weeks and I plan to look at furniture. My sewing table and cutting table are better than the dining room table BUT I’m tall. I don’t want my back to hurt after sewing and cutting fabric. That means I’ll have to find ergonomically correct furniture…that also mean expensive. Maybe I will find something that’s not too expensive at the Expo.

2009 Sewing Goals

  • learn to sew sleeves without puckers
  • learn to make waist adjustments on skirts, pants, and dresses
  • attend the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo (March 2009)
  • make at least two skirts that fit me
  • make one pair of pants that fit and it can’t be pull on pants!

That’s it for now.

Watch out! Carla’s going to the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo

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I registered for the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo today at lunch. That might not have been the best time. I registered over the phone while I was driving back to work from Cap’n D’s. Now, when I began the call, I was at a complete stop and traffic hadn’t moved for 5 minutes. The MINUTE the operator answered the dang phone, traffic begin to move. Then I had to repeat myself because an ambulance drove by with sirens blasting. I’m sure the lady on the phone thought I was crazy 🙂

I didn’t get two classes (Hands on zippers with Cynthia Guffy and Industrial shortcuts with Mickey Hudson-Sandoval) that I wanted.  Both are hands on classes.  I did get in Cynthia Guffey’s Fitting Accomplished: Upper Body and Fitting Accomplished: Pants, Emma Seabrooke’s Pattern Drafting:  Tees, tees, tees; and Mary Ray’s Tailoring techniques for the timid.

While I’m at the expo, I plan to buy a clapper or tailor board (on my wish list) , interfacing, fabric and whatever else that will fit in my budget.

I’m really excited about it and look forward to learning alot.