This may be one of the most exciting and empowering classes for the seasoned seamster. You do NOT need to be a sewing genius or have any deep-seeded plans to be a designer or pattern maker to get something from this class. You just need to be curious about the process and know the basics of sewing. It is highly reccomended that you know how to sew from a pattern before taking this class. If you don't know what a pattern is, it will be very difficult to create one. Try a few Sewing with Patterns classes first. In this class you will be introduced to basic draping and patternmaking techniques such as:
-what the dress form is for and how to spot a good one
-which tools patternmakers and drapers use and what they use them for
-how to drape a basic bodice and basic skirt
-how to true up your drape
-how take the trued drape and turn it into a pattern.
-how to correctly mark the pattern for sewing

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The best tool you can have in sewing for yourself or creating a company sizing standard is a set of personal or professional slopers. Slopers are used by professional patternmakers, tailors and dress makers for creating custom garments. For the rest of us, they are a great tool for understanding how a commercial pattern will fit us BEFORE we spend the time to cut it out and sew it up. Work with a professional to create an accurate set of entry slopers for yourself or your companies fit model / fit form.

We will make a full set of slopers: bodice front, back, skirt front, back and sleeve. Once the slopers are complete, you will learn how to use them as a tool for sewing and pattern selection and alteration. Use these slopers in the Patternmaking and Pattern Alteration workshop while learning the rules of ease and style.

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Once you have a set of slopers, what can you do with them? In this class you will learn the 16 Rules for Ease Allocation and the do's and dont's when working with commercial patterns: where you can increase the size at and what you'll want to leave alone, how one change affects many others, how to balance and true up a pattern after making alterations so you don't have to fix it in fabric.

Most schools and online tutorials work with 1/4 scale slopers to save on space or fit into a screen shot. We have large tables with plenty of room to work at so we will work on full sized slopers so you can actually sew up your designs, try them on and see how they fit.

Patternmaking is not as simple as following a set of instructions in a book. It takes finesse and understanding. The instructor, Shauna Smith, is a patternmaker with 15 years of professional experience in patternmaking.

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Anyone who has ever taken the time and effort to learn how to sew has gotten to the point where they begin to wonder how in the world clothes can be sold as cheaply as they are. This brings to mind horrible images of sweashops where people work as indentured servants... While places like this do exist, an efficient and well thought out sewing production process does not require it. Learn some of the secrets behind factory sewing.

Also taught in this class are the concepts behind the grading, marking and cutting process. Designers do not make a pattern in each size, they make one pattern and then have that pattern graded. Learn the basic rules for grading apparel and how to take your graded pattern and check it for accuracy by making a nest and then take the graded patterns and make a marker. After you have the marker made, you will learn a few professional techniques for speedy and accurate multiple layer cutting.

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