Unlike my fellow bloggers, I'm what you could call a 'novice' sewer. Yes, I did learn to sew as a child, and made further progress at school (you can read my bio here) but I was never trained to really look at the principles of dressmaking and how to go about creating garments that would really fit. When Bridie asked me to take up the Sew It Challenge it seemed like a great opportunity not only to do something I love, but to gain some skills and learn from the fabulously talented ladies I'm writing alongside.
And sew (sorry, I'll do that a lot) I booked a place on a Pattern Cutting course, hosted by the lovely Bridie herself, at local sewing shop and haberdashery "Fabric Corner and Love Handmade" (you might also recognise them as a sponsor for this blog!)
The workshop starts with finding and taking all the right measurements for various parts of the torso and arms, with some assistance from other course-goers. Then comes the part when you're glad of the constant stream of coffee provided throughout the course from the adjoining Craftea Cafe!
Armed with ruler, pencil and some thorough instructions, our small group created pattern master drawings, using our own measurements. The day included making up a toile of the new pattern, learning to move and change darts, and creating a pattern block from card to use as a draft for future pattern making.
But why stop there? Keen to add tools to my pattern making toolkit, I enrolled on a second course, Pattern Cutting Part 2, which shows you how to draft the sleeve block and use the pattern master to create a garment from scratch.
And sew (I told you so!) I'm prepared to start my first challenge item. Check back here soon to see how I get on!
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Bridie's range of full day pattern cutting classes run on Thursdays and Saturdays throughout the year and can be found and booked easily online at www.sewing-bee.co.uk. All classes include materials (paper, pens etc) and an Afternoon Tea.
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