Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast at Tiffany's (with the doorman)...then on to a day of fabric shopping in New York's Garment District.

This district is also now referred to as the Fashion District, since the days of clothing racks being rolled down the street are a thing of the past.  It's simply to costly to compete with Asian knockoffs.

This information kiosk, with the giant-sized needle and button on top, welcomes you and provides maps and listings of what fabric stores are where.  And though I didn't take this photo because the entire corner where this is situated is currently under scaffolding (which much of NY seemed to be), here's what it looks like.

Just beside this kiosk, is this bronze statue - treadle sewing machine (you get just a hint of the scaffolding around it too).  Yes, I'd already completed my first stop at Paron Fabrics.  It's a small store, but fabric was well displayed.

Then on to the Spandex House.  For anyone sewing swimwear or dance costumes, this would be a must-do stop.  And though I didn't purchase anything that first day, I did go back for some stretch leather.  R-T-W is showing all kinds of diagonal zipped jackets like the one below.  My intention is to make a downloadable Fashion Leaflet for a design similar to this one.

Ah yes...did I say that it was October 31st?  Next stop Mood Fabrics with everyone dressed in costume.

Many of you know Mood Fabrics and Project Runway.  Here's what a couple of the aisles look like.  Thousands of bolts of fabric, and though the staff were helpful, you really needed to know what you wanted as I didn't think they were that well displayed.  And what I wanted wasn't available...so...

Then on to B & J Fabrics.  I found this store much easier to browse and shop in.  They carry thousands of fabrics, carefully organized by type (like silk, cottons, wool), then by print theme and finally by color.  All are well swatched, clearly labeled as to fiber content, and priced.  They may be a little more spendy than some of the other stores, but it was easy to browse because it wasn't cluttered and chaotic.  I was too busy shopping to take any photos, but I did end up with a great piece of Italian 'denim' with an interesting fiber mix of silk, cotton, nylon and lycra.  Sorry I can't photograph it - it's on its way home via UPS - my carry-on was too full already!

And if you can't find your specialty trim in M&J Trims, it's likely not made!  Walls of trims, ribbons, sequined appliques, buttons and closures could be found here.  Their window display is shown below - a tiered, rotating 8 ft. high trim 'cake'.

No NY trip would be complete without browsing the high-end stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Lord & Taylor, Eileen Fisher...and the list goes on.  Believe it or not, we saw countless jumpsuits - now called rompers.  Remember, they used to be popular in the mid-80's?  The only problem for women is they need a trap door!  If you're so inclined, you'll find jumpsuit instructions in the SFD Children's Kit.  The concept is the same for women - just join your pants to your bodice and leave some lengthwise ease for movement.  Here's a photo, and I can assure you, we saw lots of them.

You might be interested to see how one designer, Kiya Tomlin, used SFD to design and sew a couple of stunning jumpsuits.  They are featured in the SFD Photo Gallery, but I'll also drop the photos in here too.

Though our sewing business (SFD) has taken us to many international countries where the fabric shopping was fabulous, I'd not been to NY before.  It was a great trip!

What a beautiful smile and Oh...so flattering!

Doesn't this blouse just fit and look great on Lu?

Lu is a beautiful, tall, and yes, full-busted woman.  She also happens to be a friend of Joy's (Joyful Expressions).  And if you know Joy, you know she loves sewing and loves using Sure-Fit Designs.  Since Lu doesn't sew, and since Joy decided these fabric colors better suited Lu than her, she offered to sew this SFD blouse for her.

First, Joy did a 'muslin' test.

Obviously not muslin, but a test nonetheless, just to make sure the SFD bodice pattern was fitting Lu to perfection.  She decided that the 'E' cup dart shape from the SFD Adjust-A-Bust template wasn't quite wide enough.  So she then widened the dart shape to an 'F' cup width.

For any full-busted women, and particularly those of you beyond an 'E', you'll find an informative video showing you how to make the Adjust-A-Bust template larger for your special needs.  For the article telling you how to do this, click here to the SFD Article Library and look for article F.5 Beyond-E - Darts for Large Busts.

Also watch this Sure-Fit Designs video: 

I know you'll find this a simple and successful process.  For really full-busted women, it certainly beats the necessity to chop your pattern all up with a traditional full bust adjustment (FBA).

Here's Lu looking happy and sassy in her great-fitting blouse.

If you'd like to read the full account in Joy's blog, just click on over to Joyful Expressions.
Of course, at the end of this successful blouse story, Lu asked if she sewed pants too?  I think you likely know the answer to that one!

One other little tip I'd like to give you is that for those of you who have fairly full bustlines and a relatively narrow back in comparison, you can always use one dot larger in the front of your pattern, and one smaller in the back bodice.  As an example, if you were 46" in total bust circumference, you could use the 47" dot on Bodice Front at Underarm Pt. #2 and at the top leg of the bust grading dots and use the 45" dot on Bodice Back at Underarm Pt. #2.  You end up with the same amount of total bust ease, but you've distributed more to the front and less to the back...and the front is where you need it.  You'll see this instruction on Page 6 of the Dress Kit Instruction book - for Larger/Smaller Front or Back.

Joy and Lu - thanks so much for sharing...
Kindly,
Glenda

Fit & Sew Retreat - Plan Ahead for 2014

I've had a number of ladies ask when the Fit & Sew Retreats were going to be scheduled for 2014.  Consequently, I've done some advanced planning for the entire next year.  These dates were announced in the October SFD Newsletter and ladies are already booking ahead.  I know it's difficult for some of you to plan this much in advance, but when I only take 6 students, the workshops do fill quickly.

There will be 4 combined SFD Pants/Bodice workshops which are each 6 days long.  In addition, and as a result of feedback from those who came this year, I'm offering 2 'Intensive' workshops.  Each will be 4 days long. One will be exclusively for fitting/sewing pants, and the other is exclusively for fitting/sewing the bodice/blouse.

The schedule is as follows:

February 16 - 21 (6 days: Pants & Bodice)

April 6 - 11 (6 days: Pants & Bodice)

May 18 - 21 (4 days - Pants Intensive)

July 6 - 11 (6 days: Pants & Bodice)

August 17 - 20 (4 days - Bodice Intensive)

October 12 - 17 (6 days: Pants & Bodice)

Please keep in mind that these fitting Retreats fill quickly since I only take 6 students per class.  And of course, Early Bird Discounts are available.

For the nitty, gritty details and everything you need to know about these fitting Retreats, please click here - SFD Classes & Events.   Just scroll down the page where you'll see all the major topics and a 'click here' to access the content of each. 

I know many of you would love to attend, but can't for any number of reasons.  Just remember that we now have the Pants Fitting Course on DVD - a 2-DVD set - which is the next best thing to being here in person since with it comes a personalized 1/2hr. Skype session with me.  And coming soon, we will have the Bodice Fitting Course on DVD.  Watch your SFD newsletters for this announcement. 

Here's a short video showing you some of what we do in these Retreats.

I hope to see some of you in 2014.

Kindly,
Glenda

Jayna's Firsts

Jayna has come a long way.  She attended the SFD Fit & Sew Retreat in August. She admitted that she did mostly craft projects (prior to the Retreat).  Why?  You guessed it - body hard to fit - commercial patterns certainly didn't work and most R-T-W offered a marginal fit at best.

The SFD Retreat stimulated her inherent love of creating and sewing.  She left there enthused to take up personal sewing again.  I encouraged everyone to go home and sew their 'test' patterns just one more time.  These are Jayna's second test pants and complimentary blouse/shirt.  Don't you agree she did a fabulous job?

But even though these were to be her second test pants, she decided to make it an outfit with coordinating blouse fabric with contrasting piping trim on the sleeves and collar.

And...she had never designed pockets and belt loops before, much less sewn them into pants.

Here's a close-up of Jayna's first time pockets and belt loops.  Jayna commented to me that she'd never designed anything relating to her clothing patterns, but when she got into it, she said the SFD Jeans directions were clear, simple and easy to follow.  And the great part is, she loved the process!  Didn't she do a great job?  But of course, the best part is the result, they are sewn beautifully and fit so well.

Her blouse is from her Dress Kit bodice blueprint (sloper).  Though you can't see it really well because of the fabric print, the bust dart is located in the standard side seam position.

The sleeve uses the Short Sleeve series of dots on the sleeve pattern.  The red piping matches her pretty tank top.

This Rolled/Convertible collar is from the new SFD Collar Collection.  Yes that's right!  Sure-Fit Designs is coming out with our new Collar Collection.  Six different collar patterns are offered with extensive instructions.  Now you won't need to create your own from scratch - they'll all be available - all you've got to do is copy your choice of collar shape.  Make sure you watch for your December SFD newsletter where I plan on announcing this Master Collar Shapes Collection.

Kindly,
Glenda

October 2013 Fit & Sew Retreat Highlights

We all had a great time!  Fitting and sewing, sewing and fitting for 6 intense days.  A lot was accomplished.  Happy ladies perfected their pants and bodice fit.  Body issues and challenges were different from one to the next, but all left with well-fitting pants and tops.

Here are some of the highlights captured in photos.

Then on to their final projects:

We worked hard, but had lots of success and fun too.

To read student comments and see more photos, click here.

Fit & Sew Retreats for 2014

If you'd like to consider attending a Sure-Fit Designs Fit & Sew Retreat in 2014 - Click Here for all necessary details.  The Early Bird Discount is coming up on Nov. 16 for the February workshop - it's not too early to be planning ahead.

Kindly,
Glenda

Sleeveless? It must be summer somewhere...

I'm a little late for summer in the USA unless of course you're living in one of our warmer southern states, but nevertheless, in this blog I thought I'd address the sleeveless armhole.

There's been a few times when customers have emailed to say that their armholes are fitting too tight.  I always check to find out if they have a large upper arm and didn't do the large arm tune-up, or perhaps they've done a sloped shoulder tune-up and forgot to lower the underarm level, or maybe the seam allowance wasn't trimmed away and is causing extra bulk.  If all of these issues are not the cause, perhaps....just perhaps, the set of dots for the sleeveless bodice was used inadvertently.  I've seen this happen in a fitting class and it took a little investigative work to find that the wrong set of dots where used when drawing the bodice and that is what was causing the armhole to feel too tight.

When drawing the regular bodice for a set-in sleeve, use the lower series of dots. If you want a sleeveless bodice, make sure to use the upper row of dots as shown in this photo.  They bring the armhole up closer to your underarm and closer to your torso. Let's take a look.

Here's a close-up view.

Please make sure these dots are used only for a sleeveless bodice.  You may still have to bring the armhole a little higher or tighter to your body especially if you are using a knit fabric, but these dots offer a good starting point.  The rest is personal preference.

Let's take a look at some tops and dresses sewn by our SFD seamstresses.

Thanks for sharing your happy creations.

Aquarium Airline Tubing & Measuring??

Who would have guessed that airline tubing for aquariums would come in really handy for helping us to measure accurately.

One of the things I see most frequently when ladies send photos for a 'fit opinion' is that the shoulder seam is too wide.  Identifying and visually marking your shoulder width is greatly enhanced by use of a couple of pieces of this flexible tubing.

Cut a piece of airline tubing about 15" long.  Set it on your shoulder, wrap it underneath your armpit and I secured the ends together with a little black connector/coupling (also sold in the aquarium store).

It's a little hard to do this yourself, maneuvering it into place and getting it to stay put. You're best off doing this with a measuring buddy.

The great thing about this tubing is that it really does give you a great visual of where you'd want your armhole seam to sit on your body.  This tubing has a tendency to slip off, so have your measuring buddy mark the top of your shoulder bone.

Then you can easily measure from neck point to shoulder bone.  Notice that I've placed a chain around Kelly's neck.  Usually a necklace or chain will ride in a comfortable place on your neck where your neck stops and the shoulder begins.

 And, if you place a piece of tubing on both shoulders, then this also gives you a visual reference for measuring your upper chest width.  If you have narrow shoulders and upper chest width going into a fuller bust, you may be needing to 'scoop' the armscye slightly for your personal body shape.

Depending on how wide you are across the back, you may need to check this width as well in comparison to what your personal pattern gives you.  This tubing provides a great visual guide.

This tubing idea was shared with all of us at the April SFD Fit & Sew Retreat by Kay W. from Georgia.  Thanks so much Kay; we all learn from one another.

There is also a video in the Sure-Fit Designs Learning Center that addresses shoulder length and how best to measure it.  In this video, I use blue painter's tape.  The concept is still the same, but I think the tubing is more accurate because it's narrower than the tape.

Front Crotch Length just a little too Long?

You may have missed this article in the SFD Learning Center on refining the front crotch length.  In general, the crotch both front and back feel pretty good, but you may have some slight fullness directly under your tummy.  Here's what to do to alleviate that situation.

Some women experience horizontal fullness or bagging directly beneath their tummy and just before the crotch curve begins.  Once you’ve sewn your test muslin for your pants, if this is occurring, you will find one suggestion for a minor tune-up on page 12 (#1) of the Pants Kit Instruction Book.  This may be a satisfactory refinement for you. 

Another alternative is to remove this fold of fabric at CF.  Follow these directions:

1.  To determine how much you need to remove, pinch out the fabric in a tiny fold.  If you pinch out ¼” (.6cm), this will mean that you will be totally removing ½” (1.3cm).

 Close-up of dart/tuck wedge from CF going to nothing at the side seams.


2.  Mark this level location on CF of the crotch seam.  Draw a perpendicular line (to the grainline) over to the side seam.  Mark point A and B.

3.  Cut from CF to side seam, leaving a small hinge of paper at the side seam.  This will act as a pivot point.  Secure the pivot point with plastic tape.

4.  Overlap the CF seam the amount you require, thereby creating a small horizontal dart or tuck which begins at CF and goes to nothing at the side seam.

5.  True the CF crotch seam.

 6. The more you overlap at CF, the more the waist edge tilts down and angles the CF seam.  To maintain the original orientation of the upper CF seam, when you true the crotch seam, you will be creating a narrow wedge as indicated by the green arrow.  (The blue line indicates where CF at the waist edge originated).

7.  Cut/remove this narrow wedge and tape it back in place at the side seam waist edge.  This will maintain the correct waist circumference and true the side seam shape so that it will sew in the same curve to the back side seam.

8.  Redraw and reposition the front hip-fitting dart to best suit your body contours.

9.  Bring the straight of grain up from the leg.

This process will shorten the CF crotch length by the amount of the dart/tuck.   Be aware that you may need to add this amount on to the back crotch length so that you maintain your overall crotch length requirement.

Happy Sewing!