No Flies on Me!

But there will be pretty soon!  I was lucky enough this weekend to take a class with Ron Collins, the fabulously talented and patient Canadian designer, at Creative Stitches in Calgary.  This show was held at Spruce Meadows, a fabulous equestrian centre that is world renowned.  This meant that the hall was very large and spacious, but with a faint smell of manure :)

As with most sewing shows that I have been to in the UK and here in Canada, quilting is such a big component, that I worry about the viability of fashion sewing/dressmaking.  I'm so glad to see it represented in blogland.  Having said that, I did take a lot of photos of some gorgeous quilts and booths - as well as the fabric that I bought, but more about that in another post!

So without further ado - here is my little baby patiently waiting to sew . . .

The class was great.  If you don't know Ron Collins, he works a lot with Sandra Betzina.  He is very patient and knowledgeable and completely understands the 'self taught' sewing brigade, as he is one of us!

Photo courtesy of Power Sewing.

We were taught to incorporate the fly into the front pattern pieces:

Sorry about the crummy photos but the lighting was not very good.

We were also shown how to extend the front pockets towards the fly and that acts as a 'powerband' to hold the front flat.  It would be particularly good if you had pleated trousers as there would be no strain on the outer fabric with the pleats, it would all be on the inner pocket fabrics.  As you can see I used green thread so that I cold see what I was doing! 

I know, it looks a bit of a mess, but it really was quick and easy to put together.  And the final result . . .

I'm really rather please with this.  In a way this class was a little like the bra making course - a mystery was de-mystified and I know feel equipped to attack 'proper' trousers!!  Oh, and I did two different types of pocket top-stitching, and yes some of the stitching was a big wonky!

And the wrong side,  A bit messy, but you get the picture!

Unfortunately there was one downside to this class - I managed to lose a foot for my machine.  What a nuisance.  Fortunately it was the 1/4" quilting foot so it was easy to replace, but grrrrrr!

I'm so pleased that I took this class - trousers with fly fronts have been something that I have previously avoided, purely because I did not know how to sew them up.  Watch this space!

How about you - have you learned any new skills or techniques recently?

Moving Onwards - aka, More Fitting Fun!

In November last year I took a 'Fit For Real People' class based upon the Palmer/Pletsch teachings with the fabulous instructor Janice.  More details here.  As a result, I have made 5 great fitting cardigan type jackets from ponte knit (wow - I can't find any photos, I will have to rectify that!) as well as 8 or 9 Sorbetto tops (find out more here!)

So, when Janice advertised that she was going to run a  follow up 'pants' fitting class, I was all over her like a rash.  I have to pause here and let you know that as I am British born and Bred (although I am now living the dream in Canada) and that 'pants' to me have two meanings before we even get to 'trousers'.  First of all they are knickers, undergarments etc.  So when ever I hear talk about pants, I first think of underwear, have a little snicker to myself then have my second thought . . . . which is that if something is 'pants' then it is bad/wrong etc.  To put it into context:

Tilly being eliminated from the Great British Sewing Bee is 'pants'. 

See what I mean?

Only after these two thoughts have completed their dizzy dance inside my head do I realise that pants are also know as trousers.  So if we ever meet and discuss clothing, please excuse the delay in some of my responses . . . . !  Sewaholic had a great discussion on her blog about these differences - go take a look!

Anyway, back to the story - I am happy with my skirt making, getting more confident with fitted tops, so pants seem to be the next garment to master.  Yet again, I found out why I have so many issues with both sewing patterns and RTW.  My RTW jeans and trousers are always hugely baggy under my butt - I can always gather up a handful of fabric and there are times when my trousers have been known to start letting gravity take hold and slip down past my hips.  The reason is that my hips are too small for my waist measurement (the other way to look at it is that my waist is too big for my hips but we are not going down that road).  So after some pattern selection and tissue fitting, Janice happily advised me that I have a flat butt - like a seriously flat butt (we took out an inch in the back pattern piece.  On. each. side. - and I am still flapping in the wind).  But hey, I am not drooping yet, says Janice.  Thanks heavens!  After a number of alterations to the pattern pieces, the result is that my rear is two sizes smaller than the front of me - I tried explaining that to Mr. SDSC and he dissolved in a fit of giggles.  Seriously? 

My homework for this week is to insert an invisble zipper into the crotch - I think I am going to go for centre front - and sew up the crotch seam.  This will be a plain garment - no pockets or fancy smancy stuff, and I am using McCalls 5239 which is supplied as part of the course:

I have a lightweight (summer weight really) denim, as well as a heavier dark brown jumbo corduroy (with a bit of stretch), so I will use one of these two fabrics.

The class is based upon the Pants for Real People book that I got for Christmas:

I know that this probably reads like an advertisement - it is not meant to but I am really excited about these classes.  I am sure that there are lots of other classes that you all attend and making the connection that although my measurements may match those on the back of a pattern does not mean that the pattern will fit is just such a revelation.  I want to jump on the 'wool crepe pants' bandwagon and knock out a few pairs for work as well as making some fun casual trousers and this is a great place to start.

Well, that is me - by next weekend I should have some well fitting pants to wear, and I will get some photos taken of my cardigan/jackets that I have made as well.  The fire is back again and I am ready to sew!