ASG Sewing Blog – Page 73

May 24, 2019

Kenneth King: “Smart Fitting Solutions” Book Review

Smart Fitting Solutions by Kenneth D. King

Kenneth King coming to ASG Conference — Image from KennethDKing.com

If you have ever been frustrated with trying to get a garment to fit YOUR body, don’t despair. Help is on the way! Iconic designer and sewing educator Kenneth D. King has written a new book, Smart Fitting Solutions, that demystifies the fitting process for a multitude of problem areas for women no matter what their body type.

Perhaps you have journeyed down this fitting road before and have been confused with wordy explanations and unclear instructions of what to look for and how to achieve a solution.

What you will absolutely love about this book is the clear, concise text that accompanies the hundreds of beautiful photographs that are truly worth a thousand words each. Smart Fitting Solutions is like a graphic novel for sewing. Unlike a video that whirls by quickly, the photographs provide the reader an opportunity to review the brief text, then take the time to study the picture to really see what is being conveyed.

The impressive photographs are not the only aspect that make this book unique. Scattered throughout the book are King’s personal preferences and tips. These span topics like recycling a muslin, pattern making techniques, fixing gaping necklines, and even where to begin flaring a skirt. I liked that King distinguished between conventional techniques and his own preferences, allowing the reader to understand the reasoning behind the differences.

Smart Fitting Solutions Explained

The layout of the book begins with evaluating a figure and creating a personal “croquis” or sketch from which to determine characteristics for an individual. Again through pictures, when the proportions of fashion illustrators are modified to reflect the actual proportions of the individual, it becomes quite clear why the completed garment is not as flattering as the illustrations made it appear.

Six women from the Threads staff are featured wearing several different garments that are evaluated on fit and figure flattering aspects. After “reading” each, King then gives suggestions on both fitting and style that would enhance their appearance. He even gives ideas for modifying ready to wear to salvage those non-flattering garments. His insights provide an excellent starting point for choosing the right design aspect that does not work against a particular body type.

King’s fitting approach simplifies the process into three basic categories: net loss, net gain or no net change.

While these sound like complicated accounting terms, they are just his way of saying an area of the pattern is too large, too small, or just not in the right spot.

And the remaining 80% of the book is devoted to showing us how and where to add, remove, or rotate the fabric to place it where it is needed. (In Appendix 1 he has included diagrams of a body as well as a pattern with key measurement points indicated so that the reader can easily see the points on the body and where those adjustments would be made on the corresponding pattern.)

King begins with step by step instructions for modifying a pattern based on his initial croquis evaluation to create a muslin, then “reading” that muslin to see what the drag lines and wrinkles tell us. Again, those pictures clearly illustrate the techniques he uses to make the adjustments on the muslins for each of his six subjects. Those adjustments are then transferred to the pattern.

“Once I understood the concept, I found I was reading wrinkles on everyone.” ~ Rosemary Fajgier

The more I observe, the more I understand and see how the adjustments can be applied. I am working on a top that I have made several times with stock adjustments that have never worked. I am looking forward to tweaking the fit using the methods from this book.

~ Reviewed by Rosemary Fajgier

May 17, 2019

My Welcome to ASG Membership Shirt

Proud to be a brand new member!

For 15 years, I had been a vendor at the Puyallup Sewing and Stitchery Expo; however, this year was my first time attending as a sewing consumer and a brand new American Sewing Guild Member. Imagine how excited I was when I was invited to appear in the local ASG chapter’s Fashion Show at the Expo! I decided to sew a blue silk taffeta shirt and proudly named it my Welcome to ASG Membership shirt

Like you, I simply love to sew and have been sewing since I was a small child. My mother, also a sewing enthusiast herself, taught us on her Singer Feather weight machine and I still have that machine to this day. She learned to sew from her mother (my grandmother), whom I unfortunately never met but was a dressmaker. Grandma made everything from fine cotton batiste lingerie — as well as the lace used to trim it — to baby doll clothes that I dressed my own dolls in almost 25 years later.

Sewing memories

The process of making this shirt for the Fashion Show was a wonderful reminder of all things I love about sewing. I think that sometimes it is just the powerful “need” to be sewing that drives many of us to take fabric to machine. In this case there were a lot of things that happened easily and just added to the joy of sewing the shirt. I was thrilled with the fact that I could shop my fabric stash for the fabric. I had a Katherine Tilton shirt pattern, Butterick B6521, in mind and once the fabric made itself known, I was in business. Changing the serger thread — all three spools — successfully is always a bit of trick, but I managed it on the first try and I was ready to go.

I had not spent a full day sewing for a very long time. And while I did not complete the whole shirt the first day, I did manage to get the body and the collars stitched together. I was so happy to just be in that zone, where your hands know the next steps to take without thinking.

I believe that this is why we are here. Why we are a growing a vast community of people of all kinds who simply love to sew. Baby boomers, young girls and boys, grandmothers, lawyers, actors, people of all ethnicities and genders. Our faces, our reasons, styles and skills, are as diverse as the items that we stitch together. But the common thread is that we create something, and that connects us all.

Deborah Kreiling | Deborah will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2019 ASG Conference

Deborah’s almost forty-year career at Simplicity Pattern Company began as a sewing instructions writer and evolved through the years to having responsibility for ensuring that the designs created could be produced to meet manufacturing and packaging standards as well as be created successfully by home sewing enthusiasts. After establishing the first Quality Control Department at the company, she moved on to become Design Development Director, the position she held until fall of 2018. Deborah’s unique insiders’ view into almost four decades of pattern development and the company whose patterns we all know and love – the producer of the ASG patterns featured in our annual Anyone Can Win contest – is sure to entertain. Deborah is a dedicated garment sewer, an avid cyclist and holds the rank of 5th degree Black Belt in Seido Karate.

May 10, 2019

ASG 2018 Hall of Fame Honoree

Anne Marie Soto

An article entitled “Meet the Writers” in the November 1992 issue of Sew News stated, “If the home sewing industry were to bestow on individuals awards for versatility, no doubt one would go to Anne Marie Soto.” It happens that the American Sewing Guild does bestow awards on individuals in the sewing industry. The criteria for our award are to have had a lasting impact on the home sewing industry with unique and innovative contributions through sewing education, product development, media, or other sewing-related endeavors.

On our 40th anniversary, we were thrilled to honor someone who not only met every area of our criteria but who also played a key role in the initial development of ASG and continues to support and contribute to ASG today. Anne Marie was the editor of Notions for almost 20 years, but her history with ASG goes back much further.

After earning an undergraduate degree in home economics from Cornell University, Anne Marie was determined to use her textiles and clothing degree in some way other than the usual teaching or retailing path. She landed a job in The McCall Pattern Company education department. A little later, she moved on to Vogue/Butterick where she spent the next 10 years serving in a variety of roles. Her duties included creating sewing lessons and educational materials and producing fashion shows. During this time, she also earned a master’s degree in communications from New York University.

In 1978, Anne Marie began her own business doing consulting work in the sewing industry. This was at the very time that the American Home Sewing Association (AHSA) undertook a project that ultimately led to the American Sewing Guild. Anne Marie was hired as a consultant to work on the development of what became the first chapters of ASG: Denver and Indianapolis, then Minneapolis and Houston. She worked with early chapter leaders to create the original ASG Policies and Procedures and other manuals and organizational documents. Under her guidance, ASG grew to nine chapters. At that point, AHSA needed to hire a full-time national administrator to oversee the ASG chapters, and Anne Marie opted to move on to new projects and challenges in the sewing industry.

Over the following years, Anne Marie authored many books, including “Vogue’s Sewing for Children,” “Simplicity’s Simply the Best Home Sewing Book,” “Simplicity’s Simply the Best Home Decorating Book,” and “Stain Rescue: The A–Z Guide to Removing Smudges, Spots & Other Spills,” and contributed to a variety of clothing textbooks for Glencoe/ McGraw-Hill. She also became a regular contributor to Sew News, Sewing Update newsletter, Serger Update newsletter, Vogue Patterns magazine, and Butterick Home Catalog. In 1999, she teamed up with Betty Watts at Communication Concepts to produce Notions for ASG.

In addition to her writing and editing, Anne Marie is an active member of the ASG North Jersey Chapter. Perhaps one of her greatest contributions to ASG has been as the self-titled “godmother” of the ASG Simplicity Patterns project and its annual contest. As a member of the ASG 25th Anniversary Committee, Anne Marie volunteered to contact her former boss and long-time friend Judy Raymond, then senior vice president of Simplicity Pattern Company, who agreed to partner with ASG in what has been an ongoing relationship for the past 15 years.

A long time ambassador for ASG, Anne Marie is a worthy addition to the ASG Sewing Hall of Fame.

May 3, 2019

Cancer Caps

The Boston Chapter of ASG shares their passion for sewing by making chemo caps for cancer patients. A true gift of love, these hats provide comfort to patients who have lost their hair after undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Cancer knows no borders, so they are encouraging chapters and other sewing enthusiasts to make cancer caps to donate to organizations or hospitals in their local community. Here they share the pattern they use to help each of you spread your love as well.

Fabric

To make 8 caps, you will need 1- 1/4 yards of knit fabric
The knit fabric you choose will need to stretch width-wise on the hats; however, a 4 -way stretch is not required
If the fabric has a wide selvage edge of a different design or color, it should be cut off

Cut Pattern Pieces

Fold your fabric in half lengthwise so that it is 1-1/4 yards long. For each cap, you will need to cut the following 3 pieces.

Crown: One piece of fabric cut to 6″ x 22″
Band: One piece of fabric cut to 5″ x 22″
Top: One piece of fabric cut in a 7″ circle

You should be able to cut 8 sets from 1-1/4 yards of fabric.

Project Notes

All seams are 1/2″ – it helps to place a piece of tape on the sewing machine bed to mark 1/2″
Straight stitching should be used throughout until the final step of joining the band to the crown when a zig-zag stitch should be used
Since you are using knit fabric, no pressing is needed
When you pin one piece to another at the center seams, put the pin to the left of the seam so it holds the seam open

Assembly Instructions

The best way to assemble these hats is to use the factory production method:

With right sides together, fold the crown in half and stitch the center back seam.
With right sides together, fold the band in half and stitch the center back seam.
With wrong sides together, fold the band in half lengthwise.
With right sides together, pin the top (circle) to the upper edge of the crown and stitch. When you sew the crown to the top, have the top (circle) on the bottom and gently hold the midway points between the pins with your finger.
Turn the cap right side out.
With right sides together and matching seams, sew the band to the crown using a zig-zag stitch with a 2 width and 2 length and keeping a little bit of tension to help with the stretch.

~The Boston Chapter of ASG is sharing this pattern that they use and encourages chapters and other sewing enthusiasts to make cancer caps to share in their local communities.

April 26, 2019

A Creative Journey into the Land of Koos

Koos Coat - Marla Kazell — Marla Kazell / Koos Coat

In 2017 I decided to set a goal of growing my creative skills. I am a process/rows-and-columns kind of thinker by nature so these skills do not come naturally to me. As I set out to look for ways to achieve my goal, I decided to sign up for Marla Kazell’s Koos coat workshop using the ASG member discount. In September, I packed my fabric and sewing kit and set off for Portland where I, along with three other classmates, spent four fantastic days learning, designing, and sewing together.

I used the Clare coat pattern from independent pattern designer, Closet Case. The base fabric for my coat was from my stash, a wool cashmere blend that was an end of bolt 6-yard remnant at the great price of $12.50/yard. The embellishment fabrics came from a variety of places – a local fabric store, Puyallup Sew Expo, a sampler pack bought at a market in Cape Town South Africa, and from one of the ladies in my class.

I went in with lots of preconceived ideas…

It’s a coat. I need to take along lining fabric. No lining?
It’s a coat. I need the right interfacing. No interfacing?
I pre-fit my pattern before going. I should just cut it out to save time. Nope! Need to cut it with estimated (did she really say estimated?) extra seam allowance to allow for shift as the design is applied.
I will need to re-cut the pattern pieces before sewing to true up the cut. Nope! It’s an oversized coat anyway so let’s just go with it.
Let’s follow the pattern instructions. Nope! We had to completely rethink the order of construction to allow for designs to be applied. Some designs crossed over seams, some went into seams. My design dictated the construction order and sometimes it was just plain awkward.

My four-day Koos workshop experience was a real stretch, but it truly opened my mind to all sorts of ideas about how to “break the rules” and still end up with something I could be happy with and would stand the test of time and wear. In fact, I have now been wearing my Koos coat for 2 years and it is my absolute favorite coat of all time.

Fast forward to 2019

I am reading the Inland Empire chapter newsletter and what do I see? Member Lynda Gravesen sharing about her journey into the Land of Koos. Another Koos coat maker! I was so excited that I began searching around for additional ASG members who had also made this journey. To my delight, I found several and have included the pictures they sent me so you can enjoy a little journey into the Land of Koos as well. And if you decide to take the creative Koos plunge, I hope you will send me your pictures. What a fun journey we can share!

~Sheryl Belson