It was a busy couple of Saturdays at MAC Birmingham teaching my Introduction to Pattern Cutting course. Lovely to see lots of new faces wanting to learn the basics of custom fit.
The course is split over 2 consecutive Saturdays. There's a lot to get through in 2 days and although we used to run the course over 2 straight days, its much easier to absorb everything with the break in between.
On the first Saturday, we began by collecting custom measurements. Its really important to be precise when measuring as this will help the patterns to be as accurate as possible when drafting.
Once these were collected, everyone followed my step by step instructions to draft a basic skirt block. The skirt is always the best pattern to start with as its the simplest.
A toile was then created to check the fit. Everyone had created the pattern so well that there were very few alterations to make (its always nice when that happens!). Final fabric was then prepped ready for the following week.
The 2nd Saturday focussed primarily on developing the final make. As a toile had been created the week before, the sewing process was very simple as it followed the same methods. Another quick fitting was conducted to double check that nothing had stretched (or shrunk!), before putting the zips and facings in.
Everyone's garments turned out really well; its lovely to see pieces materialise in such a short time! Take a look at some of the wonderful pieces below.
If pattern cutting a skirt isn't for you and you're more interested in drafting a casual trouser, you're in luck! I'm back at the Sewing Cafe in May (Covid-19 permitting!) to deliver my Pattern Drafting-starting with a skirt/ basic trouser course. Head over to my
courses page to find out more!
