Sewing Summer School in Exmouth

Wednesday 21st July - Saturday 24th July
& Wednesday 28th July - Saturday 31st July 2010, £25 per day, 10am - 3.30pm

This will run over eight days at the beginning of the school summer holidays. You can book as many or as few days as you wish. I am aiming this mainly at Fashion and Textiles students and Textiles teachers who want to increase their knowledge base in order to produce their own garments or to help their students with theirs. Email or call 01395 263343 or you can download an enrolment form here.

We can cover garment construction including how to use a commercial pattern, seam allowances, sleeve setting, ordinary and concealed zips, buttonholes, interfacings and anything else that you want to get to grips with. You can bring a specific project to work on or you can do part samples that you can use for future reference.

You will need to bring

• Sewing machine
• Pattern(s)
• Fabrics and notions
• Sewing kit, including glass or plastic headed pins, needles, scissors and threads
• Packed lunch

If you would like to make either a Couture Boned Bodice or a Victorian Period Corset you will need to book for two days in order to take away a completed garment, but please note that the Period Corset requires good sewing machine skills as sewing lines are visible and you will need to also buy a corset kit from me to make the corset, this includes everything that you will need to make the corset except the one metre of fashion fabric which you can choose yourself.

For the Couture Boned Bodice
Following is a list of items that you will need to bring with you;

• 3 Fabrics – outer fabric, bodice canvas and lining or poly cotton, a layer of thin cotton is a good idea as well if you are using a fine outer fabric ie; silk or poly dupion
• Pattern (but if you haven’t got one, don’t worry we can use one of mine)
• Sewing machine
• Sewing kit including glass or plastic headed pins, needles, scissors and threads
• Bias binding 3-4 metres
• Eyelets or fabric to cut to make rouleux loops and cord
• 5.5mm knitting needle if you have one (all will be revealed!)
• Packed lunch

You will also need to purchase some boning from me as the Rigilene boning available in shops is not as strong as the one that I would suggest that you use. I will also have a small stock of items that may get forgotten or that you might find useful to have in your workbox. Bodice canvas is very difficult to find and if you can't get it, don't worry, I will have some that you can buy.

The pattern that I would suggest should be a seven panel bodice (four pattern pieces), three front panels and four back panels, as they are the easiest ones to be able to complete in the day, McCalls 5321, McCalls 4709, Simplicity 9466 or something similar, if you are a more confident seamstress Burda 8601 which is a nine panel bodice. If you have difficulty getting a seven panel pattern let me have your measurements and I will cut you one of my patterns before the workshop.

On completing the workshop you will be given detailed notes that will guide you through the construction method when you come to making a bodice again and I will also be giving you information on obtaining some of the items that you may need that are hard to find in the shops and hopefully, inspiration to do it again!

For the Victorian Period Corset
Following is a list of items that you will need to bring with you

• Sewing machine and an adjustable zipper foot
• 1 metre of fabric for the outer layer of your corset and to bind the top and bottom edges. You can make a single layer corset if you want to use the coutil fabric alone but colours are limited
• Optional contrast satin bias binding for the top and bottom edges of the corset
• Sewing kit including glass or plastic headed pins, needles, chalk marker, scissors and threads
• 5.5mm knitting needle if you have one (all will be revealed!)
• Packed lunch

Course requirements - this needs to be ordered two weeks in advance of the workshop in order for the materials to arrive in time;
I will supply the kit of the materials from which you will be able to make your corset which you need to pay for before the workshop. Please telephone for the address to send the cheque payment and to let me know whether you would like a black or white coutil lining.

The kit cost is £45 and will include;

• Corset coutil fabric (black or white)
• Pattern & tracing paper
• Metal busk (stud and loop front closure)
• Busk awl
• Spiral and flat steel bones
• Bone casings
• Corset lacing cord (black or white)
• Eyelets
• Fabric glue

Most of these items are not available to buy in local shops so I thought that for this workshop it would be easier for everyone if I source everything for you to be sure that you have what you need and give you the details of where you can get them when you want to make another one. I also have eyelet setting pliers which can be used to make the holes that the eyelets insert into and with the interchangable tips can also set the eyelet and washer. These pliers save a lot of hammering if you are using the eyelet kit alone and will do a much quicker and neater job. The pliers are £9.50p a pair.

Sara
01395 263343