Chinese Whispers

[Renata L.]

What puzzled me is about the girls is that they insisted on having identical quilts... fine if that's what they wanted but then I insisted each had to come up with their own label with title and all the details for the back!

My mom and maternal grandmother taught me to knit, crochet, shuttle tat and embroider (nonna tried to teach me bobbin lace without much success--I still have the bobbins her father and when she needed more, my grandfather carved for her and her early 20th century patterns so I could still try... (not)... I remember them insisting I had to learn how to do all this stuff because I would have to make my own hope-chest (remember the embroidered bed linens, monogrammed linen towels, tablecoths and napkins, etcetera, even the envelope for the nightgown?) which really made it feel like a chore at the time. In hindsight, I don't regret having been exposed to all these skills some of which are becoming a lost art. Too bad I was deathly allergic to the sewing machine back then... wish I'd let my mom teach me how to make a sloper too...

[Lois B.]

sloper?

[wendy w.]

Pattern without seam allowances. Never too late to learn Renata says she with no idea how to do it.

We've got a great sewing contest programme on at the moment and I'm pleased I know quite a few of the skills taught by my mum and school.

They have a Taylor's dummy in the shape of the model and I thought if I had one of those I could learn new skills to make things fit but it could be too mortifying to look at my shape :shock: :shock: :lol:

[Renata L.]

A sloper is a basic pattern for a garment based on body measurements--as Wendy said, without seam allowances. So if you want to make your own clothing patterns without purchasing a pattern, you make the sloper, a basic cardboard pattern that reflects your measurements. Then, for the different garments, you make a pattern from the sloper with tissue paper, by adding features, such as necklines, darts, etcetera and it will be designed specifically for your body, whereas with a store-bought pattern, you are most likely to have to make modifications to the pattern.

I wish I had done it when I was younger because then I would have been making all sorts of clothing--I did go back to my mom last year and got her to teach me how to modify a pattern and in the process she taught me how a sloper is developed. It was easier for me to understand how to make a pattern from sloper than it was to modify a store-bought pattern. I wish I had learned when I was younger, now I have a half-baked idea of what it entails but still can't do it. :?

Wendy, a tailor's dummy would be fantastic--I can never imagine getting a garment done because I could never do a proper fitting by myself. That would solve the problem, wouldn't it?

[wendy w.]

Rosemary could tutor us

[Renata L.]

Rosemary could tutor us

I'd love that! Rosemary??? :P

[Constance G.]

Renata, in prior years I have occasionally done garment sewing for friends, and of course fit is always the biggest problem. There is a wonderful Palmer/Pletsch book called "Fit for Real People" that gives great, detailed instructions on how to fit even the most challenging body types. It's available thru Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Real-Peopl...palmer+pletsch

[Lois B.]

Thanks, Renata & Wendy. I did lots and lots of clothing construction. It seems like a former lifetime but I do have a degree in Home Economics and I took lots of clothing construction courses. Even made a dress form in my own shape. Needless to say, that wouldn't do me much good now. What we learned in design was to drape cloth over the form to create a garment. It was so long ago. Once in a while I return to garment construction and I am amazed at how quickly a project gets done in comparison to quilting. When I do sew I use commercial patterns and alter them. I'd think I'd do more garment construction if I had access to more interesting fabric. It's hard to find.

[Renata L.]

That's a great reference, Connie, I just looked at the sample on Amazon--might have to spring for it.

Lois, might it be worth a trip to Philly every once in a while to shop for fabric? They used to have some great shops geared toward designers with beautiful fabrics--a great alternative to traveling to NYC. Don't know if that is still the case. I did find this review of fabric stores in Philadelphia done last year though, if you're interested http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/top...-philadelphia/. You may already be familiar with them. I just remember Fabric Row catered to designers back in the old days because my mom frequented Fabric Row--the shops have probably changed a lot since those days...

[Rita C.]

Funny thing is this morning I woke up and thought that I would really like to make myself a maxi skirt. I spent ages this morning looking at patterns online. In the end I gave up because I was never able to make garments. Don't worry, I will survive.

[Maureen A.]

My mum taught us all to sew; she was a beautiful seamstress and made all our clothes so sewing garments was no big deal in our house. I made all the clothes for my husband, son, and daughter and of course for myself for years. When we lived in Malaysia just over the Causeway from Singapore there was no clothes shops like here. You went into a dressmaking shop and told them what neckline, sleeves etc, go measured, picked your fabric and a couple of days later it was made. As I didn’t work and we had an Amah to look after the children I went to dressmaking classes where we were taught to take loads of measurements from your body and then pattern draft your own pattern, which then fitted perfectly. I made loads of beautiful shot silk outfits for my mother and sister and sent them back to Belfast, which they absolutely loved. As my husband (in the Royal Navy and I went to a lot of “do’s” I made myself really swanky silk outfits and everybody always asked where I bought them but I never offered to make for anyone else. I am afraid as time went on and the kids got bigger they wanted what their friends wore so I got out of the habit which I am real sorry that I did. One day I will get out my pattern book, re-measure myself and make something for myself.

[Rita C.]

Wow Maureen that sounds so interesting. Any photos of an original 'Anderson' creation?

[Renata L.]

I envy you, Maureen and how wonderful not only to learn from you mom but also to be able to create beautiful apparel that you would not find elsewhere. Is there still hope for me? Perhaps an 'apprenticeship' chez Maureen?

[Maureen A.]

Wow Maureen that sounds so interesting. Any photos of an original 'Anderson' creation?

Sorry Rita, that was a long, long time ago. My mother has been gone over 10 years now and my young sister dealt with all her things so I don't know if she kept them as she was in a nursing home for a while. With all the moving around we did, things got lost especially photographs of me, but not the children, funny that :roll: :roll: I will now have to change all my measurements as my body shape has changed a lot from when I was young.

[Maureen A.]

Wow Maureen that sounds so interesting. Any photos of an original 'Anderson' creation?

Sorry Rita, that was a long, long time ago. My mother has been gone over 10 years now and I don't think she would have kept photographs as she was in a nursing home for a while. I will have to ask my sister in Belfast who cleared away mum's things. With all the moving around we did, things got lost especially photos of me but not the kids, funny that. :roll: :roll:
I would have to make new patterns now as my measurements have changed a lot since I was younger.