Next in the Draping Series July 17 & 18!
The Charles Frederick Worth Gown, 1892
This is the Gown!
As the first major couturier, Worth started it all and since then bridal gowns and ball gowns have been built on this famous model from the House of Worth.
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A New Book!
Go to our store for more details. I have actually heard Kenneth King say that he personally thanks Harriet Pepin for his start in the industry!
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Newsletter Archives
Now you can look up forgotten links, ideas, patterns, tips, photos -- all those things you meant to write down!
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Summer Time &
The Living is Lovely
With this newsletter we will be spanning 2 months since I will be on the road in June with Julian Roberts bringing his latest Subtraction Cutting creations to New York and Canadian designers. We have sponsored his Tour for the last 2 years, never tiring of watching the faces of those who discover his methods for the first time -- major light bulbs! We are also offering a home turf Master Class with Julian here in St. Helena and there are still some spaces left if you have yet to SubCut a summer party dress -- see our site.
Also we are announcing this month a whole array of new products focused on two areas, one creative -- the importance of using the half scale to develop design ideas, and one commercial -- pattern design imports from Great Britain. They are slowly arriving each day and will be photographed and posted after the Tour in July. More details on what products below. |
Julian Roberts 2010 Tour, US and Canada - Julian Roberts returns to the
 US and Canada in June. The dates are firm: Kent State Studio NYC, June 10 - 12, where he will team up with J.R. Campbell, Chair of Kent State's Fashion Design School and internationally known textile digital print artist. Julian will then be at Ryerson University, Toronto, June 13 - 15; Kwantlen University in Vancouver, June 17 - 20 and down the pacific coast for an encore June 26 on home ground in
St. Helena-- a special class with lots of experimental ideas! Tickets here --- patterns and book !
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Events- American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity.
 The Brooklyn Museum had an incredible collection of American designers' work, much of it recently transferred to the Costume Institute at the Met in New York City. To celebrate, they are offering for the first time a joint exhibition of the best ever of American designers at both museums this summer. The rarely seen masterpieces of Charles James, Claire McCardell, Adrian, Mainbocher will come out of the dark -- big dream time! See the details and take a wonderful peek at how they mount such an exhibition.
- Balenciaga Coming to San Francisco.
 In the Fall of 2011 the De Young will stage a retrospective of Balenciaga's work, coinciding with one on Picasso. To get you in the mood, check the Balenciaga collection at the V& A in London. I was part of an Architectural Clothing Symposium at F.I.T. in the 1970's, partially taught by Salvador, Balenciaga's right hand man and so we will publish a bias suit pattern (only 2 pattern pieces in the whole suit!) that he gave us and also offer a special class on
his work and techniques.
- TC2's Exhibit at SPESA EXPO. For a really eyeopening list of the latest digital magic out there, check out this description of digital magic that was in the TC2 booth at Spesa this month in Atlanta. We ready to jump on digital draping as soon at it is available for the consumer markets at a palatable price -- getting close.
- Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston.
 Coming on the heels of last year's Valentino, The Last Emperor, this movie will show you what was going on across the pond at the same time. Check the trailer and the less cheerful LA Times article. For deep 70's immersion, the L.A. County Museum of Art is planning an exhibition of the best of the 1970's. See this month's farewell below for where I was then.
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Classes
- The Worth Gown. There are a few spaces left in the class in case you're wavering -- see the details in the sidebar on the left.
- New Vionnet Classes Reminder. The next one will be an in-depth
intensive for textile artists at the Textile Art Center In Minneapolis as part of the
Surface Design Association meeting there in early June, 2010. It will
be hands-on draping and focus on using art fabrics in the Vionnet Way. Also, save the date for next
November when I present Vionnet, the
Art of the Cut (including lots from the recent Paris show) at the
De Young Museum in their Saturday morning lecture series sponsored by
the Textile Arts Council.
- A New PWStudio Class! August 14 & 15.
 This is an
introductory class and also a review for past users who want to see the
upgrade at work. Get more information here, for techniques with the
software, new classes, Vista fixes, tricks and tips -- all the magic
possibilities. The way it works -- you bring your
PC laptop and the demo, good for 30 days, which you purchase online for
$20, take the course and if you decide to purchase the software, you get
an incredible discount off the retail price. This class is not offered very frequently and we need 8 to make it fly -- registration will go live early July -- save the dates now.
- Bra Building: New Engineering for Bigger Curves. For pattern designers seeking the ultimate challenge and maybe a PH.D., here is the latest info from Christina Brinkley, fashion writer for the Wall Street Journal, on bustline buoyancy and who is doing what in the engineering department. Apparel Arts has offered bra classes in the past. Check their schedule and/or put in a request.
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Special Items
 Dog Coat Patterns. From Pat Olsen, Contributing Writer for eHow, we have a great how-to on how to pattern a posh parka for your pooch!
- The CoPA Archive. We had a wonderful time with CoPA and so we want to do it again. We are purchasing a CFPD Membership this summer so our customers can sign up for a slot. Details coming soon! The CoPA Archives at the University of Rhode Island
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 And now for mention of a very special day, the JM Reunion Lunch, held last week, for all of us who worked at Joseph Magnin back in the day -- what a gorgeous group still -- a generation of talented women who cast the mold. The store was magic and so was the reunion . . . Thank you to the Magnin family, Dede Cowan and the Committee for doing something really special.
Sandy Ericson
Center for Pattern Design
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We are getting in an amazing group of pattern design DVD's, perfect block patterns, croquis templates, books and the elusive Project Runway style tape! Here are a few photos to wet the appetite. We hope to have received everything by July 1 -- look for the launch in the July newsletter. 
there who understand why the half scale is the way to work -- it is the only way to conceptualize and integrate the entire design while you are working on it. For those that love to work fast and develop the design as you drape, we'll have a half-scale kit online in July -- a Dress-Rite pin-able half-scale dress form with patterns for slopers (blocks) & arms (!); 1/4" gingham toile yardage for accurate grain and balance; a Gingher 5' scissor; 3/4" fine pins; a half-scale L Ruler; a half-scale adhesive tape for the work table and a pattern for the display cover for the dress form. So no more fumbling with tools that are too large! We plan to regularly post rare fashion patterns from our collection in half-scale -- down-loadable! 
I mentioned this before
but it is a wonderful thing! It comes in 4 large printed card stock sheets; you cut it out and tape it together. It stands on its own, is a size 8-10, perfect for testing flat pattern ideas. Also great for display in convention booths (saves shipping), for bridal shop display and ideal for use in a classroom where funds are limited and students need to see it to believe it. 
