• Barbara Tfank @ Fashion Houston 2011

  And a prime example of
  
  a designer who understands these nuances in fashion design is Barbara Tfank , located in LA. and trusted by Michelle Obama, who has a lot on the line these days. Barbara's work is at Susan's in SF on Sacramento St. (don't miss going in there for every reason!) and enjoy Barbara's interview video.

• The Body, the Patternmaker, and Clothing is a series of draping lessons with interactive images from the Fashion Dept. at Cornell University which are executed very well, except for a few that have too much ease in them.  I suspect that drapers were cautioned on that and went too far. When you watch the images, remember to use the mouse to turn them around to see all sides -- read the how-to fine print for using the site.   

• Children's Garments Grading (Become a Pattern Drafter) by Claire Wargnier is the definitive book on grading children's clothes, something we get questions about all the time.  It is in English and French -- Enjoy!  

• Take the x-rite Online Color Challenge!  So says my friend Josh Jakus -- check his pattern work at Actual.  "It's really hard but it's fun. According to the Huffington post, 1 in 255 women, and 1 in 12 men, suffer from mild color blindness. So there's a basis for the stereotype that women have a better color sense . . . "  I did it and did not get a perfect score -- it's not easy -- but it does let you know what colors you need to work on.  

• Check out A Good Wardrobe -- list of independent pattern design sources, good to know about!

• Claire McCardell, 1950's American sportswear designer in the spirit of Vionnet, always was and is (there's book on her) a source of wonderful ideas and now someone has explained one of her best.  For those of you in our classes who fear the math and then wind up salivating for geometric shapes, this tutorial from Daughter Fish is for you.  It is dynamite on everyone -- just be sure to make this "Future Dress" in a fabric that collapses well on the bias.  And - a heads up here - a coat pattern based upon this principle is in the works for January in connection with an upcoming weaving show in Petaluma, CA., 4 Weavers: Contemporary Expressions Of an Ancient Craft.  More later in the next newsletter.

• Other wonders of the pattern world -- now there is Universal Sizing for bras.  It's a separate sizing system that is keyed to all the manufacturers so you can figure out which ones will fit you, a blessing for the whole experience but especially for online shoppers.  Determine yours here. 

• Was in Minneapolis at the Textile Center for week recently.  It was, in two words -- quite wonderful!  The city is a lovable one, full of creative people, lots of bicycles and they've even built that jump-on-it spirit into their official culture.  They have a Redesign Minneapolis campaign going with TV ads about all the changes going on and the fun they're having in the process. So the Textile Center, with big new expansion plans, fits the bill and is unique in the country.  It is hopping with classes, products, shows and a serious library all focused on the connection between fiber, fabric and fashion.  Few places pull it all together so people can move across disciplines and cross-invent.  Sign up for their catalog.  It's at the bottom of their homepage.   

• Then check out the work of the Minneapolis Draping Beyond Tradition Class -- a whole roomful of latent talents blooming at once -- a great group!  We also worked out some famous pattern problems which will appear here soon and made some tentative plans for an overview class next spring possibly called Patterns for Pleats, since they have a big steam cabinet to set the pleats -- yum yum!   

• And while you're at our Gallery of classes, check the photos of the YSL Le Smoking Pantsuit class last August.  We all had light bulbs floating over our heads when we saw how the "draping book" methods worked (Draping, The Art and Craftsmanship of Fashion Design).   

I can not resist sending along this take from Pat Trautman at SCAD --  "  . . . I DID order more Barbies, and am using them with my beginning grad studio kids, and they love it. And with another grad student we are trying out the YSL drape on plus size. So far the pants look amazing. The few tweaks in dart placement and shaping (side seam moved forward to bisect the side view) result in incredible visual changes. So the workshop keeps on giving, thank you again. So now I am ready for the next!!"            

As they say, "be still my beating heart" -- she captured the whole point of CFPD.  What's next you ask? The last 2 classes in the Draping Series are Pierre Cardin (a shoulder-centric suit) and Yamamoto (a mysterious dress).  We'll schedule Cardin for spring and since it has some very squarey shoulders, I think I'll add in a Sleeve Sidebar about draping strange sleeves -- for the sleeve freaks out there!  After that, Yamamoto, and I am itching to do Charles James, Adrian, McCardell and, of course, Patterns for Pleats!      

• BTW:  A word about how the classes get going.  Classes that I initiate are held in SF.  'Away' classes need an invitation and some entity to sponsor them, so suggestions are best directed to local organizations who have the infrastructure in place for classes.

• Back to Minneapolis . . . I met the Bobbin Doctor -- who imagined there was such a guy!  Steve Pauling is a serious expert on restoring legendary sewing machines plus he teaches fine shirt making, the finest.  I signed him up post haste and he will be coming to SF in the spring to teach men's shirt patterning and techniques.  He and Tom Skogstrom operate the Bobbin House, where one stays when doing the Textile Center -- the place is perfect -- I stayed 4 extra days! P.S. Tom makes the most elegant metal clay jewelry.  

• The AlvaForm Dress Form arrived and I could not believe it.  It's like a surgical instrument, perfectly engineered, anatomically formed, has precision markings for all cardinal points and it is totally mechanically functional (rolls & turns soooo easy).  If dress forms were made by NASA, this would be IT!  So, bottomline, you make it once on the form and there is no need to test and correct -- job done, money & time saved.  Read my long list of what's to like, with photos.  

• Textile Treasures From Around the World, sponsored by the Textile Arts Council of the Fine Arts Museums of SF,  returns in SF -- it's the big one-day chance to snap up some staggeringly beautiful clothing and fabrics made by artisans whose skills surpass what could possibly even be learned in this day and age -- the teachers themselves are now rare.  I'll be there with my little collection to make room for other pattern pursuits, looking to put it in other caring hands.  October 21, 10 - 4, 1300 Funston (at Judah), San Francisco.  

• The new grading book is done! Advanced

  A sample lesson in grading the back curve of a sleeve.

  Pattern Grading  Simplified by Jack Kirschner -- 173 pages. Here's how it works:  You stack sheets of paper, one for each size, then shift and pivot them, cutting as you go.  When you're done, you have all the sizes already cut out and ready to use, no tracing, no printing out in wide width paper -- it's all a cutting process.  It was the way industry used to do it (there, speed and accuracy means money in the bank). The book includes kimono sleeves and more complex bodices and collars. It's perfect if you're not into computer aided design (CAD).  Now that we have a quick & easy text, I think I feel a grading class coming on . . . Hmmm? Let me know if there's interest!