At the November meeting of the Colorado Chapter of ASDP, member Karen Bengtson gave her summary of “A Day in the Life at the Learning Experience” that was held in Boise, ID, instead of Conference. Karen attended classes by Claire Schaeffer (couture tailoring) and Robyn Spady (garment trims). We met at our usual location in South Denver, so that Karen could show lots of pictures on the library’s big screen.
Highlights of Claire’s classes included:
- The grainline of the lapel should be along the outer cut edge to make the fabric look good.
- A picture of the “goose” iron with a block of wood behind it. The wood is used to hold fabric in a bend for couture shaping.
- Views inside many designer jackets, such as using wigan fabric across the sleeve cap to keep the sleeve from collapsing.
- Views of different edge trims used on designer jackets, including fringes and using the wrong side of the fabric to contrast with the fashion side.
Highlights of Robyn’s classes included:
- The definition and pronunciation of the term Passementerie for decorative trims on garments.
- Pictures of lots of hand-made wound buttons with various intricate patterns.
- Various patterns made by braiding multiple cords and by feeding cords through other trims.
For more information about couture tailoring, see Claire Schaeffer’s latest book: Couture Tailoring: A Construction Guide for Women’s Jackets.
To learn more about the Colorado Chapter of ASDP see our web site https://colosewingpros.org and our Facebook page Colorado Sewing and Fashion Design Professionals. To get added to our mailing list or come to our meetings, contact colosewingpros@gmail.com.
Cover of Claire Schaeffer’s book on Couture Tailoring.