Calm Under Tension by Gwen Gyldenege
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Art
    • Artwork
  • Sewing

Sew Expo 2013: Pamela's Patterns

4/10/2013

Comments

 
Picture
Image Source: http://www.sewexpo.com/index.htm. Screen Shot of their great website! Thank you Sew Expo team for continuing to bring us GREAT content!
When deciding on which classes to take at Sew Expo this year, for those instructors with whom I had no knowledge or previous experience, I researched each instructor of interest online via websites, youtube, or blog posts others had written. I love knit clothing and have run into some snags, rippled seams, etc as I've sewn my own and the Craftsy class I took on "Sewing With Knits" taught me a couple things, but I needed better info from an experienced pattern designer or instructor who had worked with and fit knits for adult bodies. 

Voila! My desire was answered when I discovered Pamela Leggett, the talented woman behind Pamela's Patterns had seminars on Cool Cardigans and also Knits That Fit. She has a super helpful & well designed website. I was amazed, thrilled, and learned a great deal from two of her 1-hr seminars at Sew Expo followed by asking a couple specific questions at her booth. Ultimately, I walked away much more knowledgeable, clear on how to adjust problem areas I'd never known how to handle or identify (arm hole shortening for too low garment neckline), and several patterns I'd purchased that will give me beautifully fitting everyday basics that my wardrobe desperately needs. Yay! No more time wasted searching for or wearing ill fitting Ready To Wear (RTW).

Pamela is the nicest person you could meet. Super helpful & elegantly dressed showing the many ways her patterns can be used. Her voice & persona are so cute, genuine, sweet and totally characteristic that I may be inspired to develop a puppet or character for an audio book after her (a compliment to be sure!).
Picture
Image source: PamelasPatterns.com in the Online Store section. Item is Pattern #104 The Perfect T-Shirt. To buy your own, go to PamelasPatterns.com
I love meeting unique and knowledgable people like her. After her "Knits That Fit" class, I asked Pamela about the sway back adjustment I recently made on a knitted shirt without a back seam. my concern was that folding it out, then re-truing the line for a fold only added the fabric back in at the Center Back waist where I had just pinched it out. She told me that when knits first came out in the 70's & 80's, they had back seams to allow for better fit. But the fashion industry has eliminated them to save time and money. Her patterns already have the sway back adjustment and instructions. That eased my mind.   She has many great tips and videos posted FREE on her website: http://www.pamelaspatterns.com/you-tube-videos

Then she showed me a couple finished versions of her T-shirt pattern, from her own closet, that she put a back seam into for better fit. After talking with her, buying her T-shirt and Tank patterns, I'm definitely going to put the back seam into my knits. Because, I'm a curvy girl with a sway back adjustment and I like a nice fit. There are too many people running around in RTW with ill fitting clothing. I want to be the one people look at and think, "Damn she looks good. I wonder where she bought that shirt. Probably paid a fortune!" But it'll be our little secret. ;)

I'm currently working out the fit on my copy of Pamela's Pattern #104, The Perfect T-shirt.  In a future post, I'll include the multitude of mods based on my conversations with Pamela and comparisons with my own RTW and other shirt's I've made.  This is the 2nd step in the process (after taking photos of my RTW fits) toward getting a great fitting T-shirt.  Yay! I'm on my way!
Comments
    Gwen Gyldenege

    Author: 
    Gwen Gyldenege

    I'm a one woman circus.  
    I'm curvy and athletic.
    ​I am a dancer.
    My last name translates 
    to "Golden Oak". 

    I'm an artist, intuitive, engineer, seamstress 
    and performer.

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Sewing in Seattle

    Archives

    December 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    April 2009
    December 2008

    Categories

    All
    Activewear
    Adventures
    Art
    Artists
    ArtOfThe20sDress
    Calligraphy
    Cartoons
    Clown
    Comedy
    Costumes
    Creativity
    Crochet
    Dance
    Dancewear
    Dingleballs
    DIY
    Fabric
    Fashion
    Fiber
    Fitting
    Food
    Funkifabrics
    Garden
    Handwriting
    Hiking Gear
    Holiday
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Interviews
    Jalie 2795
    Jalie 2795 Hoodie Sew Along
    Jalie Patterns
    Jewelry
    KiddieAdultsUnite
    Kitchen
    Kits
    Knits
    Knitting Patterns
    Lifted Gifted Higher
    Lingerie
    Littlealters2013
    Mad Men Dress Challenge III
    Marketing
    MMMay14
    Moulage
    Muslin
    Needle & Thread
    Nwcreativespirits
    Outdoor Gear
    Paint
    Paper
    Passthepaper2012
    Pattern Drafting
    Photoaday
    Photography
    Pmc
    Prayer
    Projects
    Sculpt
    Sew
    Sewforvictory
    Sewing Workout Wear
    Sew News
    Shows
    Shrinky Dink
    Sing
    Skillshare
    Social Media
    Spring
    Spring Race Challenge
    Stories
    Tutorials
    Video
    Vintage
    Voiceover
    Wardrobe Architect
    Watercolor
    Yarn

Except for sources otherwise stated beneath images or bottom of the page (Creative Commons), all images and works are copyright Gwen Gyldenege, all rights reserved.  Contact Gwen to request permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from I Robertson, DoNotLick, Gustty, Jayson Emery, Nbepko, Gamma Man, I Robertson, Lars Plougmann, RowdyKittens, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, The Wandering Angel, VasenkaPhotography, quinn.anya, Léa Chvrl, Lost Albatross, Guttorm Flatabø, BEST PHOTO, RowdyKittens, allistair, BozDoz, tanakawho, Navicore, Bilal Kamoon, D-Stanley, Kris Krug, glasseyes view, essers, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, Alex Pepperhill, Found Animals, adactio, Office Now