T-Shirts: Changing Necklines with Anne St. Clair (Sewing Class Review) 
Kansas, UNITED STATES |
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Review rated Very Helpful by 8 people |
| Posted by: |
TerriSewCrazy |
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About TerriSewCrazy
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| TX USA |
| Member since: 4/1/06 |
| Reviews written: 8 |
| Sewing skills:Intermediate |
| Favored by: 1 people |
| classes reviewed: 3 |
| Bio: more...
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| Posted on: |
5/28/10 2:40 PM |
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Background:
I had been trying to fit a basic fitted T-shirt to me and tweaking it for a couple of months, and finally decided to quit wasting so much time, and just get all of my basic patterns fitted to me by an expert. Then I'd make design changes myself. I travelled to Anne St. Clair's shop in Wichita, KS with my mom for the last week of March, and she fitted me for all of my basic patterns. Anne also offers all of these classes that I took individually as group classes at her store and at events and ASG meetings around the country, and simply used the same instructional materials to help me.
Time frame for class:
This is a little hard for me to figure out since we just did one thing after another while I was there. I think she usually does this one in one afternoon or an evening (say, 5 pm - 8 pm).
Fitting:
I had already sewn up my most recent try at fitting a T-shirt to me, so Anne looked at it on me and made a few corrections to my pattern. Then we used this to draft and sew my two choices of other styles for which she already had the directions.
Variations:
1. Drape neck top
Anne used my corrected basic pattern and her instructions for modifying it to create a pattern for a drape neck top. My mom then cut it out and started to sew it up, and it fit. However, Anne suggested another variation to this: I had drafted it with a horizontal bust dart (since my jersey fabric only has about 20% stretch), so she suggested using clear elastic instead to gather up the side seam in that area only, and gave me the written directions for calculating the length needed and showed me how to sew it in. (You use 1/4" clear elastic and sew it as close to the edge as possible with a long narrow zig zag stitch on the sewing machine.) All of the seams have 1/4" S.A. to make them easy to sew up on the serger. This is a lovely top!!
2. Knotted front top, as per Coldwater Creek
I really like this one, too, and so comfy!!
She had several other variations to choose from, but for her class, you have time to pick two of them and make them.
Take home materials:
1. Completed patterns
2. Detailed instructions on changing the necklines of the basic T to several other styles and how to construct them
3. Two completed and fitted shirts
Additional information:
She also offers the basic T-shirt fitting/drafting class which helps you to get the basic T fitted. Once you have this pattern to fit, you can make any other style of top you want. I would highly recommend this class! |
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I wish I lived close enough to do that! It's wonderful that you could do it and be happy with your results right a way! Nora :)
5/28/10 7:52 PM
Oh, lucky you!
5/29/10 4:03 PM
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that I was going crazy earlier this year trying to get fitting help and was also upset that no one was available right in Houston. Good grief - there really should be someone here since the ASG headquarters are here! Anyway, Anne travels all over the country, and gives all of these classes to the local ASG groups so if your ASG group can be talked into having a certain number of folks show up for the class (to pay for it), then she will try to arrange a trip that includes you. Also, she will be giving classes at the ASG conference in Atlanta, GA in August, if that's something you will be going to. She has now updated her class schedule for the rest of the year on the right side of her webpage, http://ndlnookfab.blogspot.com/. Please notice that she also lists the classes at her store, all of which are $30 except the swimsuit class, which is $50. This is why I decided to just get there, and since I had to fly to St. Louis (where my mom lives) for business already, then it was a 5 hour drive with my mom from there to Wichita. That made it less expensive for me than any other option. Hope this helps you, and please feel free to call her store to let her know that you'd like for her to see about scheduling a teaching trip to your neck of the woods, especially if you can get your local ASG in on it! Take care!
6/4/10 1:00 PM
Would love to see some pics of your t-shirts! Thanks for the review.
6/8/10 2:21 PM
Hi Lucy, So sorry about the lack of photos! We are in the bad habit of only buying cameras immediately before the birth of a child - and our last and final one was born in 2003! So our digital camera is just so painful to use that we hardly take any pictures. (We bought the first videocam before the birth of the previous child, in 2000, so we no longer use it, either, LOL!) However, we're talking about replacing it in the next week or so, plus we're going on vacation so I might actually get my hubby to take some of the pictures (so I can be IN them!). This is another reason I haven't done any reviews or pictures - I'm furiously trying to get a bunch of clothes that FIT finally for the trip. Since it's a vacation and it will be warm, that means that none of the clothes I sewed up for the conference in May are suitable :-). So you should see something, either reviews and/or pictures here, sometime around the end of June :-). Take care!!
6/10/10 2:24 PM
Hi again, I can't see a way to add a link to this other than giving the url, so here is the hard part of the front of a shirt I just made from this TNT pattern: http://www.friendsofpr.com/terrisew/diamondsSmall.JPG. If you can access my photo album, that is where I will post more when I get a camera that works better. (I scanned this piece in, LOL!)
6/10/10 2:28 PM