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| PR Weekend Portland - Fun we had | By Deepika on 5/29/09 3:54 PM |
6 Years ago 15 of us met up in New York for our FIRST EVER PR Weekend. It was my hope that PR Weekend will be the one event which will help capture the essence of PR and be a fun and inspiring time for all those attending.
Over the years as PR Weekend evolved it became that and so much more than just about sewing. And this year in Portland, Oregon where 55 of us celebrated our love of sewing and PatternReview.com I can truly say that it was the BEST yet.
And a big credit for that goes to Pati Palmer who gave us her time generously and who showered us with compliments, calling us "Fashion Supreme"! She educated, measured, made us laugh and opened our eyes to how easy tissue fitting can be. We were joined later that day by Jeff from Palmer Pletsch who came with interfacings, patterns, books and many more P&P goodies. While some of us shopped, others admired Pati's creations from her McCall Patterns. It was a real treat to be able to see her clothes.
Saturday was an exciting day as we hopped on the School Bus and did a little fashion show in the BUS!
Our driver, April was interested and intrigued because she SEWS! Seriously it is the most fun I've ever had in a School Bus. The fabric shopping in Portland is just amazing. The Stores, courteous, warm and welcoming, The Fabrics inviting and The Variety, out of this world. When we tallied our yardage at the end of the day at the Pizza party, it came to over 700 yards!
Stores we visited
Fabric Depot
Josephine's Dry Goods
Mill End Store
And how can I not talk about our yearly Ugly Fabric Contest? This year we asked everyone to bring their "sewing" equipment with them. Except they weren't really allowed to bring any "real" sewing equipment. Unless you call duct tape, stapler and paper clips that
Judging the contest was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But with expert help from my co-judges Pati Palmer and Emilie we did what had to be done!
A special guest attended this PR Weekend - our friend Emilie from Jalie patterns. She flew all the way from Quebec City, Canada to be a part of this event and charmed all of us with her infectious smile and her Jalie wardrobe. She made a lot of friends and gave us a sneak preview of their upcoming collection.
Here are some more highlights of the PR Weekend
400+ Photos at Flickr
I can go on forever about how much fun we've had. I could also talk about the late night chats, nail polish sessions, smart intelligent discussions we had after the Pizza party. Not to mention taking the bus to Bolt Fabrics and ending up in a carnival, absorbing everything Portland had to offer. But... I think I am going to let the attendees do the talking. Check out their blogs:
...on the fritz
Susie Homemaker (or so I think)
Miss Celie's Pants
Assorted Notions
Annika's Atelier
Encue Creations
Sweet Notions
Stitch Me Up
PR Weekend Portland would not have been possible without the help from our volunteers, so join me in thanking these wonderful ladies.
Melissa B, Kathi Rank, Annika and Kellie R.
Also, a big shout out to all of you for pitching in whenever I needed help at the PR Weekend. This was TRULY OUR EVENT!
Post PR Weekend Discussion on the Boards
Missed it this year? Join us in Philadelphia next year on May 14th, 15th, 16th. There is one in Montreal, Canada too! |
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| Chat with Erin McKean This Sunday at 9 PM Eastern | By Deepika on 5/28/09 6:26 PM |
It's all about DRESSES this Sunday with Erin McKean on PatternReview!
We know that McKean is an American Lexicographer but we LOVE her even more for her fantastic blog Dress a Day on which she talks about Dresses, her passion and her obsession. But we understand, because we feel the same way.
So join us this Sunday in the expert chat room* for an hour long lively chat with Erin McKean on her favorite topic - DRESSES!
Visit the Home page on Sunday to get chat room password
*Expert chats are for Friends of PR members only. Become a supporter of PatternReview.com today and enjoy the many benefits it brings.
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| ONE Fabric KNITS Winners | By Deepika on 5/26/09 10:23 AM |
Knit Contest Winners
First Prize: Debbie Cook FOR
For Danglez Bra
Read Debbie's comprehensive review to learn how she used a variety of knit fabrics dyed to match her elastics. She also made several muslins before ending up with the winning entry!
Second Prize - It's a TIE!
We decided that both the 2nd prize winners will share the prize.
anncie1 FOR Butterick 5313
 Clever use of knit fabric in complimentary colors got her the 2nd prize. The dress is adorable! | bconky FOR McCall 5575
 This lovely dress showcases the numerous uses of a border print knit fabric. Very clever placement indeed! |
PR members love KNITS! The results show it. Take a look at all the contest entries.
We thank  for sponsoring this contest and PR member Yvonski for managing it. |
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| Announcing New Board Moderators | By Deepika on 5/12/09 7:11 PM |
Want to know who the 5 new Moderators Are?
They have taken upon themselves to make sure that PR remains the friendly and comfortable cyberspace we so love to hang out in. Please be kind to them as they learn their way around moderating the boards. And join me in welcoming them to our existing Mod Squad :
With Gratitude...
We say goodbye to PR member and board moderator coloreyec(Sharron) who is taking a break from moderation to spend some time with her family. Sharron, you will be missed! |
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| Announcement : Not-For-Profit PatternReview.com Book | By Deepika on 5/9/09 9:29 PM |
Are you ready for some GREAT news? There is a going to be a PatternReview BOOK! Yes, that's right guys. We are going to be in PRINT! Our very own PatternReview book.
Here's some background. Last year I was contacted by a publisher with an idea to write a book. After months of pondering and then hours of brainstorming, we came up with what we think is going to be a "ROCKING" book. How many of us read pattern directions in bed? Well after this book is published we'll be able to read PR in bed too!
About the Book
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The book, tentatively titled "Best of PatternReview.com: Favorite Shortcuts and Tips from Sewing Fans and Master Teachers" will be a collection of some of the best hands-on insider sewing tips from PatternReview.com. The book will be organized into chapters that reflect the different stages of the sewing experience — from planning and organizing to sewing on the final button and bead.
Not-For-Profit
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I must also mention that this will be a not-for-profit project for me and I intend to donate any royalties - a very small percentage of the wholesale price of books sold AFTER 7,500 copies are sold - to a charity (to be picked later). The entire signing bonus I receive from the publisher will be distributed to the members whose tips will be published in this book. This project is a significant undertaking and it will take months of effort to pull the book together however this will be worth it and TOTALLY AWESOME!
More about the book on the boards.
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| Vote in the Knit and Vintage Contests | By Deepika on 5/4/09 12:14 PM |
It's the beginning of the month. And among other things, it means its time to VOTE in the Contests.
Vintage Pattern Contest Vote Here
Contest Sponsor
Voting Guidelines
1. Use of vintage techniques either from the guidesheet or a book source. Traditional seam finishes as opposed to serged seams would be an example.
2. On a scale of one to ten, how well does the entrant adapt this vintage design to make it wearable in todays world? IOW, does the resulting garment look like a costume from another era or something that is Vintage inspired but eminently wearable today?
One Fabric - KNITS Vote Here
Contest Sponsor
General Voting Guidelines
Because of the high quality of the garments we're seeing entered in PR Contests, we're setting forth some suggestions that may help you choose when voting.
You may choose to assign a point value to each of the following criteria in order to narrow down your choices.
1. How well does the garment/collection/ensemble/item fit the criteria stated in the contest rules? How well does it fit the spirit of the rules?
2. Are the construction methods, including but not limited to seam finishes, lining techniques, etc, well suited to the design? To the fabric?
3. Is the fabric choice well suited to the design? Are the lining and interfacing choices appropriate?
4. Is the review complete and well written?
5. Taking into account the stated ability level of the entrant, how well does the garment fit?
6. Creative points. You may choose to give credit here for extras including embellishment, creative interpretation of patterns, creativity in creating a pattern, or even for having the restraint to leave something strikingly simple.
7. Complexity of the project. Relate this to the skill level of the participant. If a participant is a beginner then a princess seam may get the same complexity level as an underarm gusset gets for an advanced sewer. This is purely subjective, but a complex garment might garner more points than a simple one if a tie-breaker is needed.
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11/19/09
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Lined Jacket Contest Winners
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