Protect your ideas class this Saturday!

Protect Your Ideas: Basics of Intellectual Property

How can you protect your ideas? What can you protect and how can you protect it when it comes to apparel? Learn the difference between patent, trademark and copyright. Walk through the process and cost for getting each. Find out what happens if you just put a “patent pending” or (c) or (TM) on an item without going through the process and cost. Bring all your questions for a lively discussion!

Instructor: Nancy J. Moriarty, attorney, Chernoff, Vilhauer, McClung & Stenzel, LLP

Saturday, Oct 2, 2-5 pm, $48

MARGIE YAP SHOWS OFF HER DESIGNS

MARGIE YAP SHOWS OFF HER PATTERN 3 DRESS AND JACKET

The occasion: Her son’s wedding

The idea: She went through Pattern 1, 2 & 3. Made the shell in Pattern 3 to see what looks good on her. Then did her research on Audrey Hepburn, Givenchy, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the little black dress.

The process: She used her torso sloper and made three prototypes before coming up with the pleat front linen bias dress with the deep-V back. She used her bodice sloper for the bolero jacket with Napoleon collar and cuffed short sleeves. BONUS: Finger pockets in the French darts for a hanky.

She sewed the garments in a series of Rehab sessions.

The result: Plenty of compliments, “Where did you buy that dress?” and amazement when Margie proudly told them she was the designer and creator. And then she got requests. Margie plans to make other dresses from her finished pattern.

The question: What do you think of Margie's design? Love to hear your feedback!

How do I protect my ideas? Patterns? Books?

Q. Good to run into you the other week. I wanted to talk to you about published work. Right now it's just some patterns and grading, and I was wondering if you had anything of that natured published before. It's for a sewing book. Just wanted to know things to look for in a contract and things to watch out for.

A. Put a copyright symbol and month/date on all your patterns and instruction books. As for books, expect a shelf life of 18 months and 3 cents on every dollar they earn. Find out how they are going to track sales and how you are going to see those reports. Will they give you an advance? How does that affect your pay and royalties?

Then get these books: Publish your patterns! : how to write, print, and market your designs / Nancy Restuccia. Writing nonfiction : turning thoughts into books / Dan Poynter. Both are available at Multnomah County Library.

BTW -- I'm having a lawyer talk about Protect your ideas: Basics of Intellectual Property on Saturday, Oct 2, 2-5 pm ($48). This is Nancy's specialty and she would be able to answer all your questions that I, as a non-attorney, cannot.

Good luck!

Shirt class leads to success

Hi Sharon,

I'm just writing to thank you for your wonderful classes. Yesterday morning I put the finishing touches on my second-ever shirt. I made the Perfect Shirt adapted for short puff sleeves (petite version of the draft from Pattern 2) - and of course I couldn't wait to wear it. Within the hour I received an enthusiastic compliment on it from a stranger. Thanks for teaching me great skills, and for making my day!

Alison

PS -- I'm finishing up a seersucker shirt for my husband right now!

Knit a scarf in two hours

Fifteen people stood and watched. And all Lisa Silveira was trying to do was set up her knitting machine. By the time she had started knitting, they had brought up chairs so they could sit and watch.

Lisa drew a crowd at Sunday's Open House to showcase apparel and sewing classes at Montavilla Sewing Center. "I think it's fascinating to see how easy it is and how beautiful the results," said Joyce, who sat behind Lisa's left shoulder." Within two hours -- despite interruptions! --Lisa had created a soft turquoise neck scarf with three cables.

"I wouldn't buy sweaters anymore if my wife could do this," one watcher said. His wife took one of Lisa's class flyers.

The next machine knitting class starts Tuesday, Oct 26, 6-9 pm

In 6-weeks students learn how to cast-on, cast-off, striping, increasing, decreasing, ribbing, and cables. Students put together a notebook of knit swatches as well as create a piece of wearable knit.

"No need to own your own machine," Lisa says. Portland Sewing provides the machines and tools for this class. "No experience required, just enthusiasm and desire to create your own knit garments in far less time than hand-knitting!"

Lisa specializes in knits and studied knitwear in Italy. Most recently, she created garments for Wendi Martin under the WeMa label.

Knitting by machines is one of a dozen classes Portland Sewing is offering this Fall.

Go to www.portlandsewing.com to learn more.

Portland teen wins $1000 Fashion Design Scholarship

Stephanie Linn just landed a future in fashion design.

The St. Mary’s Academy student won a scholarship contest and $1,000 worth of fashion design classes at Portland Sewing, an apparel design and sewing school in northeast Portland.

As a result, she will create a portfolio that could land her entry to the fashion design institute of her dreams.

“As cheesy as this sounds, fashion is truly my passion,” Linn says. “I have recurring dreams of meeting [designers] Karl Lagerfeld and Nicolas Ghesquiere, and after returning from a trip to New York with my dad, I can't stop thinking about Parsons and FIT. The truth is I can't see myself doing anything other than this.”

Parsons and Fashion Institute of Technology are two internationally recognized colleges for fashion design. Their alumni include designers Donna Karen, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs. Parsons is featured on the television show, Project Runway. Both schools require portfolios as part of an admissions application. A good portfolio can also help win a scholarship to such colleges.

The contest was open to full-time students in Portland area high schools who had a GPA of 2.5 or more. Each contestant created an original apparel design idea with sketches, interviews of influential people and an essay on fashion design.

Judges included Marc Murfitt, fashion buyer for Mercantile, Jennifer Baggett, product developer for Fred Meyer, and Laura Tempesta, product developer for Nike.

The judges chose Linn’s entry because of the richness and maturity of her concept. “It was fresh, original and complete,” one judge said. “It was sweet yet functional,” another said. “I would wear these garments.”

The scholarship was created in honor of Holocaust refugee Elisabeth Marie. In 1939, she fled Nazi-occupied Austria. She found her way to Portland where she opened a custom clothing business and became one of the first patternmaking instructors at Portland Community College.

Sharon Blair also taught patternmaking at PCC before founding Portland Sewing in April 2010. Portland Sewing is the first of its kind school in Portland. “We offer a range of beginning sewing classes for those who’ve never touched a machine to those who want to make patterns or learn how produce a professional garment or start an apparel business,” Blair says.

“We also see ourselves as a prep and finishing school for those seeking jobs in fashion design and the apparel industry.”

Blair studied in Paris, has a bachelors and masters, and advanced studies in apparel design and construction. She also owns two clothing lines, Studio SKB and SKPDX.

Some of her students have gone on to study at Parsons, FIT and the Art Institute of Portland. Two have competed on Project Runway.