Sewing Classes for Kids: Santa's Workshop!

Greta, Kaylee and Lilia have sewn their fleece scarf gifts. Are you ready for Christmas? If not, come to Santa's workshop!

Santas Workshop http://www.portlandsewing.com/santas-workshop/

Join us for some last minute crafting projects.

Perfect for gifts for school friends or family!

For ages 6-14

Mondays, 3:45 to 5:45 pm $39 for both classes or $20 a class

December 5 – Fleece Fun. In this workshop we’ll make scarves, easy enough to make you’ll want to make more than one! Or you could make a cute hat, or an inside fleece football.

December 12 – Christmas Ornaments. Easy ornaments to make; perfect for gift giving, a hang tag on a present or hang on your Christmas tree.

Visit our website at www.portlandsewing.com for details and registration.

Portland Sewing: From beginning to advanced sewing, patternmaking and draping, we are apparel people making your sewing dreams come true. 2111 NE 43rd Ave. Portland OR 1 block north of NE 42nd & Sandy & the #12 bus, 7 blocks from the Hollywood MAX station

Five sewing notions you must have

My five favorite notions

We all have a basic sewing kit: Tape measure, seam gauge, chalk pencil and marking pen, glass head pins with pin cushion and, yes, a seam ripper.

But there are some tools I have in my top drawer next to my sewing machine because I use them all the time. The first four give that special finishing touch that take my garments a step up to a professional look. My number one is like my right hand. I can't live without it.

I joke about these five favorite notions so much that one of my students said, "You should write an article." So here goes:

#5 - Fray Check. Also known as seam sealant. I call it "Our favorite petroleum distillate." (Another one is gasoline.) Put a line of it on the back of your buttonholes before cutting them and you will indeed keep the cut from fraying. Also use it to secure serged ends, such as the corners of napkins. Sergers can't backstitch. So think of Fray Check as a substitute. I've washed my napkins dozens of times and the corners still hold.

#4 - Buttonhole punch. Don't use a seam ripper. Spend the $10 and get one of these instead. Even better when it comes with a small hunk of oak or self-healing pad. My industrial buttonholers have what I call a "guillotine" on them to cut open the buttonhole. This punch does the same: A nice, clean cut with smooth edges.

#3 - Steam-a-Seam. It's a fusible web. You may have seen these as Stitch Witchery, Heat N Bond. Steam-a-Seam also comes in sheets and rolls. But you should choose the two-pack of 1/4" wide "Steam-a-Seam Lite." Fuse your knit hems before stitching them. It stops them from rippling. Or be like many of today's apparel manufacturers and just fuse. It's strong. It doesn't leave a mark or edge. And like I say, we'll have another Ice Age before your hem comes out.

#2 - 1/4" Wash-Away Wonder Tape. Sometimes I slip and call this basting tape because that's what it does. It bastes your seam before you sew it. But basting tape is skinny, stays in unless you pull it out and turns hard and yellow over time. Wonder Tape goes away in the first washing as in "I wonder where it went." It holds such things as pockets and bias curves on necklines and waistlines in place before you stitch them. And it doesn't gum up your needles.

#1 - Gingher blunts. Officially, they are 4" safety point scissors. But I like the name "blunts" better. I keep them on a retractable leash clipped to my collar. This way, whenever I need to clip a thread, I know where they are. I used to use pointed nippers but they kept poking holes in my clothes. Now I wear the blunts nearly all the time: During class or at the grocery store after class when I've forgotten to take them off. But what the heck. You never know when you'll have a sewing opportunity. And it's a wonderful conversation starter.

These are my top five. By the way, these aren't ads, just my personal experience.

Number 1 isn't likely to change. But I could be persuaded on the other four. So let me know: What are your five favorite notions?

Song of the day: Digging for Something by Superchunk (because that's how I feel when I'm looking for a missing tool!)

Unraveling thread confusion

Q. I'm so confused! What kind of thread should I use for sewing a skirt?

A. Here are four of the most common kinds of threads you'll see and where to use them:

All-purpose = Use for general sewing.

Best – Polyester. Use this for your skirt. Since it’s made from long, staple fibers, polyester is strong, durable and colorfast. Brands: Mettler, Gutermann.

Okay – Cotton-covered polyester. Because it is wrapped, it can shred and break. But it's less expensive and has more color choices. Brand: Coats and Clark. Don’t buy "bargains." Throw away old spools.

Cotton – Use for quilting. Not pre-shrunk so if it’s used in clothing, the seams will pucker in the first wash.

Rayon – Use for decorative stitching such as embroidery and serging. Not strong enough for general sewing.

Silk– High sheen and high-priced. Use for couture sewing.

PRIVATE SEWING LESSONS OFFERED!

Portland Sewing announces

Private Sewing Lessons

Saturdays, 1-5 pm$35/hour

Have a new machine an

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don't know how to use it? Get to know your machine. Learn all the parts, how to thread it, make a bobbin and solve problems, Find out what thread and needles to use while making a guide to your machine's stitches.Open to all makes and models of machines. All sessions are one-on-one.Book your spot now! Just let us know which Saturday, what time and the make and model of your machine when you register.

Summer Wick shows off the lovely robe she just made in Learn to Sew 2 with instructor Megan Kissee.

Cute dog gets new duds

Deeg the dog proudly shows off one of her two new dog coats during a recent walk in the park.

Owner Hyun Joo Kim had just finished the Beginning Sewing 3 class when she decided to take on this project. With its mix of camouflage cotton and polar fleece, it was a bit trickier than the fabric Kim used for her Beginning 3 project. And then, there was the issue of fitting a pattern to a dog.

“While I made a lot of mistakes, [the second one] came really better looking and it fit my dog. I am very pleased.”

Kim admits that the Boston terrier-pitbull mix “is the love of my life.”

If you could ask Deeg, we bet she would say the same about Kim. She’s so toasty now in her new coat, that even on a cold December day, she can take a moment to stop and smell the roses.

Kim plans to take patterning, draping and more sewing class in 2011.

French-American kids sew @ PS

Last week we had two groups of middle schoolers study at Portland Sewing. Thursday, illustrator extraordinaire Julie Grasher led 11 students through creating a concept board and designing for a customer. It was such a delight to hear 6th-grader Lara Rix present her board with, "My client is Amelia Templesman. She's 28 and sells real estate. She travels to the Galapagos and loves her chihuahua, Pookie." So creative!

Monday, the group in 6 hours went from learning how to thread a machine to making a messenger bag. Here are their happy results:

From left: Nikita Swinnen-Galbraith, Lara Rix, Camille Bales, Mia Baudey, Katerina Rusa

Not to be left out, the adult group in an evening class finished their blouses. Here's Annick Blomdahl showing off her well-fitting garment.

Beginning Sewing 2, Weds pm class

Classes next up for Portland Sewing:

"How to get your products into stores: A boutique owner tells all"

with Celeste Sipes of Radish Underground, Saturday, Nov 6, 2-5 pm, $48

http://www.portlandsewing.com/apparel-business-classes/how-to-get-your-garments-into-a-store/

"Couture Jacket" with Sharon Blair, Thursdays, Nov 4-Dec 9, 6-9 pm, $149

http://www.portlandsewing.com/apparel-business-classes/how-to-get-your-garments-into-a-store/

-- "How to get your products into stores: A boutique owner tells all" with Celeste Sipes of Radish Underground, Saturday, Nov 6, 2-5 pm, $48

http://www.portlandsewing.com/apparel-business-classes/how-to-get-your-garments-into-a-store/

-- "Couture Jacket" with Sharon Blair, Thursdays, Nov 4-Dec 9, 6-9 pm, $149

http://www.portlandsewing.com/apparel-classes/chanel-jacket/

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.