Visit Project Runway's Bryce Black @ StudioSKB.com

Keely DiPietro models the 3-in-1 cape, dress, skirt on www.studioskb.com Bryce Black stars on Project Runway July 28 Can't wait to see Bryce on the start of Project Runway at 8 pm tonight on Lifetime Channel? Then look for the story in US Magazine or visit his Fall 2011 line designed for StudioSKB. His skirts, tops, jackets and dresses drew enthusiastic applause at the April 16 Garden Party Fashion Show at Portland Sewing. They'll soon be on the racks at Radish Underground and Physical Element. Be sure to ask your favorite boutique for a piece of Portland fashion history.

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!)

Bryce Black, Becky Ross to show on Project Runway

Becky Ross (back row left) and Bryce Black (back row right) are competing on Project Runway, Season 9. Both studied with Sharon Blair.

Yes, it's true. I can now spill the beans and tell you that two of my students, Bryce Black and Becky Ross, are appearing on Season 9 of Project Runway.Bryce you know because he studied at Portland Sewing and designed for my line, StudioSKB, this year. He was featured in our April 16 Garden Party Fashion show where people applauded his modern, multiple use designs. You'll soon be able to buy his garments at Radish Underground, 414 SW 10th, and Physical Element, 1124 NW Lovejoy. Both in Portland.

Becky was in my Principles of Fit and Activewear classes at Art Institute.

Congratulations and good luck to both of them. Season 9 starts July 28.

And if you see Project Runway in your future, or you just want to launch your own apparel line, consider applying for our Fashion Forward Program. Applications are due August 17. Winners start mid-September.

Small wrapped top and varsity skirt designed by Bryce Black for StudioSKB. Modeled by Keely DiPietro at Portland Sewing's Garden Party Fashion Event April 16.

Song of the day: Back in Black

Some facts about industrial machines

Q. What is the difference between my [home sewing] machine and an industrial sewing machine?

A. Let's compare your home sewing machine to an industrial lockstitch machine such as the Juki DDL-8700:

-- The Juki is much faster. Your machine sews 250-1000 stitches per minute. The Juki: 5500 spm. What makes it so fast? Industrial machines come with a 21"x47" power table with a heavy motor. The base of the machine sits in machine oil to keep it cool and lubricated as you sew.

-- The needle doesn't disengage when you fill a bobbin. It flies up and down furiously as you press the foot pedal. So make sure there's no thread in the needle.

-- The shank of the Juki needle is round. The shank of your machine's needle is flat in the back. Every industrial machine has its own style of needle while your machine's needles can be used in every home sewing machine. You can't use home sewing needles in an industrial machine.

-- Your machine threads typically from front to back. The Juki's threads from left to right.

-- The best part: You have a knee lift to raise the presser foot. Your hands need never leave the fabric. This is an option only in the more expensive home sewing machines.

Sign up for our Industrial Machine Sewing class to learn more about these machines. Prerequisite: Beginning or Intermediate Sewing.

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.

In search of the perfect plotter

About two years ago I decided to digitize my patterns.

I'd been drafting patterns for decades. But I decided I wanted to create them by computer myself. Until 2009, the wise and capable Meg Okies had been digitizing them for me. Then she got a job with a local apparel company and no longer had the time.

So upon her advice, I bought Optitex. It's the same computer pattern system used by Nike and many independent designers. The software is great and so much easier to use than Gerber and Lectra -- the systems used by other major apparel companies. We used Gerber at Art Institute.

The problem was the plotter. I asked the makers of Optitex and they sold me an Ioline Studiojet. Their pitch: It links well with Optitex and it prints four times faster than other plotters.

Ioline StudioJet -- a nightmare waste of $$

But instead the Ioline was a nightmare. The plotter cost $6000. What I received came in a box and needed assembly. Ikea has better instructions and more solid construction. The plotter felt like a Lego toy when it was set up.

And it took half a day on line working with Optitex and Ioline to get the program to communicate with the plotter. It wasn't even on the Optitex list of plotters, even though Optitex recommended it.

After two months of trying, I couldn't produce a successful plot:

-- The paper constantly jammed. Even with me standing on the back and Owen standing on the front, holding the edges, the sweep arm clipped and dragged the paper. The plotter then stalled. We had to start the plot over again -- and again without completing the plot. What a waste of paper.

-- While it printed, the line was thin and wobbly. It did not produce a clean, straight, legible line.

To meet my deadlines, I had to send my files out to others for plotting -- for a hefty fee.

After seven months of haggling and a trip to Ioline headquarters in Woodinville, Wash., I finally got a refund. But it was just $4800. And this was while the plotter was still under warranty.

My next step was to talk to Pacific Office Automation in Beaverton. They sold us a duplex unit that allows us to print color and two-sided copies.

After many conversations about the best plotter for the Optitex program, they sold me an HP510 for $3150. Compared to the $6000 for the Ioline, that seemed that a good deal. Plus it looked and felt like a plotter:

-- It was solid and well-built.

-- It produced clean, legible lines.

-- It cut the paper automatically after each plot. On the Ioline, I had to use a pair of scissors.

But it took 2 hours to get the program to talk to the plotter. And there was a 15 minute lag between sending the pattern to the plotter and the plotter starting to print. I could only plot one pattern at a time. Each plot took another 15 minutes. When I asked why, all they could say is "that's just the way it is."

It could take hours to produce eight patterns. And when we have as many as 40 students taking a class and needing a pattern -- well, you can do the math. It could take all week just printing patterns. Argh!

To the rescue came Alyson Clair, former student now colleague and owner of Clair Vintage Inspired.

She recommended Mike Isaac and A&E Imaging in Beaverton. And I have met the love of my life. No, not Mike -- although he's a great guy -- but my new HP T1200.

For $5028, it does what I had expected a plotter to do:

-- It took him about 30 minutes to make the program communicate with the plotter.

-- The plots print instantly. A typical plot takes 30 seconds to print.

-- The T1200 plots multiple copies.

-- It cuts automatically after each plot.

-- The line is strong and clear. And, wow, I can now plot in color!

-- Further, it holds two rolls of paper and senses which width it needs to use based on the width of the plot. And it has a memory. You can reprint past plots directly from the plotter without using the computer.

HP T1200 -- the new love of my life

It's like having a two-year headache, then waking up one day to find it gone. The sun is out. The birds are singing. And it's a wonderful day.

If you have your own plotter sagas to share, please send them my way!

Portland Sewing's new pattern classes start July 25 with our summer camps. We'll offer computer patternmaking again this Fall. Send me note if you want on the mail list.

Song of the day: Baby Lee by Teenage Fanclub

Latest pix from Garden Party Fashion Show

Our Bryce Black has just been interviewed by you-know-who and may be going to you-know-where.

So here's a chance to see some of his fabulous garb before he appears on the small screen.

Bryce was one of the designers featured at Portland Sewing's April 16 Garden Party Fashion Show. His collection was inspired by the movie and documentary "Grey Gardens."

All photos are from Rachel Warren courtesy of Eden Dawn's Shop Talk blog for Portland Monthly. For more about the show visit the Portland Sewing Facebook page. You'll see a link to the Portland Monthly story and photos from the other designers: Alicia Wood, Alyson Clair, Robin Forsythe, Tiffany Bean, Stephanie D and Vien To.