Review: Moulage Class with Kenneth D. King

Dear readers, here is the part one of the promised review of Kenneth D. King's Moulage class. The class took place at the Sew Right Sewing Machines in Bayside, Queens, New York. Yet despite the remote location - it takes at least one hour to get there from Manhattan or West Queens - this class was worth every single minute spent commuting.

Instruction was excellent, the only thing that I found confusing was the organization. I dragged way too many things, including my sewing machine on the first day. It turned out we didn't really need the sewing machine on the first two workshop days at all, alas. But let's focus on the essential things: the class itself.

DAY ONE: MEASUREMENTS AND BODICE BACK

When we arrived everyone got a print-out with moulage instructions accompanied by an insight into Kenneth's rich biography. I loved his stories about Simmin Sethna, Kenneth's  patternmaking teacher. Simmin, who "was considered THE ONE to go to if one really was serious about learning", taught him the moulage method.

"When I get done teaching you, you won't need ANYONE - you'll KNOW! You will be able to draft anything," Simmin said to Kenneth reportedely. 

Kenneth was cracking jokes and telling anecdotes non-stop, yet despite this rather cheerful distraction we managed to take about 25 accurate measurements to draft the front and the back bodice block. Kenneth demonstrated how to take measurements on one of the students. We filled out our measurement sheet and proceeded to calculations.

This image was actually taken on Day 3; and, if you are a Threads magazine reader, you can see that Kenneth is wearing sheer jeans he made for the latest issue. He is fun! )

Once we were done calculating fractions (horror, I tell you), the back bodice was drafted. Kenneth demonstrated only a few steps at a time and then let us do it on our own. He regularly checked what we did and pointed out occasional mistakes. I thought he was completely in control. He also encouraged us to ask questions and was happy to answer them in detail.


(By the way, this was so different from the continuing ed patternmaking class I took at Parsons couple of years ago. The instructor just demonstrated the steps and never really explained the 'why' of the process. I just think you cannot learn patternmaking without understanding the link between the body shape, its movement and the flat pattern.)

However, I guess, at the end I was a little too inquisitive because Kenneth told me: "Just trust me". Yet, he did answer that last question later, when the block was drafted and he could demonstrate how that previous step made sense after all.

That's it, readers. I will finish this class review next week - there is more to say about the process, the fit and the slopers we walked out with.

What's your patternmaking experience? How did you learn it? Do you prefer to draft patterns yourself, or would you rather use commercial patterns?

Next Project Started

One more garment off my list this week - more about it later - now I wanted to share with you that I am finally working on the next one. Here are the fabrics, aren't the colors vibrant???

The tangerine is a very nice and fine wool I got a few days ago from Mood; and the blue silk tweed was sitting in my stash for a while now. So, my first project is a dress made with this tangerine wool.

MY NEW PATTERNMAKING ADVENTURE

I am not using any particular pattern this time but creating my own, using the sloper we drafted in the Kenneth King's Moulage class. If you remember, I took this class to be able to draft well-fitted garments myself. I think Kenneth's Moulage method produces very good fit for custom clothes, but more about it in a separate post.

The dress has simple lines, no sleeves, so I just need to add some design elements and draft a skirt. I will be making a muslin, of course, but mostly to check the design. Fitting alterations will be minimal, I hope, because the bodice was fitted, and the pattern we drafted was altered accordingly.

The red and blue lines you see on this picture relate to the dress and jacket sloper, and include wearing ease. I am so curious how it will work. Check in later this week for my work-in-progress update.

What are you working on right now? Any new techniques, methods you are trying?

Learning patternmaking all over again

I am one class away from completing Moulage class with Kenneth D. King, and I feel ready to slowly move away from commercial patterns and conquer patternmaking and integrate it into my sewing.

I must add that I did take couple of patternmaking classes, but to be honest, both the teaching and the results didn't live up to my expectations. It is different with Kenneth's method. I've seen his students using moulage method in their sewing and I know it produces well-fitted garments. Being able to control the pattern and make your own designs is very liberating. So, I decided I will learn this method! What I need is a better drafting foundation and detailed reasoning of the steps. 

Here is my plan:

• Moulage will serve as the foundation for the patterns I will be drafting during the challenge. 
• I will start with skirts.
• Resources I use are Kenneth D. Kings CD-Rom 'Skirts' (as well as other patternmaking e-books he wrote) and 'The Architecture of Women's Clothing' by Suzy Furrer. 

Let me elaborate on Suzy Furrer's book. I am using it because Furrer had the same teacher as Kenneth D. King, Simmin Sethna, and the method she describes is relatively similar to Kenneth's. I like comparing both sources for more reasoning behind individual steps. 


From what I understand, it took both, Kenneth and Suzy, two years of daily study to complete Simmin's course, which was based on couture patternmaking method she studied at Ecole Guerre-Lavigne (now ESMOD) in Paris. There is a good article about Simmin and her students on Soma magazine website if you want to learn more.


I want to learn what Kenneth and Suzy learnt, and classes with Kenneth and the books I mentioned is all I got. I will try to blog about the progress as regularly as possible, and will as well post the reviews of the sources I use. It won't be a draft-along type of posting (for that you need to consult the books or take Kenneth's class), but more of a review, where, based on final results, you will be able to see whether the method works. 


Have you tried making your own patterns, readers? If not, why? and if yes, how did/do you learn patternmaking? Does it work for you?  

Math Challenge: Moulage Class with Kenneth D. King / Day One

To: 

all math geniuses, 

anyone with IQ over 140, 

nerds,

pattern-making experts

Subject: "Why are you still using inches in the US???" or "solve the problem!"

Yes, it is a Moulage Class review. But I won't tell you anything about it before we resolve this mathematic problem.

(Ok, I will talk about the class a little bit: Twenty-four measurements, fraction orgy, foggy brains and five hours later, and we walked out with a custom draft of the back bodice for Kenneth D. King's Moulage Class. The class is great - fitting and patternmaking bootcamp! but...)

Back to inches! Dividing fractions is (to certain extent) masochistic. You disagree? I mean it takes just a second to divide two-digit numbers in metric system! Now do the same in inches... Piece of cake? yeah, right... Now, try to use fractions for patternmaking / calculations. It can't be as accurate as the metric system.

Here is the very first measurement we took: my neck, which, by the way, measures 13" (or 33cm). To draft the moulage, we need to make the following calculation:

1. Neck: 1/6 (neck measurement) + 1/2  = back neck

let's write it out: 1/6 x 13" + 1/2 = 2 1/6 + 1/2 = 2 2/3 (here, try now and get it converted to eights or sixteenths for the ruler units). My calculation was somewhere around 2 5/8 (it is a millimeter more, but there is no way you can get this so precise for inches ruler)

NOW, LET'S DO THE SAME IN CENTIMETERS

neck measurement : 6 + 0.5 

to remind you, my neck measurement is 13" = 33 cm

33 : 6 + 0.5 =   5.5 + 0.5 = 6 cm

Now, look at your measuring band if it contains both, inches and centimeters. You will see that these two calculations differ from each other in slightly more than 1/4" (or appr. 7 mm). 

Or, am I doing something wrong??? Yes? Then, here is your challenge: prove me wrong! (and don't think of me as another arrogant European, please! I am neutral)


EDIT: Reader Jilly B found the missing 7 mm (read her comment after you found the mistake in my calculations). Thanks, Jilly B!

But my question still remains, am I the only one who thinks that fraction calculations are extremely cumbersome in comparison? 

Couture Classes: Sit & Sew Day 3

Welcome back, readers! So, today, it's all about Day 3, which I spent mostly basting underlining to my jacket...

However, I learnt that while men's jackets are entirely interfaced in front (except, of course, for lighter summer versions), women's jackets are often soft tailored, with interfacing covering only center front and the area above the breast and around shoulder. The back support is similar for both sexes. hmm, I guess you knew it already... 

ok, I also decided to underline the jacket, which is not a common thing I understood. Why? I am terrible with my clothes, I let them hang on a chair, throw them on a bed, or any other surface - this is probably because with children I just take care of anything else after I took care of the kids... So, to cut the long story short, I need clothes that are more resistant to wrinkles and that retain their shape despite this disrespectful treatment. Underlining provides exactly what I need and I chose silk organza, so the jacket remains light and soft. Organza complements tweed very well - I love the feel of the two layers. 

For the interfacing, Kenneth recommended very lightweight Hymo hair canvas, which I bought at Steinlauf and Stoller. 

Finally, I also got my lining cut, for which I chose a solid silk charmeuse from B&J, the only store that had a matching color.  

Cutting and underlining took me entire day, and new demos by Susan and Kenneth were a welcome interruption to this rather monotonous activity.

Corset Demo by Susan

Unrelated remark: see those grey handle scissors? Those are my paper scissors! Never ever come to Kenneth class without paper scissors - he won't take you seriously! I misplaced mine on Day 4 and ended up listening that silicon in paper dulls the blades. And it's true, readers! By the way, the same applies to synthetic fibers. So, if you have expensive tools and sew frequently, listen to Kenneth!

Back to Susan! She showed us where the boning is usually placed in a strapless dress or corset. You can see that the corset has a waist stay, so Susan explained the use of the waist stay. Waist stays take the weight and strain of a garment from a zipper or shoulders. Use waist stay on a strapless dress and never again will you need to pull it up every time it slides down exposing your breasts. For perfect support, use boning, of course.

A waist stay is made of grosgrain ribbon, which is cut slightly shorter than the garment. While the garment would have some ease, the waist stay should fit snugly.

here you can see how waist stay is attached to the corselet

Fly zipper demo by Kenneth

Kenneth showed us this very fast method of putting together a fly zipper. I diligently took pictures of the process, but was not able to remember the steps. It was not complicated at all, but it will require some effort to remember and write it down...

Oh, right, and Devra's project. She wanted to make a vintage dress and bought this amazing italian shirting fabric and matching lining. I think the choice of fabric could not have been better, or?

That's it for today! Hope you enjoyed the post and please leave your comments and questions about the class!

Couture Classes: Sit & Sew Day 2

Readers, Day 2 was so much better (mostly because I finally slept). I continued creating paper pattern pieces from my muslin and transferring adjustments we made to the paper. It was very interesting to see how adjustments are made following Kenneth's method. And I really have to learn his moulage technique. Some of the participants made their moulage in the class, and I was soooo jealous! Well, to compensate I asked Kenneth to bring his Moulage eBook, so I could try make it at home. I will just need someone to take accurate measurements for me.

Lotus Flower Demo

In the morning, Kenneth showed us how to make a Lotus Silk Flower - he made it out of muslin though :-). I have no idea where I would use the Lotus Flower but we all Ooh-ed and Aah-ed because it did look cute. You can making it too - Kenneth posted a tutorial on Thread's magazine blog couple of years ago.

Cutting Lace

Then we were for a treat from Susan! She showed us how she cuts lace, this lace was for one of the participant's project. With lace you want to match as accurately as possible to achieve the best look! With  many projects flower details are thread-traced around them instead of tracing following straight (or curved) lines on the pattern. Those extended details are then appliqued on the adjacent piece... we should  make a lace garment together.

To be able to position pattern pieces accurately, Susan showed us her trick. After she took the fitted muslin apart, she placed it underneath the lace, which was then pinned to the muslin pieces. Then, the lace is cut and thread-traced, ready to be assembled.

The day passed by very fast, and then, when I was ready to leave, guess who came by to say hello? Gretchen (or Gertie). Ann invited us for a drink in her hotel in the Garment District, and then another one downtown and... I thought it was so nice to meet all these wonderful people - at the beginning I was blogging in a vacuum - I knew nobody and I really wanted to connect to like-minded people and here you go. Gertie's and Ann's blogs were first blogs I was looking forward to read every time I came home after work when I just started. And now I am sitting with them on a rooftop terrace in the Garment District. Love sewing and love the sewing community - we are the nicest, most helpful and peaceful people on earth!

from left to right: Ann of Gorgeous Things and Gorgeous Fabrics, Gretchen of Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing and Devra, our class participant and vintage aficionado! I was trying to convince Devra to start blogging...

Right?!

Couture Classes: Sit & Sew Day 1

This was another class with Susan Khalje, and with – new for me – Kenneth D. King. I did take online classes with Kenneth and was very impressed how resourceful he is, and how innovative are his techniques (all the relevant links are at the end of this post).

I joined this four-day class, which took place in New York’s garment district studio, hoping to start a tweed suit inspired by Burberry’s suit from his AW 2011 collection. The idea was to have one well-fitted pant muslin, as well as to learn more about custom tailoring techniques for ladies’ jackets.

Guipure skirt

Susan showed us her guipure skirt and explained us some construction techniques.

The skirt that she showed us was surprisingly soft. It was constructed in several layers: guipure lace on top, charmeuse under it to give it a color background and some shine. Charmeuse was underlined with lightweight cotton; the guipure lace was tucked in regular intervals to this underlined charmeuse. Silk lining was the last layer. Despite these four layers, the skirt was surprisingly light and soft.

Those who have Thread Archives DVD can read more about the construction of this skirt “Amazing Lace” by Susan Khalje (Issue #124)

Embelishments

Kenneth showed us a demo for one of his signature embellishments

The projects

For the whole day we were busy fitting and re-fitting muslins for projects we wanted to fit.  The group was great, and the projects were exciting: a lace jacket, moulage, coat, dress, pants, my tailored suit, corset, leather pouch and more.

For the traditional Show & Tell session we brought in projects we accomplished with Susan before: Ann (yes, The Ann from Gorgeous Fabrics) brough her Chanel(-inspired) jacket and her lace corset; I had my Chanel(-inspired) jacket and the LBD from the online class on Pattern Review; and Debra showed us her retro-inspired Pucci coat. We all Ohh-ed and Ahh-ed and got on our work again.

Ann of Gorgeous Fabrics (see link below) showed us her Chanel (-inspired) Jacket

Cloning a garment

In between, Kenneth showed Debra how to clone a blouse, using a piece of silk organza. He offers an online garment cloning course on Pattern Review, so check it out – it’s really good.

I love these courses because it’s so much fun to sew in a group. Both, Kenenth and Susan are so great, helpful, always smiling, always willing to explain…

Kenneth even modeled his jeans for me, here:

… and we had time to stitch and bitch, of course:

The only annoying thing was the space: sewing machines were placed too close to each other and there were only four cutting tables. The space was somewhat cluttered and we could not work beyond the studio opening hours (from 9:30 to 5:30). With lunch breaks and some shopping, that gave us only around 25 hours to sew. This is one of the reason’s why I loved the Baltimore class more! The latter was truly a couture boot camp and I could focus entirely on my project.

My suit

Readers, I spent the whole first day transferring muslin markings to paper. Since tailoring is Kenneth’s specialty and he does it this way, he insisted I do it.  And, even though I complained a lot at the beginning, at the end, it was a good idea, because it was much easier to draft lining and interfacing pieces from paper pattern and also to make alterations by cutting, slashing, pasting etc… However, I haven’t touched my fabric for the whole day, I hope it will be cut by the end of the class.

I was also much slower than usual. The day before, on Wednesday, I went to Alexander McQueen exhibition and the choice was: McQueen or muslin making. I chose McQueen, naturally, an spend whole night before the course making the jacket muslin, and another half a day making a pants muslin… phew

Check out these links:

Susan Khalje website: http://susankhalje.com

Kenneth D. King website http://www.kennethdking.com

Kenneth D. King book: Cool Couture

Susan Khalje: Linen and Cotton: Classic Sewing Techniques for Great Results

Susan Khalje: Bridal Couture: Fine Sewing Techniques for Wedding Gowns and Evening Wear

Pattern Review online classes

Gorgeous Fabrics store website

I'm back and up to a new couture class!

Friends, thank you for your patience! It's finally over, the old job and all the associated stress! We also celebrated my daughter's 2-year birthday and enjoyed a day on the beach. Monday and Tuesday passed running errands, and so it's Wednesday and I am wondering how come I thought I would have more time once I am not working anymore?

Another thing I have noticed it's extremely difficult to get into the exercise of writing daily after such a break. The problem is actually, I got to much to write about and don't know where to start. Well, I will make it a lazy transition for myself and for you by making some exciting announcements.

So, here is a spoiler alert, readers!

... I am starting another course with Susan Khalje and Kenneth King TOMORROW - their great Sit & Sew in New York. So, get ready for another course diary and my work-in-progress. What am I going to sew? I am still deciding! Irresponsible, right? yes, since I have to make a muslin before, hmm... I am tending toward a tailored tweed suit. What do you think? (I really wanted to incorporate some boning project, but... it just doesn't really work with anything I planned for the next season)

Decision made - here is my inspiration:

I do want to incorporate some burgundy red in it, maybe leather, and make the jacket slightly longer... While this Burberry suit is ready-to-wear, what I am really looking forward to is couture tailoring techniques for the jacket. Susan was saying in her French Jacket Course that couture uses soft tailoring techniques, which are very different from RTW. I want something that is not stiff, but I believe some support will be needed for the breast area and for the collar. We used organza to support a small area  above the breast in our French Jacket class... but this one can be completely different. After all, Chanel jacket techniques are specific for loosely woven fabrics and bouclés. Let's see!

As for pants, in the class, I will be doing only a muslin and finish the pants later. Having Kenneth fit the pants is a dream come true. I  want to have one great fitted straight leg pant muslin that I can use for all other pants, shorts, etc.

The course will last four days and I know it's not enough to finish this project, but I hope to get the jacket far enough to be able to finish it without any guidance. So, get ready for some couture sewing reporting!

I missed you very much, I must admit! :-)