Next Week - The 10 Yard Skirt!

This last Wednesday wrapped up with our students completing a pair of pantaloons made from 4 yards of taffeta. We used the Tribal Dancer Folkwear Pattern designed by Carolena Nericcio-Bohlman. (she and I co-teach this class) They both picked the same  fabric and color, but ended up using the pleating techniques in their own individual way. Isabel created smaller pleats and Helen created larger pleats. Both ways were challenging in their own right, and both ways of creating pleats created a lovely, blousy, full pair of dance pantaloons!

Next week, we  move on to sewing a 10- yard skirt out of 8 yards of fabric! Go HERE to sign up or to find out more about it. Seating is limited, so hurry! We have a LOT of fun and a lot to share!

Sewing Instruction Starting September 16th at Studio SF!!!

August 16th started my new project: a collaborative effort of sewing and textiles instruction with Carolena Nericcio - Bohlman. I have been sewing and making things since the age of  5 and Carolena has been sewing since her teens. She has formal training. She has an extensive knowledge of textile, sewing, design, construction, and costuming. She has a tribal belly dance costume pattern that has been published through Follkwear.  I have an extensive knowledge of textiles, sewing, design and construction with a couple sewing patterns for sale under my belt. Ive done years of high end garment making and costuming. I design, do quality alteration work, understand the ins and outs of reading and following a pattern, I know how to make a pattern fit everyone or how to choose a design that will work for you - between the both of us, we have a lot to offer.

It is time. Time to break down the barriers between the sewing world and the world of the person who yearns to make things, but has no training. As we all know, the basics of making one's own clothing are skills that most of us are not taught any longer. We all should at least know how to sew on a button or hem a pair of pants. Many of us have fit problems or are sick of what the prescribed fashion of the day offers us.

So I took two new students down to Fabric Outlet: the local fabric store located conveniently down the street from the San Francisco studio, and I gave them a tour of the various sections. See - they don't look scared or confused at all!
Here are Isabel and Helen about to purchase taffeta for new pantaloons!

 I grew up navigating fabric and notions because if was common for little 5 &  Dimes to have a sewing department when I was a kid. More people sewed in those days and. it became second nature to me. We don't have access to all of that fabric abundance now. Most of us have never been in a fabric store. Our options are limited. Sewing machines that are now very user friendly scare us to death. What the hell is a bobbin??????????? And even though there is probably a Joannes or Hancock Fabrics near many of us somewhere.........most of us are still overwhelmed when entering the doors.

After our fabric store tour,  I gave a little tutorial on the basics of a sewing machine. It helped. They now have  fabric and notions that they were able to pick out without a lot of stress, and with some practice, they can take on their sewing machines with less fear. And there was a lot of laughter. That was a good sign.

Because Studio SF is set inside a belly dance studio, and because Carolena has her tribal pattern at the ready and  our first students are dancers, we are starting three segments that pertain to ATS (American Tribal Style belly dance) : Pantaloons, Dance Skirt, and a Choli. The Pantaloons class starts on September 16th!

And with luck, our intention is to be able to move on to things like hand sewing, simple alterations, and MORE Folkwear patterns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG - there are so many to choose from and there are so many I want to make. What a great excuse!!!! :)

Register here  - Space is limited, but we have room for a couple more students!  Register now!!

Here are the deets for the classes:
Join Kathleen and Carolena in a series of classes designed to teach you the love of all things textile! Make your own costume using the Folkwear Tribal Dancer Pattern.

Pantaloons - 16, 23, 30 Sep
10-Yard Skirt - 7, 14, 21 Oct
Choli - 18, 25 Nov, 2 Dec

* Learn to shop for fabric and prepare it for sewing. Choose yarn and needles appropriate for a project.
* Understand how to read and fit a sewing pattern.
* Learn basic, intermediate and advanced sewing skills.


Week 1: We’ll start with a trip to the fabric store to select appropriate fabric for Pantaloons, a 10-Yard Skirt and a Choli. Next we’ll prepare the fabric for sewing and take a peek at the pattern instructions.

Week 2: Measure twice, cut once! We’ll take measurements, cut the fabric and start sewing.

Week 3: Fitting and final touches.

Price
$110 for the three-class in series.
Class Size
Limit 5 students per session

Please note: Fabric shopping starts at 5pm to give us time before the shop closes at 7pm.

Class Time: 6pm - 9pm

Address:
670 S Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, Ca 94110
415-431 -4322
www.fcbd.com

SALE - HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY

This summer is flying by! What have I been doing? Working on a wedding dress and Halloween costumes, developing a few new items for the Bessie line of clothing, prepping for a couple photo shoots, developing a few pieces of bridal wear,  gearing up to co-teach a few sewing classes with Carolena Nericco - Bohlman in the fall,  and slowly building a new website where everything can be all in one place.....all the time......that's all keeping me very busy!

What better time than a sale! Take 20% off of your purchases in my Etsy shop at checkout by using this coupon code: HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY

I'll be discontinuing some of this merchandise, so if you like it, please grab it!!!

There are lots of adorable festival skirts  and tops!! Halloween is right around the corner - and some of these garments would be just perfect for the season! 

Sewing And Knitting Classes For Summer And Fall!!!

Knitting in summertime?? Yes!!! Of Course!!! Now is when we prepare for winter!! And you wont regret it! Carolena will walk you through the steps of getting the right yarn and needles, gauges, stitches - all that stuff that will help you on your way to graduating one day to a sweater with 2 sleeves that are the same length!! It will also give you something fun to do on those long winter evenings while watching movies!

And starting at the end of July, we will be progressing onwards to showing you how to look for fabrics, learning how to not be afraid of your sewing machine, and how to make your own pantaloons, choli, and 10-yard skirt using the Folkwear Tribal Dancer pattern!

Now, there are lots of things that we want to teach you how to make (and have an excuse to make it ourselves), so once we get the tribal dancer costuming classes under our belts, we would like to include some of the other Folkwear patterns. And how do you choose which one............

So sign up for knitting and sewing!!!
HERE

Studio SF

Well, Happy New Year everyone! 2014 was pretty good to me and I hope it was for you as well! And on that note, 2015 is coming in with a bang for me!! I will be spending a great deal of time at the newly renovated FatChanceBellyDance studio in San Francisco where I will be working closely with Carolena Nericcio-Bohlman on our growing Bessie Line of clothing and adornments!

 Carolena and I have known each other for a very long time now and we are melding our ever-growing love of fashion that is flattering, easy to wear, and makes you feel awesome at any age. But with our naturally maturing minds and bodies, we are gravitating to wanting older women to be able to feel as awesome as we did when we were younger. We do not strive to be invisible. You can still be fun and faithful to living outside the box. You can still feel alive and vital in your clothes! And that is our mission. We don't like what is being offered to us and so we will make it for ourselves and for you. Being dancers and of the dance world, we know how your clothing needs to make you feel and fit...........................

So I introduce Studio SF:

Stay tuned!!! And Happy 2015!!!

Capes and Circle Skirts

This last week, I finished up a little project that came my way. Chris March made a bunch of super hero type costumes for a giveaway promotion. He gave me the capes and little super heroine skirts to sew up and he took care of the rest.

Its a simple project, but it was fun. I cut all the capes out freehand and I mostly used selvages for the ties, For the skirts, I used the bottom flounce pattern of my Fluffie Rufflie Pantaloons as a base. I used my Sampants waistband and  with a little tweaking here and there of the measurements, they worked out perfectly!

I was sewing on sequins and spandex for the most part and my industrials were being a bit temperamental. Needles were breaking and stitches skipping. So rather than adjust my machines for every fabric, I used my home sewer for some of it and all went well in the end. Lots of capes and skirts. Some were lined. Some were trimmed. Some had rolled hems and some edges were just serged.

Simple costumes do not have to look like they were made in a factory in China. With a little knowledge of fabrics and what types of machines and needles and hemming feet work with them, its fairly easy to make something inexpensive look well made.

And, well, practice, practice, practice!

Sewing Lessons At Last

I know that Ive gone on a few times about teaching sewing lessons  at some point this year. And the fact of the matter is is that as more and more people struggled with this %$#%^&%^$ economy, I ended up struggling more too. Because when you stop buying, the artists and local businesses suffer. But whatever...........Ive survived and made a purse out of a sow's ear so to speak. Im not out of hot water yet, but I'll be ok. Because as you know, you cant keep a good woman down. But I got a bit distracted with that struggle there ...............so now here we go...............

Instead of buying tables and new sewing machines (you dont want to start out on my current ones), Im letting you know that I am available for one on one instruction on the weekends. You drag that sewing machine out of your closet or out from under your bed and I will show you how to use it in my studio. With this comes all my sewing resources available online and in various parts of this country. Maybe even overseas as I find them. And maybe you will find some inspiration in my costuming library!

We all want clothes. We want to decorate our homes or dress our kids. And many of us cant justify some of those wardrobe and costuming purchases any longer. But if you have the patience and the aptitude, you can learn some basics and start from there. You can learn to make some fun things. Being creative is very important - especially in these times when its easy to get depressed or frustrated. My spirits always rise when Ive made something with my own two hands. It gives you a sense of accomplishment!

Available lessons and prices are posted in my pages section to the left.
Basicly:
***Three hours of beginner basics for $55.00 using your machine.
***Three hours of Industrial Sewing Machine lessons for $75.00 using my machines.
The investment in new skills and mastering that machine can take you far!

Here is a great little blog that I just ran across! I stole some of her images!
And here is some oldie sewing machine info..........


































And for those of you who want to learn to sew and do not have a machine, you can get cheapo ones to start with at Big Lots and Target. Im sure Costco and some online shops have some bargains for you. Search the thrift stores and the garage sales - but just make sure that they work or that you can get them fixed at a reasonable price. There is no need to go out and get a fancy sewing machine unless you are sure you need one!

 It just doesn't have to be that complicated!

Oh, and my Fluffie Rufflie patterns will be available again soon. I got a little side tracked!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com