This is a glimpse of Portland, Oregon. Lush and green and full of architectural history and beauty like the large cities on the west coast. It is one of three cities in the contiguous United States with extinct volcanoes (Mt. Hood and Mt. Helen) within its boundaries. The hillsides are covered with evergreens. A beautiful sight to see. It's also known for it's fine cuisine and classical performing arts.
So what does Portland have to do with fabric, sewing, and fitting? Well it is where the flagship Palmer/Pletsch School of Sewing is located. The school is conveniently accessible at the Fabric Depot, which is a fabric collectors dream. There is a wholesale counter, where people in the business of sewing can make there purchases at a special price.
Why am I telling you all of this? Palmer/Pletsch is a great reason to visit Portland, Oregon. On July 12th, several other eager sewists and I converged onto Portland, Oregon, to learn how to sew clothes that fit. Your probably thinking, "You already know how to fit the garments you make." And that is partially true. I have dozens of patterns that I don't know (correction didn't know) how to fit. So I avoided even trying. Those are the projects you never hear about. Okay... back to Fit Workshop. Our educational journey begin early Friday morning. The Monarch Shuttle promptly arrived at 9:00am. We rushed into the classroom, ready to learn how to best fit our handcrafted garments.
Now if you are planning to attend a Palmer/Pletsch workshop, please be advised to come with a clear and positive mind, an acute passion for sewing, a willingness to try new approaches to obtain a perfect fit, and understanding that many construction guidelines are just that, a guide. No process is etched in stone. You can make adjustments based on your own fitting needs.
During the four/five day workshop, we learned how to use the markings on the pattern as a guide, test the process, tweak it, and learn from each other. You bet there were many success stories. We were each others' praise team, acknowledging our success.
So this is the beginning of several posts that will give you a taste of what you can expect when you attend your first fit workshop in Portland, Oregon.
The topics:
Instructors and Students
Fabric Shops
Color Analysis
Tools to Help You Perfect Your Skills
Be A Sewing Teacher
My Fit Experience and Future Garments
Happy Sewing!
C
I look forward to hearing all about it, Cenetta!
ReplyDeletePortland is my old home town! A city I dearly miss! I love the Fabric Depot. I never took a class there, but I am anxious to hear how your classes went. Great to hear you had a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. I can't wait to hear more about your classes!
ReplyDeleteHow neat! I really enjoyed Portland when I visited. And a Palmer Pletsch class too! Lucky lady!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea they had classes at Fabric Depot. I'm going top look into them. Can't wait to hear more about your classes :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I grew up sewing with Palmer/Pletsch. I have "Painless Sewing" and so many of their books. I learned how to use my first 2/3 thread serger from their books. So many skills in making pants, nice collars come from their wonderfully written pattern instructions. I can't wait to hear more about your exciting seminar.
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! Can't wait to hear all about it!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to hearing more! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteI am anxiously waiting to hear more about your experience.
ReplyDeleteWow! Portland is beautiful! The pictures of the city could easily become postcards!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I look forward to reading more about the workshop.
ReplyDeleteSounds fabulous! You already fit rather well, so I am interested in what you consider too difficult to fit.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great experience in continuing "sewing" education...and such a beautiful setting as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. I hope you find some useful information in my workshop post.
ReplyDeleteFive days of a sewing workshop amidst that spectacularly beautiful scenery... Awesome.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed your visit to our city. PP classes are wonderful. By the way, the volcanoes in the city are not Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood (although those are close by and can be seen from town), but Mt. Tabor, Mt. Talbert and a few others. They are more hills than mountains, and the crater on Mt. Tabor has been made into an outdoor stage!
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