Costume Academy 2013

It's that time again! Costume Academy is coming up on March 9. It's always a fun day--I get to hang out with my fellow costumers and geek out all day over costumey techniques. I always get inspired (if not a little too ambitious!) after Costume Academy each year.

This year I'm teaching two basic sewing classes:

Zippers 101 (back by popular demand!)
Sewing By Hand: Taking It To the Next Level (buttonholes, blind catch stitch, and more)
I'll also be there with my millinery supplies in the Vendor Room.

For more information, please go to the GBACG webpage here. Hope to see you there!

Costume Academy 2012

I'll be back this year teaching! The full skinny will be posted to the GBACG website soon, when registration opens. I'll also be there with my millinery supplies in the vendor hall. Costume Academy is a great, one-day event where you can take three 90 minute classes a day on different sewing and costume topics, do a little shopping, and talk shop and ideas with fellow costumers. I always leave inspired.

Here are my classes and some of the event information:

Millinery 101: Create a Buckram Base
Most fascinators begin with a wired buckram base. Learn how to create a round or teardrop shaped buckram base that can then be covered with yourfashion fabric and all of your fabulous trimmings. In the first part of class we'll talk about supplies and techniques. The second half of class will be hands-on: we will take a pre-blocked piece of buckram, cut it to shape, apply milliners wire and bias tape to get it ready for your fashion fabric. Lots of samples will be shown. This is also an exellent beginner
class for those who want to learn how to work with buckram.
Kit fee: $6

Kit includes handouts, pre-blocked buckram, millinery wire, wire joiner, bias tape.

Students should bring: Scissors for cutting buckram (not your best fabric scissors) a soft pencil or chalk marking tools, hand sewing needles, polyester or poly/cotton blend all-purpose thread in neutral colors, thimble, and wire cutters if they have them (there will be a couple of pairs available in class to use).

You can see what a teardrop base looks like in the photo above.

Creating Ribbon Flowers

Ribbon flowers can be used to decorate many, many costume pieces from hats to shoes to purses. Learn how to make basic three dimensional ribbon flowers and add a little floral punch to your costume collection. We will start with a demo and a discussion of materials. The rest of class will be spent creating 2 different types of ribbon flowers and one set of leaves.
Kit fee: $5

Kit includes handouts, ribbon for leaves and flowers, stamens, use of finishing supplies.

Students should bring a basic hand sewing kit with them to class and wire cutters if they have them (there will be a couple of pairs available in class to use).

Costume Academy will be held on March 4, 2012 at the ASUC MLK Student Union on the UC Berkeley campus. I'm not sure what the registration fees will be this year, so please keep your eye on the GBACG website. (and p.s., classes sell out quickly!)

I'm teaching locally again! Sewing 101 in Berkeley

Sewing 101: Apron or PJ pants
Dates: Sats, March 12, 19, 26, April 9, 10:30am to 12:30pm (4 classes, 8 hours)
Location: Knit One One Studio, Berkeley
Cost: $96

Students can choose to make either a pair of PJ pants or an apron. The apron is a basic chef's style apron with a patch pocket (photo above) but I just had to add a ruffle--I couldn't help myself!--so any students who would like to add a ruffle to their aprons will get Ruffle Instruction in class.

 Lots more information about this class and all of their other fabulous classes here but if you are thinking of signing up, please don't wait too long as the class is filling up fast! If you haven't been to Knit One One in Berkeley, it's a great creative space to work in. They even have craft sales on a regular basis showcasing local artisans. Hope to see you there!

Costume Academy 2010

I'm teaching three classes this year! If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in costuming, Costume Academy is a great way to meet like-minded folks and pick up some new skills. There are sewing classes, costuming classes, millinery classes...If I weren't teaching all day I'd be a student! Take a look at my "Teaching Schedule" page above for the full skinny. Hope to see you there!

Updates Schmupdates

I'm probably the World's Worst Blogger but things have been busy-busy around the ol' house of Vintage Rouge! Lots of new classes scheduled over the next few months and many new projects underway. Yes, there will be photos but if anyone can tell me how to put captions under photos in Blogger witout messing with cutting and pasting code I'd be a very happy camper.

And on a sillier note...My boyfriend is probably the only person on this planet who can get me to stand outside in 50 degree weather while he takes goofy photos of me modeling one of his new glow-in-the-dark t-shirts for his Etsy shop (http://glowees.etsy.com). The shirt does glow, but it doesn't give off any heat outside in January when it's 50 degrees! How could I not share a photo as silly as this one? :)

New Classes Added for January and February

Check out the sidebar for details. I'm teaching a few new classes at Waterside Workshops in Berkeley (www.watersideworkshops.org).

Waterside Workshops also has Open Studio hours for those of you in need of sewing space or some dedicated sewing time. They also have a big, big cutting table for cutting out massive amounts of fabric all at once. :)

The latest and greatest teaching schedule...

Here we go, a new quarter! See the sidebar at right for my JoAnn teaching schedule. More classes will be posted soon. Stay tuned for a Halloween Costume class in October!

The photo above is the Knitting Tote for the Craft Sewing 201 class. There are lots of skinny pockets inside to hold all of your knitting needles. It's a good large size, too. No wimpy bag here.