My friends Brooke Wilkerson and Dr. Casey Stannard PHD are my peers, and so when sharing the methods with them I saw it not as a form of teaching, rather it was a collaboration. Both bring such a high level of experience, expertise, and refinement to their work, and played a critical role of encouragement and support while I was developing the Fair Fit Method.  I thought it would be really fun to share the process of working with them, as well as what they were able to do with the pattern. 

And, for me, it was like getting to have those fun sewing days with a friend, with Casey in person and Brooke from a distance, because we bounced ideas back and forth and they inspired me to change my perceptions of how I saw and experienced my own process.

My students in Baton Rouge who are beginners have the opportunity to learn in person with me, so they do have an advantage over beginners who learn with me online. Having a teacher in your presence does give you a lot of confidence, and it does help to have me standing over you, lol! In today's post, I wanted to feature some of their thoughts and insights for those of you who are eager online learners and want to know more about the experience that students are having with the course materials and pattern.

When it comes to dresses, we all like something a little different, right? 

While I'm still in the beginning phase of releasing pattern components, there are several that have reached full development that will be part of the full course curriculum later in 2018. In this post, I'll share with you the Fair Fit pattern sets coming later in the year that you can use to further customize your dress, especially the bodice since that's where we all have ideas of where to add different design features, add sleeves, and change up the neckline! Head on over to my profile to check it out.

Are you finding yourself stuck on one or two scissor patterns? In sewing, its important to develop a confidence and fearlessness in the projects that you pick. I know on the outside the Fair Fit Method and the garments I am going to teach you how to make can appear unusually made, or even a little intimidating. In this post, lets discuss 6 core skills needed to advance in sewing and design that you will learn in my courses, and hopefully resolve any doubts you might be having about your own skills and ability to take the course.

In today's post, lets look at the course taught in the Fair Fit Method, Learn and Make the Fair Fit Skirt. I'll show you the sewing skills taught in the course, and the pattern variations you will have the option to customize. For those of you who have been following my process this year to release the Fair Fit Dress, I'd like to share with you more of the timeline, so you can see the course I have laid out, and the series of tests that lead me got me where we are today.

Got questions about the Fair Fit Method and the time, work, and effort required in the courses? In this post, you will get an additional breakdown of how the program works and how much of your time it requires. I will also address lots of helpful frequently asked questions and explain more of the nuances of the program.

In every course make 2 garments- one for learning fit and proportion and the other to finalize your sewing and design. We don’t want any of your work to go to waste, so your “muslin” in the Fair Fit Method uses the raw finish sewing method so when its done it’s still a wearable dress! Meanwhile, your second garment is a project to explore construction and additional sewing methods and you can change the kind of fabric you are using, play with pattern and print, repurpose, or use interesting methods of topstitching and sewn lines. Click through to read more and see all the possibilities!

For the last 2 years, it seems all I've been teaching are pattern alterations and how to walk folks through customizing a pattern. Its a good thing, because in the Fair Fit Method courses, I not only teach many different pattern adjustments, but as we work through the program and more students participate, more alterations will be added to create a custom library for your reference. In this post get a preview of some pattern alterations and how I teach them in the courses.

Every sewing teacher knows how hard it is to teach and learn fit, and especially for yourself, at home, and working alone. In the Fair Fit Method courses, all of your Fair Fit projects will be draped, and I have a way of teaching you how to customize the pattern for your own body through draping, fitting, and pattern alterations. By learning how to drape on your dress form, by the end of this program, you are going to have a greater understanding of how designers think through their projects, adding and editing as they go, and learning to develop a fluidity that you can’t get with cut and sew patterns. You will also learn a variety of pattern alterations, not just for yourself, but other people as well. In this post, linked in my profile, you will get a preview of how this aspect of the process is taught and see a few adjustments made by previous students.

When I was designing, part of made the Fair Fit garments visually compelling was unconventional way in which they were sewn. In each course of the Fair Fit Method I’m going to teach you all kinds of new sewing methods. When you make your final garments, you can choose from mixtures of clean and raw, serged and sewn, topstitched and pieced, the options of sewing in this program are diverse and truly exciting! You will also learn more about design, as you get to decide how you will use the pattern by selecting the set of blocks that will get you your desired final result. Inside this post, link in profile, get a look at all of the sewing and design potential the Fair Fit Pattern offers, as well as a look at some of the garments made by previous students in the course