As I mentioned last week my project, The Fair Fit Pattern, has grown and evolved into a full fledged method for learning how to create custom clothing. The methods are taught as a series of courses where you will build customized tops, skirts, and dresses. The pattern and set of blocks that you will learn to use will allow you to create a diverse wardrobe of interesting and special garments that use the pattern sets as building blocks.

In each course in the program, you will make 2 garments to learn and practice fashion design concepts specific to my method. Each course and project builds on itself, introducing new proportion, fit, pattern, and sewing principles and techniques that incrementally advance you with each project and prepare you for the next course. The projects are planned so that as you create a garment, you learn a new skill set with each one, and each garment helps you advance to the next.

Want to bring more design to the garments you sew too?In my email newsletter, I send articles to teach you sewing practices to create clothing that is meaningful to you. Sign up to receive email lessons on garment design, the latest blog posts and video tutorials, and all the latest class announcements and promotions.

Learn Here

The Fair Fit Method (12) (1).pngThe Fair Fit Method Sewing + Design - Creating New Pathways for Learning and Expression with Creative Sewing Practices

It's a process of design and every course in the Fair Fit Method follows this specific plan:

Pattern

The Fair Fit Method - Creating New Pathways for Learning and Expression with Creative Sewing Practices

In each course, you get to decide how you will use the pattern by selecting the set of blocks that will get you your desired final result. These blocks become even more interchangeable as more sets are added throughout the program. Blocks used in the first course, Learn and Make the Fair Fit Skirt, can be added to your design when you start your second course, Learn and Make the Fair Fit Dress.

Later in the year if you stay for the entire curriculum, you will have the option of adding courses that will teach you sleeves, different necklines and draping options, and blocks that change the lengths and proportions of certain parts of the garment. All of the blocks work together as a complete set, are already drafted and graded to easily add them to your design, and towards the end of the program you will also get to learn some pattern drafting to change them up and make them adapt to current trends.

Check Fit

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 it's done it’s still a wearable dress.

In garment 2 of each course, that's when you have the opportunity to apply the pattern and draping alterations you learned in the first garment, while experimenting with your sewing methods and applying changes in the style of your garment that you learned in the first one.

Sewing

After you get the fit, you decide your sewing. This course teaches methods and sewing plans that are not found anywhere else and Fair Fit garments are sewn very differently from your more traditional patterns and projects. You can do a completely clean finish for your second sewn garment, or use one of the many custom sewing methods you will learn throughout the program. These methods, through their attempt and practice, will advance your material understanding and manipulation, while teaching you how to approach sewing creatively and artistically. In each course, you can choose from mixtures of clean and raw, serged and sewn, topstitched and pieced - the options of sewing in this program are very diverse and artistic.

Fashion Draping

In this course, its REQUIRED that you have an adjustable dress form. I’m going to teach you how to build and pad it to your body and measurements- a valuable skill for all of your sewing projects. All of your Fair Fit projects will be draped, so by the end of this program, to help students work toward a greater understanding of how designers think through their projects, adding and editing as they go, and learning to develop a fluidity of customization and adaptation that you can’t get with cut and sew patterns.

The draping portion is also going to teach you a lot about fit for your body. You will learn principles and practices, but more importantly the problem solving skills and confidence to fit for yourself. One of my favorite parts about teaching the Fair Fit Method is seeing the lightbulbs turn on as a student learns that fit is often over thought- and that you can tackle it swiftly and effectively and have fun while doing it.

Pattern Adjustments

After draping, you will learn how to customize your pattern so that future garments that you sew will incorporate all of the fit lessons you learned during the first dress that you make. That’s why we do two dresses, so that if you move on to a less flexible method of sewing like clean finish, the adjustments are known and made so you can make your dresses more quickly.

A Second Garment

While making your second garment you get to design further, applying what you have learned in the first garment and taking your second garment to new areas of exploration. This is where you can change the kind of fabric you are using, play with pattern and print, repurposing, or use interesting methods of topstitching and sewn lines. As we progress throughout the year, you will learn a new method of sewing each time to build your skillset.

What are you making?

The program starts with the first course, Learn and Make the Fair Fit Skirt. In this course you will learn proportion, fit, and design for the lower half of your body. We will learn basic draping methods, how to use your mannequin to fit your hips and butt and set up your personalized waist to hip ratio (critical for skirts). You will also learn several sewing methods to customize the look of any skirt you make. With this set of blocks, you have the option to make a pencil, a-line, or pleated skirt all in one pattern. Later in the program, we will introduce more custom skirt options too!

Learn and Make the Fair Fit Skirt is the prerequisite to Learn and Make the Fair Fit Dress. You MUST TAKE this course first in order to participate in the dress course. The sewing, fit, and draping methods build on each other and the information is given in order to build upon each skill learned.

Later in the the program if you choose the option to enjoy the entire curriculum, there are several classes that focus on a specific topic. These classes will be shorter labs that will teach you innovative repurposing, creating custom sleeves, and pattern grading principles. You can learn more about these classes on our curriculum page here.

Conclusion

My intention with the Fair Fit Method is to share my personal perspective in design and give you an intensive study to change and advance your approach to sewing. I know how important it is to any sewer to know how to fit for your own body as well as other people and how to customize a pattern to your unique perspective.

For those of you eager to learn sewing and design in a new way, I know from my years of teaching that giving students a process and a plan with working timeline is one effective way to learn and grow quickly as long as you implement the work and push through the challenges.

If you are interested in taking courses in the Fair Fit Method, the next opportunity to enroll begins soon. You can visit https://www.fairfitmethod.com/ to learn more and read all about the program and full curriculum. If you want to know right away when enrollment opens again, click the button below and you will receive email updates, articles, and notifications when registration begins.

Subscribe for enrollment notifications

On Thursday, I will outline the curriculum course by course. Make sure you are on my email list so you don't miss a beat.

More soon!

Andrea