Back to School! - Week 2

So...I went back to college for week two of my Level 2 Pattern Cutting and Construction course.

Technically, this was my first proper week because the previous week was just induction, but I'm calling it week two because...well, that makes more sense in my head. 

Measuring each other

The first part of the lesson was all about taking measurements.

We paired up and worked from a measurement sheet, with one column for our own measurements and another for the person we were measuring.

I'm quite used to measuring myself and other people, so most of it was fairly straightforward.

There were a few measurements I don't normally take though, including around the upper arm and the ankle, so it was interesting to add those to my measuring repertoire.

We took the usual measurements too: high bust, full bust, chest for men, natural waist, hip, seat and so on.

One thing I found really interesting was seeing how different everyone's bodies were, while some of our individual measurements were exactly the same.

Two completely different bodies can have the same shoulder measurement or the same ankle measurement, for example.

It really does show how much more complicated fitting is than simply saying "I'm a size 12."

And then I got to measure a man

Because we had an odd number of people, one group had three people instead of two.

So once I would finished measuring my partner, I went over to see if they needed any help. And that meant I got to measure a male figure.

There isn't anything dramatically different about taking the measurements, but it was interesting to see where those measurements sit on a male body compared with a female body.

For example, the hip measurement is taken differently, and men don't necessarily have the same rounded shape through the seat that you might see on a female body.

It was one of those little things that you understand much better when you're actually standing there measuring someone.

Then came the homework...

At some point, our tutor announced that we had homework. And I thought...Homework?! What homework?!

I would assumed the whole lesson was going to be about measuring each other but apparently, once we would finished measuring, we were supposed to start working on our skirt block.

And by this point, we'd already been in class for around an hour and a half or two hours.

So instead of taking the homework home, we just started it there, which was very useful because I don't have time to do homework at home anyway.

The standard size 12

Our skirt block isn't based on our own measurements.

For this part of the course, we're all working from a standard size 12 from the Winifred Aldrich book.

I think it would have been much more interesting to create the block from our own measurements, but I can also understand why the tutor has done it this way.

With 17 people in the class, it makes it much easier to make sure everyone is working from the same measurements and following the same instructions.

Of course, a lot of us immediately compared the standard measurements with our own. And...not one person was a perfect size 12, which really shouldn't come as a surprise.

I have been working with sewing patterns for years, and this is something I see all the time. Real people simply don't fit neatly into one size.

One person's measurements might be bigger than the chart in one area and smaller in another.

We even had someone whose measurements went beyond the size range in some areas, while being smaller than the smallest sizes in others.

That's just how bodies work.

And then there's height.

Even if your measurements happen to match a standard size, your proportions can still be completely different depending on whether you're taller or shorter.

The Winifred Aldrich book actually has adjustments for this, showing which measurements need to be added or removed depending on your height.

That was another interesting thing to see.

Making our skirt blocks

Once we would finished going through everything, it was time to actually start drawing our skirt blocks.

Originally, there were supposed to be eight of us, so we could all comfortably work around the large table.

With 17 people? Not so much.

Everyone had to spread out around the room and find their own little workspace.

We were making our blocks on heavy cardstock, which came on a roll.

Our tutor started cutting the cardstock for everyone and when I realised how much there was to cut, I offered to help. I thought it would be better for her to spend that time teaching and answering questions while we were getting on with our own work.

I ended up cutting the cardstock for everyone, with another two or three people helping me hold it down because it kept folding back on itself.

Eventually, we had 17 pieces cut and distributed.

Then we could actually get started.

Squaring everything off

The first thing we had to do was square off our block properly. This sounds like a small thing, but it is obviously quite important. If your block isn't squared correctly, your finished skirt could end up sitting wonky.

So we spent some time getting everything lined up before starting the actual drafting.

Once that was done, everyone got on with their own block.

Some people worked together, some worked in groups and others worked alone.

I was quite happy working by myself.

I put my cardstock on the table, got my measurement chart and followed the instructions in the book.

Luckily, I would made my own trouser block from the same book about a year ago, so the process wasn't completely unfamiliar to me.

And the skirt block actually required relatively few measurements, so I got through it quite quickly.

I actually finished!

I managed to finish my skirt block before the end of the lesson. I even started cutting it out.

And then our tutor told us she needed to leave because she was getting picked up which meant, we would finish about 20 minutes early.

Everyone packed up and took whatever they needed home to finish. 

I was STARVING

There was another lesson I learned that evening. 'Take food and actually eat it.'

I would packed myself a sandwich and some dessert that my partner had prepared for me but I didn't eat it. Partly because I was too busy. And partly because I wasn't really sure whether we were allowed to eat in the classroom.

I have never eaten in a classroom before, so I didn't want to be the person sitting there munching away while everyone else was working.

By the time I got to the tram, I was absolutely starving and exhausted.

Next time, I'm finding a corner and eating my food.

 

And I'm still forgetting to tap out

Unrelated to the course...but I have done this twice now!

I get on the tram and tap in with my phone. Then I arrive in town, get off and immediately think about getting to class. And forget to tap out.

Last week, I ended up paying £9.20!!! for my journey there and back because of it.

I think if I actually tap out properly, the whole journey should be around £5 (still expensive to be honest!).

So let's see if I can remember next week.

 

A little fabric sharing

There's one more thing I wanted to mention.

I work at Lyons Fabrics, and I would told my manager that I was starting the pattern cutting course.

She got very excited about the idea of me making a sample book and immediately started giving me fabric samples.

Some of them were from companies that have actually gone into liquidation, so they are no longer trading, but the fabrics themselves are still available from other suppliers.

I already had quite a collection of samples at home, so I took some into college because I thought there would only be eight people.

Of course, there were 17.

So I didn't want to give them to some people and not others.

Instead, on the journey home, I gave some of the samples to the two lovely ladies I've been travelling home with.

I have had them sitting around for ages, so why not share them?

I like helping people and I would much rather someone actually get some use out of them than have them sitting in a drawer at home.

 

And yes, I brought my knitting

When I am not chatting to the two lovely ladies I travel with, I don't really want to spend an hour sitting there scrolling through my phone and I wouldd rather make something.

So I have got my knitting with me and that's what I do on the journey. It's a much better use of the time.

 

So that's week two

And that was my second week back at college.

We measured each other, started our standard size 12 skirt blocks, learned a little more about how differently bodies can be proportioned and, of course, I managed to forget to tap out on the tram again.

I'm really enjoying the course so far.

Even though I already sew, there is something really useful about being in a classroom and having someone explain the theory and technique behind what we're doing.

And I'm already looking forward to seeing what we get onto next.

I'll be back next week with another update.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Bye for now, B! xx