Clone Your Clothes: Learn to Make Sewing Patterns From Your Favorite Wardrobe Pieces

Learn how to create a sewing pattern from existing clothing in your wardrobe, without taking it apart!

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Do you have beloved clothing items that you wish you could duplicate? Think vintage pieces, one-of-a-kind thrift store finds, and discontinued styles from brands of yesterday.  

In this 4-part weekday evening course, professional patternmaker Ruby Gertz will guide students through her method of tracing off existing garments, without taking them apart. 

Each week we will focus on a different type of garment: cut-and-sew knits (think tee shirts, tank tops, and leggings), pants (including jeans or fly-front trousers), and button-down shirts. Students can bring a fourth garment of their choosing on the last week.

The course is open to folks of all genders 18+.

Students will have a first draft pattern of at least 3-4 garments by the end of the course. Skills and concepts covered include pattern drafting on paper, grainline, seam allowance, pattern trueing, basic dart manipulation, fabric identification, and reverse-engineering construction techniques.

CULTURE OF CONSENT:

By signing up for this workshop, you are agreeing to our ground rules of using body neutral language in the space. We will dedicate some time at the beginning of class to discussing expectations and group norms in more detail. 

LOCATION & ACCESSIBILITY:

This class meets once a week for 2 hours from 6:30pm-8:30pm, in person, over 4 weeks.

The Spokes & Stitches studio is located in Firehouse Arts Germantown, at 5231 Germantown Avenue, B06, Philadelphia, PA 19144 (United States).

There is plenty of free street parking along Germantown Avenue, and the 23 SEPTA bus stops right in front of the building at the corner of Germantown and Bringhurst. There is also a bike rack in front of Tipsy Cafe, next door. We are a half mile walk from the Wister stop on SEPTA regional rail.

Unfortunately, the studio is on the basement level of the building, down a flight of stairs, and not wheelchair accessible.

POLICIES

This course will run with a minimum of 3 students and is capped at 6 students. 

What does this mean? If a workshop is under-enrolled two weeks before the workshop begins, the instructor reserves the right to cancel the course and offer registrants the option to defer registration to the next course date or receive a full refund. 

If you plan on traveling to Philadelphia from out of town for a workshop, I strongly encourage you to make sure all bookings are refundable or have the option to be rescheduled.

Workshop registrations are non-refundable. Please double-check your schedule before signing up to ensure you are available on all dates the class meets.

DO I NEED TO BRING ANYTHING?

Each week you will need to bring a garment that fits the parameters of the class (please make sure your garments are clean and do not wear them to class):

Week 1: Tee shirt, tank top, or leggings

Week 2: Jeans or trousers with a fly-front (zipper) closure, or other pants

Week 3: Button-down collared shirt

Week 4: Garment of your choosing

Each student will receive a materials kit consisting of a tracing wheel, C-thru ruler, mechanical pencil, and pattern paper. There are also communal tools in the studio (curved rulers, tape measures, scissors, etc.) that you can use throughout the workshop.

DO I NEED SEWING EXPERIENCE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS?

Yes. While patternmaking and sewing are different skills, it is recommended that you have at least basic to intermediate sewing skills and an understanding of sewing patterns before taking this class. If you have never sewn clothing before, this course may feel challenging. 

HOW DO I USE MY PATTERNS AFTER THE COURSE?

The instructor will provide a resource list of books and indie sewing patterns that contain instructions for constructing these styles of garments. However, design variations may require a bit of creative thinking and deductive reasoning. Part of the patternmaking process is reverse-engineering the construction process. We will discuss these concepts, but we will not be doing any sewing in this class.