Fitting With Kenneth King

Why do I never remember to take photos at workshops?  I don't know, so there are no photos of my wonderful day of fitting with Kenneth King yesterday.  Sew Right in Bayside, Queens has regularly scheduled classes with Kenneth.  I took the moulage class with him last year, which helped me with fitting, but I still have issues so I signed up for his fit clinic.  There were seven of us and we had to bring a muslin of our garment and a clean copy of the pattern on white paper.  I brought my second  muslin of my planned leather Moto jacket from Hot Patterns.

The moulage class didn't draft a sleeve and that's where my issues continue to be.  There were some other minor issues so I am improving.  There is a side panel to this jacket and Kenneth added a side seam, one, because it is a large piece and I am using leather, and two, he was able to  shape the side seam for a more flattering look.  He also raised the back neck  since this is an outer jacket and this will keep the wind out.  He added a little at the bust, but he just added it to cf.  Something I've never done before.  He adjusted the collar to fit. He undid the armhole and sleeve changes I had made which were incorrect.  I always find the muslin fine until I put  the sleeve  in and then it binds.  Lowering the armhole was not the solution because the whole jacket rises when you raise your arm.
I needed a little more width to the biceps.  His formula is that the amount of ease you add to your arm at the shoulder, measuring that amount snugly is the same amount of ease that needs to be added to the biceps measurement. If I've got this right, measure your armhole in the pattern and subtract your arm/shoulder measurement and that is the amount of ease that you need to add to your biceps measurement on the pattern.   I will make one more muslin and then onto the jacket.

There will be another fit clinic in April, probably on the 15th if you want to take it.  He's a great teacher and he is happy to answer any fitting question, not just about your muslin.  After marking our muslins he transferred the changes to our patterns.  Sometimes, as with my added bust room,in surprising ways.  I learned a lot from watching him fit the other women and asking questions.

 Sew Right is also offering another moulage class in February.  It's on 3 Sundays and worth every penny.  Laurie, who handles all the classes is having a hard time filling this one, so if you live in the metro area I really hope you'll give it a try.  What's better than a group of women obsessed with sewing and a great teacher?

My sweater set is finished, but I will write another post on that one.   I've  made 4 muslins on my  jeans, well actually about 7 considering my first attempt using a copied and enlarged pair of rtw didn't work and I cut my losses. I am using  Hot Patterns Dressy Jeans because the crotch shape works for me.  Currently they are about half way done, but in a corduroy for my first finished pair.  I probably should have made another muslin but I ran out of cheap denim.  I ended up making a full pattern because of my high right hip. Without pockets I don't bother, but this makes it easier to get the pockets to match.

Basically my sewing time has been consumed with fitting muslins.  It looks like I will get a great fitting pair of jeans out it as well as a  leather jacket that fits.