Shearling Jacket

Shearling is lamb leather or suede with the wool still attached. It comes in a variety of colors, lengths and finishes.
This is a shearling coat I just finished for my husband. It is a very dark brown/black suede with a bit of a distressed finish. The wool is short, tightly curled and is called snowy top. The underneath is a dark brown and the top is cream colored. I used Neue Mode pattern 23090 with lapped seam construction. All of the seams are double topstitched with Gutermann topstitching thread. The buttons are horn buttons. I made bound buttonholes and stitched a patch of the shaved suede to the wrong side to finish them off.
The Academy of fine Sewing & Design www.finesewing.com is offering a Shearling Jacket workshop November 12-16, 2008.

Designer Scarves

Here are a variety of men's and women's scarves I have recently completed. The North Bay Film Festival organizers asked me to create 2 men's scarves as gifts for actor Rupinder Nagra and producer David Miller of the film Amal. Amal is one of Canada's top 10 films this year.
The first scarf is made from a piece of ruched taffeta and chenille yarns I purchased in Paris. It is in shades of black, navy and red. I made it wide and long enough to wrap around the neck and tie in a big knot. I used some of the selvedge as a fringe at the ends.
The second scarf is an opera/evening scarf made from a beautiful piece of silk crushed velvet purchased in New York and co ordinated with satin. It is in shades of olive, brown and burgundy. I basted the layers together to prevent the velvet from creeping. For more tips on sewing with velvet see my article in the Oct/Nov 06 issue of Vogue pattern magazine.
Shown on the shearling coat I made for my husband is an alpaca scarf. I knit the faux cable scarf out of Baby Twist from Alpaca with a Twist. The pattern was designed by Margaret Della Rossa of Village Yarns in Toronto. Contact www.villageyarns.com for His 'n Hers Winter Accessories pattern and/or kit.
The red alpaca shawl/scarf is perfect for Valentine's Day! I knit this out of 100% alpaca from Misty Alpaca. The pattern I used is #077 Silk Alpaca Babushka from Mac & Me www.macandme.net
It is worn with the V in front and the ends wrapped around the neck and tied. The lace edging is 12 rows of knitting picked up along the edge once the shawl is complete.

Leather Skirts

A leather skirt is a simple first project to make out of leather. Here are 3 skirts done in lambskin. The straight skirt was made from Ce Podolak's Fearless Skirt #103. The green suede skirt was made from a Vogue pattern. I used YLI Pearl Crown rayon to embellish the seams. The A line skirt with yoke was made from a Simplicity pattern. All have an invisible zipper closure.
I will be teaching a 2 day Leather Skirt workshop at the Oakville Sewing Center February 15/16. Students will meet at Perfect Leather in Toronto the first morning to purchase their skins. More information is available from http://www.oakvillesewing.com/index.php?iid=classes_fashion

Ron's Leather Shirt

Here are photos of Ron Collins latest shirt done in leather! Ron was inspired by my new Sewing Leataher CD and has done a terrific job of creating a gorgeous leather shirt complete with snap buttons and lacing detail. Ron will be in North Bay teaching a shirt workshop February 7-10. He is always a popular instructor with lots of information to share. Contact kathryn@finesewing.com for information and details.

Shearling Workshop

We have just completed a five day shearling workshop here at The Academy. Shearling is lambskin leather or suede with the wool still attached. It comes in a variety of colors and lengths. Two students shared a bundle of shearling and made the same jacket using Vogue pattern 8340. One student used long hair Tuscano lamb. Another student lapped the seams of her cream colored shearling allowing the hair to be seen. The last student used Vogue 1266 to make a full length coat. Great job done by all!

Designer Shirts February 7-10, 2008

Ron Collins is returning to teach a 4 day Designer Shirt workshop Feb. 7-10, 2008. Students will create a "one of a kind" shirt as they learn techniques on constructing shirts. They will modify a shirt pattern for a perfect fit. Ron will share amazing information not found in pattern instructions, but used in the "ready-to-wear" industry. Collar bands, double yokes, plackets, cuffs, buttonholes, fusible interfacing, seam finishes and other details will be covered. You will be inspired by the many creative treatments Ron has added to his basic shirts. Here are just a few samples of what is in store for workshop participants! For more information and a registration form contact the Academy at kathryn@finesewing.com

Designer Denim Workshop with Ron Collins

Ron Collins was a guest instructor at The Academy teaching students Designer Denim techniques. Here are some of the finished results. Several students made jeans using Sandra Betzina's Vogue 7608 pattern. The fit was good and students got creative with their topstitching and back pocket designs. One student used a Marfy jean pattern and one student designed and drafted her own jacket pattern. Great results by everyone!