Category Archives: Pattern Making

5/21 San Francisco Patternmaking Workshop at Britex Fabrics

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Britex Fabrics Drafting Collars

Top: Our Linen Palazzo Pant Jumpsuit; Bottom: Our Linen Colorblock Lowered-Waist Shirt Dress

Join me in San Francisco on Thursday, May 20, 2015 for a 2-hour patternmaking workshop on drafting collars at Britex Fabrics. I will discuss different collar types and demonstrate basic patternmaking techniques including a live demo on how to draft styles including the Peter Pan collar, Mandarin collar, and more. I’ll share some expert tips on pattern plot and manipulation, drafting undercollars, and applying interfacing to collars. This workshop is open to students of all sewing levels and may be particularly helpful to students looking to update and personalize existing sewing patterns that you use regularly, or those looking to delve deeper into fashion design and patternmaking.

Drafting Collars
Thursday, May 21, 2015 from 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Britex Fabrics
146 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Register Now
$25.00

Weekend Intensive: Skirt Pattern Making Class at Hart’s Fabric in Santa Cruz

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Swingin' Circle Skirt Dress with princess seam bodice in Nani Iro fabric

Swingin’ Circle Skirt Dress with princess seam bodice in muted pastels and polka dots

Join me next month in Santa Cruz, California for a special pattern making workshop at Hart’s Fabric on Saturday, October 12, 2013. This hands-on weekend intensive will focus on drafting your own skirt patterns based on your measurements, starting with a basic skirt sloper, or final pattern. Students will also learn how to design an A-line skirt pattern variation, in addition to drafting a retro-style circle skirt.

Jamie Lau Designs Circle Skirt

Circle skirt cut on the bias with Japanese fabric by Nani Iro

Basic Pattern Making: Skirt Sloper, A-line Skirt, and Circle Skirt
Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 12:00 pm-4:00 pm
Hart’s Fabric
1620 Seabright Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Buy Tickets
$85.00 class fee includes pattern paper
Supply list: French curve set, hip curve, 2″ x 18″ clear gridded ruler, soft tape measure, tracing wheel, tracing paper, mechanical pencil, eraser, red pencil, pins and/or pattern weights

Skirts are great foundation pieces for your wardrobe and can be sewn as separates, or incorporated into a dress by simply pairing with a complementary bodice pattern, such as in the examples below:

Jamie Lau Designs Striped Linen Sunset Dress

Striped Linen Sunset Dress featuring a basic bodice paired with a gathered-waist skirt with a coral, blue, black, and white gradient effect

Jamie Lau Designs Sweetheart Gingham Colorblock Dress

Gingham style colorblock dress in contrasting yarn dyed Japanese fabric featuring a sweetheart neckline and A-line skirt

Thanks for the awesome fabric, Hart’s! See you soon, Santa Cruz!

Jamie Lau Designs Hart's Fabric

Hart’s Fabric is an independently owned fabric store in California and has been open since 1969

 

Textured Geometry Dress x Britex Fabrics Guest Blogging

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Jamie Lau Designs Textured Geometry Dress

Textured Geometry Dress sewn in a striped cotton and linen blend styled with colorful oxfords

With New York Fashion Week just around the corner, I was inspired to create a high-fashion fall look using a heavier weight fabric for my latest Britex Fabrics guest blogger post. When I saw the thick, bold charcoal and oatmeal colored stripes on this textured cotton/linen/lycra blend, I immediately thought of playing with stripes and creating a strong, structured silhouette.

Jamie Lau Designs Textured Geometry Dress

Pattern play with stripes

I added asymmetrical style lines and cut the front bodice on the bias, keeping in mind the rule of thirds…

Jamie Lau Designs Textured Geometry Dress

The perfect prisoner’s (wardrobe) dilemma?

And paired it with an inverted box pleat skirt design for a fit and flare dress, with all the horizontal stripes lining up perfectly.

Dieppa Restrepo Cali Oxfords

Classic round toe oxfords by Dieppa Restrepo in red metallic leather

To complete the look, I’d add a pop of color with my red metallic Dieppa Restrepo leather oxfords for a more casual look. To dress it up, I could see this styled with some black and gold accents.

For a more “behind the seams” look at my pattern making process, check out my full article on Britex Fabrics. Love this dress? Email me at jamielaudesigns@gmail.com to place an order.

Jamie Lau Designs Textured Geometry Dress

Thanks again for the amazing fabric, Britex!

My Color Blocking Workshop at Pop-up Britex

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Beautiful textured fabric from Britex Fabrics in San Francisco

Beautiful textured fabric from Britex Fabrics in San Francisco

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I went to Britex Fabrics to pick out fabric for some dress samples in preparation for my upcoming Color Blocking Workshop in May with Pop-up Britex, a new monthly mobile sewing and textile class series. It’s so exciting to collaborate with one of my all-time favorite fabric stores and to have access to all four floors of colorful, high quality fabrics to sew my designs in. Some of my finds include luxurious Armani wool cotton blends and linens, bright floral textured Swiss cotton, contrasting large and small polka dots, and striped Guatamalan fabric.

I also had a chance to have my portrait taken at Photobooth, which is where the workshop will take place. The photographer was kind enough to give us a step-by-step, behind the scenes tour of creating an authentic wet-process tintype in their studio and darkroom. Registration is now open, and you can read more about the workshop description below:

Pop-up Britex: Color Blocking Workshop With Jamie Lau
Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm
Hosted by Photobooth
1193 Valencia Street @ 23rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Buy Tickets
$25 class fee includes all materials

Color blocking is a fashion trend that emerges time and time again on the runway and beyond. In this interactive and creative workshop, students will have access to an assortment of fabric swatches and use croquis templates to sketch out design ideas by combining two or more blocks of color in an ensemble. This can be for a top, bottom, or dress. Liven up an old sewing pattern or bring a simple silhouette to life through color blocking and explore the use of monotone, bright colors, muted colors, contrasting and complimentary colors, and more!

We’ll review examples as inspiration for creating your own designs, from Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic 1965 Mondrian dress to styles by modern-day designers. The instructor will also provide a live demo of altering two existing patterns to achieve a new color blocked look.

Pop-up Britex brings textile and design education to neighborhoods across San Francisco in collaboration with our favorite venues and artists. To help us sharpen our wits, Four Barrel Coffee provides drinks and bites for every pop-up. Special thanks to our sponsors Apparel Arts, BERNINA, and Photobooth.