Sewing knits workshop with Liesl Gibson of Oliver+S on November 13th

Hello everyone...

Yes, it's true!

Liesl Gibson (the creative mind behind the Oliver+S patterns) will be visiting us on Saturday, November 13th to teach a workshop.

The class will focus on tips and tricks for sewing with knits, and if you thought that sewing with knits was only for those who had tamed and conquered the serger, be not afraid! Liesl is going to teach us how to sew on knits using either a sewing machine or a serger...yay!!!

For those of you out there who don't know Liesl's impressive background, let me fill you in.

She received her degree in Fashion Design from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (yes, that's where they film Project Runway!) and then began a career designing for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

In 2008, when she was unable to find children's clothing patterns to suit her taste, she did what any industrious, creative gal would do, and launched her own pattern company, which became Oliver+S. Since then, Oliver+S has become wildly popular, and Liesl has added the title of "fabric designer" to her resume... her first line for Moda, called "City Weekend" debuts this September, with a second and third (!) line to follow.





















"City Weekend" (see Liesl's own video introduction to the collection here) is made up of the quilting weight cottons we all know and love, but the collection also contains an assortment of soft and cozy interlock knits, which brings us back to the workshop on November 13th, where Liesl will be teaching us how to sew with knits.

In the workshop, students will choose between two of the new fall 2010 Oliver+S patterns: they will have a choice to work on either the Hopscotch Top or the Nature Walk Pants. The Hopscotch Top can also be made as a dress or nightgown, and the Nature Walk Pant is a yoga-style pant, designed to be a comfy choice for boys or girls that would also be great as PJ's.















































The workshop is open to students of all skill levels: even someone who has never made a garment before will be able to finish their project on the day of the workshop. Liesl's expert, insider tips and instruction coupled with the excellent written directions and illustrations in the Oliver+S patterns make this workshop a great opportunity for anyone, and I will be there, for sure!

I've never sewn with knits before, so I am anxious to get the inside scoop. We have recently started carrying interlock knits at the shop and are expecting our shipment of "City Weekend," including the entire selection of the knits, any day now. My plan is to make the Hopscotch Top as a dress/tunic for my little sister Johanna, who is 12 years old (did you know that the Oliver+S patterns now go from size 6 months up to size 12 years? Fabulous!), and then take away what I have learned about knits and use that knowledge to one day stitch up a tunic in a knit fabric for myself. I won't be able to use an Oliver+S pattern for my own garments, but I will be armed with all those tips and tricks for sewing with knits and I can apply those principals to any pattern designed to be sewn with a knit.

If you would like to join Liesl and me at the Sewing with Knits Workshop, it will take place on Saturday, November 13th and the cost is $100. The workshop will begin at 10:00 and end at 4:00. There will be an hour break for lunch where we will all make the trek over to my house and everyone will be treated to a delicious meal (maybe I will make another batch of Amanda's soup!) and then that evening, Liesl will be giving a presentation about her history in the textile/pattern designing world with time for Q+A's and a sneak-peak at some of her upcoming projects.

I don't know about you, but given Liesl's busy schedule and her amazing background, I think this is a great opportunity and I am so excited to be hosting her at our own little shop. Several of the slots in the class are already taken, so if you think you would like to partake of the workshop, please call us at 207 563 5002 and have your credit card number ready to reserve your spot. The price of your ticket includes the teaching fee, lunch and a ticket to the presentation/Q+A session, but students will be responsible for purchasing their own Oliver+S patterns and materials, all of which are available at the store at a 10% discount.

If you would like to only attend the evening's presentation/Q+A session with Liesl, I will have more information about that soon, so stay tuned!

Well, thanks for reading all of this and if you have any questions you can let me know in the comments section and/or e-mail me (rhea@alewivesfabrics.com) and I will get back to you ASAP!

Talk to you again soon...

XO,

Rhea

PS... The wedding flowers workshop went great and I will post again soon with pictures!