Sewing with the King!

 

I had the great good fortune to spend the weekend sewing with Kenneth D. King.

I participated in what Kenneth calls a "mini sit-and-sew" held in his Manhattan studio, just a stone's throw from Union Square. 

Sit-and sew sessions are limited to just two people and you work on whatever project (or projects) you choose.  You get as much input and guidance from Kenneth as you need, whether it's related to fitting, pattern drafting, sewing techniques -- you name it.  The experience was inspiring and so much fun.  Outside of a traditional classroom setting, I'd never sewn with anyone before. 

One project I worked on was a sloper I'm drafting for my client Kelli using Kenneth's moulage method.  I'd done quite well on my own but Kenneth helped me see where I could make additional tweaks to improve the fit.  A challenge I sometimes have is to transfer sloper adjustments to the paper pattern accurately.  It was great having Kenneth right there to show me exactly how to do this.





Kenneth also brainstormed with me about how I might finish the wacky knit sweater I started last week.  We tested a few neckline possibilities and found one that really looked cool.  Stay tuned!



Finally, Kenneth helped me come up with an ideal method to add support to the facings in Leah's coat, since the nylon taffeta fabric by itself is rather flimsy.  I was thinking fusibles, but Kenneth talked me out of it: they wouldn't stay fused past the first dry cleaning, in his opinion.  He suggested using a combination of hair canvas and cotton muslin stitched together.  The two layers (canvas and muslin) are attached using a serpentine stitch just inside the stitch line.  The canvas is then trimmed up to the stitch line so that only the muslin gets attached to the outer fashion fabric.  I'll use this canvas/cotton combo in the facings as well as the upper and lower collars.







Apart from all the excellent guidance I received, I also got to sew on Kenneth's marvelous Bernina sewing machines -- a treat.  But best of all, perhaps, was just getting to talk sewing (and life) with a true master.

You can find dates for future mini sit-and-sews, as well as contact information, on the event page of Kenneth's website here.

Have a great day, everybody!

An unexpected treat was getting to see Kenneth's fabulous new pants, hot off the sewing table!