Filming Sewing DVDs in Cincinnati and a Little Book Preview

I feel like the last three months, or rather the last year, have been a whirlwind of busy. It might not have seemed like it here on the blog, since I've definitely had to pull back online for work / life balance, but behind the scenes there has been so much going on.

As most of you know I signed with a publisher (F & W Media) last June and wrote my first sewing book. The book is now complete (though it's been out of my hands for quite awhile) and will be sent print any day now. My book, Sew Classic Clothes for Girls: 20 Dresses, Outfits and Accessories from The Cottage Mama (Size 12 month - 10 Years) will be released October 7, 2013. And let me tell you........I cannot wait!

My publisher, F & W Media, owns the Martha Pullen Company which has led to many new and exciting opportunities, one of which was filming two sewing DVD's in Cincinnati last week. The DVDs will be available at the same time as my book releases. Each one will be approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes and they will be available as regular stand-alone DVDs or available to watch through Martha Pullen Television (MPTV) or downloaded from the Martha Pullen website.

The first DVD is a companion to my book, Sew Classic Clothes for Girls. In the picture above, you are getting a tiny sneak peek as to what's in the book. All the pieces in the picture are patterns found in the book, but there are many more that aren't shown here.......we need a little element of surprise, right? The book is 95% garments in size 12 month - 10 years and let me tell you that there is not another children's sewing book on the market that contains this many full garment patterns for girls with so many different variations. I really wanted to give you a lot of content and patterns that you could mix and match to create many different, truly one-of-a-kind pieces. I hope you really like it!

The book companion DVD is where I walk you through step-by-step through many of the techniques shown in the book. The techniques are illustrated really beautifully within the book, but if you are a visual learner, you are going to love being able to see these techniques done right before your eyes. It's kind of like having a private, one-on-one sewing lesson! I take you through gathering, how to make your own bias binding, how to apply bias binding, how to make your own custom piping, how to insert piping into seams, lined garment construction techniques and the list goes on and on. Let's just say I didn't have a hard time talking for well over an hour.

The second DVD is all about pairing pattern fabrics and trims.......my favorite! Also, I show you how to transform my Charlotte Apron Dress pattern into this darling embellished knot dress. I walk you through constructing the entire garment as well as how to apply and make your own trims, how to use bias binding and so much more.

I thought you might like to see what the set looks like from a little farther back where you can see the cameras. There were three different cameras filming and moving at all different angles.

Here you can see how the three cameras are filming different angles. Kathy McMakin from Martha Pullen Company watched these screens as I filmed to make sure all the details of the instructions were caught on film. If something was missed during filming, the crew would go back and film it again without me saying anything to have the proper footage for editing. I don't know what I would have done with Kathy (and her side-kick Charlotte), they truly made this such a lovely, stress-free experience.

Here is a trim board where I talked about the different types of trims and how to use them.

Here is a super-cheesy picture of me with the lovely Baby Lock Ellisimo Gold Sewing and Embroidery Machine that I got to use during the show. This machine is such a dream. And I adore the folks over at Baby Lock......such a great company!

I had a truly wonderful time filming. I use to be a musical theatre major (singing, acting and dancing) and actually attended school at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, so it was strange to head back to the same city to be in front of the camera again. I finished my degree in Chicago as a finance major, but theatre, acting and stage will always have a big part of my heart.

I can't say I wasn't nervous to film these DVDs.......I was nervous, for sure. I wondered if I would choke under pressure or would stumble over my words? I tend to be a worrier and can get myself so worked up over things that are out of my control. So I tried to take a very relaxed approach. I had an outline for each one of my DVDs, but didn't have a script or use the teleprompter that was provided. I simply pictured myself in the classroom teaching a sewing class and told the camera everything I wanted the students to learn. It felt natural and organic and not at all rehearsed or forced........let's just hope it comes across that way on screen. I haven't seen any of the footage yet, so fingers crossed!

Martha Pullen herself flew in to film with Joan Hinds (author 'All Dolled Up' and many other doll clothing books) who was filming right after me and Kari Mecca (Sewing with Whimsy) flew in the day before I left too. It was a special time to get to visit with all these women who share the same passion and love for sewing as I do. To even be considered as part of their circle was just such an honor. I found myself at dinner the night before I left taking a moment to take it all in and be truly present in the moment. I thought, wow, I want to remember this night and experience forever.

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Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion ~ Teaching Recap

I just got back this past Monday from being away for eight days teaching sewing classes at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. It was such a wonderful and memorable experience, but I am so happy to be back home with my husband and little ones. I was so incredibly flattered when I was invited to teach at the School of Art Fashion. I knew that the teachers at this school were truly legends in the heirloom sewing world, so to be included in this group was very special to me. The school takes place twice a year......in February and July.

To be honest, I didn't know quite what to expect upon arrival. I knew about the school prior to teaching, but I had never attended and didn't really have much of a visual about the event. I even 'google' searched it to find some pictures, but came up short, so I just brought what I thought I needed and decided to go with the flow.

I arrived in Huntsville, AL on Sunday, February 2nd, 2013 to teach for a full seven days. I have never been to AL, but it turns out it is only an hour and a half from Chicago by plane. And it also turns out that Alabama folks have the most charming accents I have ever heard. Oh, they all just sounded so sweet.......'Bless Your Heart'......I loved it!

 Inside The Cottage Mama Classroom

Outside The Cottage Mama Classroom

I prepared my classroom for seven days of teaching. I brought all sorts of samples of my sewing. Most of them were my patterns or things that we were sewing in my classes, but I also brought some other pieces that I just really loved. I hung things on the walls inside the class and on the outside as well.

 Ruby Ruffle Pre-Day Class

At the School of Art Fashion there are three days of pre-day classes and then a four-day school. I taught three different, day-long classes during the pre-day with different sets of students and then had the same group of students that sewed with me for the full four days in my school.

I was also give an assistant for the week. I don't know what I would have done without my assistant, Terri. She had previously worked for Martha Pullen, attended the school as a student and worked as an assistant prior to helping me. She was a wealth of information and made me feel so at ease with everything. Not to mention that she was very quick to pick up on some of my (somewhat) complicated sewing tricks so that she could help assist the students. I'm so thankful that I had her help!

So what did we sew? In my pre-day classes I taught the Shortcake Double Ruffle Dress, the Ruby Ruffle Dress and the Janey Jumper. In my school, I taught a new variation of my Charlotte Apron Dress pattern, machine applique and embroidery, a double layer twirl skirt, bloomer capris and two embellished shirts.

Also, during one of my classes the students expressed interest in learning about how I pair and select fabrics for garments. So we took a mini-field trip to the Martha Pullen store at the school and I tried to show them the method to my madness. It's kind of hard to explain what I do, but it was helpful for me to be able to pull several different bolts and discuss pattern, color and scale with them.

Here are some of the students busy at work sewing, tracing, cutting, ect.......

 Cort, Lyn, Michelle and many others......

 Christi

 Michelle from Handmade Martini

 Inside The Cottage Mama Classroom

 Ruth

 Kathy

 Connie and Teresa

I loved my students. I was very blessed with a wonderful group of women who were all so sweet and excited to be there creating with me. We had wide range of ages which was a lot of fun. The entire Martha Pullen school ranged from age 19 to 86, but I'd say the majority of my students were mothers and grandmothers with younger children. I had so much fun looking through their iphones and seeing all their precious little ones.

And I was so flattered when I found out that Michelle from Handmade Martini (pictured above in the mustard colored sweater) had driven five hours just to take this one class from me. Can you believe it? And Christi (the red head pictured above) was also a blog follower who took one of the preday classes with me. It was great to connect with these younger ladies and I'm so glad we had some extra time to go to lunch together. I think we would be friends if they lived close by. You can check out the incredibly sweet post about the Martha Pullen School from Michelle by clicking here.

Charlotte Apron Dress Kit

Each class has a kit that is given to each student upon arrival. I selected all of the fabrics, trims, buttons, ect. Then they had a list of extras that they had to bring (basic sewing supplies, thread, and some other extras). Each kit also contained the pattern needed for each garment.

 Embroidery Thread in The Cottage Mama classroom

We had a lot of fun doing some machine applique and embroidery on the apron of the Charlotte Dress. Darlene, my wonderful machine educator that was in my classroom all week, had some great tips and tricks. I encouraged the students to get creative. Three of my applique designs were actually digitized by Darlene and in all of the students machines so they could use those if they wanted (a strawberry, owl and bird) or they could choose a built in embroidery design. It was very exciting for me to see them all go in different directions and create something different.

In addition to the classes there are several other events such as lunches with amazing sewing and embroidery machine giveaways, a banquet with little children modeling different gorgeous garments constructed by students and teachers, a barbeque, and teachers selling night (where I sold my patterns) and a table top clinic (where teachers each demonstrate different sewing projects or techniques).

 Liberty Lawn

(yes, I did finally give in and purchase some)

 Antique Children's Garments from Martha's personal collection that were sold via silent auction. All proceeds were donated to charity.

 Lace. Lots of Lace.

 Dresses and Rompers all gathered and ready for smocking.

Also, there is a giant pop-up Martha Pullen store in the center of the event. There is everything from quilting cotton, linen, silk, lace, ribbon, patterns, books, notions and so much more. I tried to keep myself out of there as much as possible, but I finally caved and bought some things on the very last day. You should have heard the buzz around the school when they had silk dupioni on sale for $5.00. It is so much fun to be around other women who are just as obsessed over quality fabrics as I am. And the ladies who attend the School of Art Fashion take it to a whole new level. I love it!

So I've shown you a lot of my experience, but what's even more impressive is the work from this talented group of instructors hired by the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. Here are some inspirational pictures from some of the other instructors classrooms......

Pieces pictured above from Kari Mecca

Pieces pictured above from Connie Palmer

Pieces pictured above from Lezette Thomason from Children's Corner

Pieces pictured above from Trisha Smith of Trisha's Treasures

There was also a new Baby Lock school taught by Joi Mahon teaching students beginning draping and adult fashion design. I only heard amazing things from the students about their instruction from Joi. Above are some original creations by Joi and the students with their original fashion designs. It was amazing to see!

And finally, here I am with the one and only, Martha Pullen, herself. Martha, in a nutshell, is just simply amazing. She has a presence that brings a room to a complete stand-still. She has a faith that is unwavering. An energy that is completely contagious. And a business savvy that is to be admired. And on top of all that, she is a 70 year old woman who can still rock a pair of gold sequined uggs. Yes, she is that fabulous.

Like I said before, it was truly an honor to be invited to teach at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. I knew that going into this event, but I was told time and time again by the students about how honored I should be to be teaching. I was quite young in comparison to most of the teachers and to be lumped in with this amazingly, talented group of instructors gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. 

I'm not quite sure how I've ended up where I am today, but I am thankful and grateful and truly blessed.

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