All Year – Tuesdays at 8am

Age/Grade – For girls only, high school to adult

Class Size – 6

Course Description: 

Finding garments that fit, flatter and are stylishly modest is a tall order in today’s fashion food chain. Aside from paying high prices at specialty modest boutiques, learning to create your own garments from scratch can be a great alternative. If you’ve always wanted to create your own garments or are considering a career in the fashion industry, this will be an excellent introduction and provide lots of hands on experience.

We will briefly study fashion history and learn the basic principles of fashion design, including creating silhouettes, proportions, the ins and outs of fabric, fit and an understanding of what looks good on you and those around you. In the second semester we will learn flat pattern drafting and create garments from scratch. While the course material we will cover is fashion design, it will be specifically taught and targeted to show how it applies to you and your body.

Anyone who completes this class will be allowed to participate in the Fashion Show in May. Garments for the fashion show are subject to First Agape dress code and approval of the instructor.

Please note: One of the textbooks I will be using to teach fashion principles contains several classical female nude paintings for illustration purposes. I’ve looked for suitable teaching alternatives that do not contain nudes and have not found any. As with anything fashion related, especially when examining fashion history or web searching for homework, there will be varying degrees of female nudity. Otherwise, in the classroom, I will avoid it as much as possible. If there are any questions, please contact me.

Prerequisites: 

You must have a sewing machine, know how to thread it and have a basic understanding of how to use it. We will NOT be able to take time in class to help you fix or use your machine. If you have trouble with your machine for whatever reason, you will be expected to have it fixed outside of class for the next class and complete any in-class project at home. 

All enrolled students must take Basic Apparel Sewing during the first semester on Tuesdays at 9am and Fashion Lab during the same time slot second semester.

PLEASE NOTE: Because of the financial and time considerations involved in this class, I will be meeting with and interviewing the pairs candidates and their parents in August to discuss and assess commitment, and then prayerfully pick the students. First sign ups do not guarantee placement in the class.

Textbooks & Tools:

* Because several of the textbooks we will be using are expensive ($40-$60+ each), I will be ordering them book club style through my local library. All books will be required by due date or they will be subject to a $2 per day fine. The complete book list will be available in May.

* Sewing machine in good working order with the manual

* Basic sewing tools – pins, needles, tape measure, scissors, seam ripper, etc.

* Fashion design tool for 2nd semester – French curve, rulered straight edge, plastic wrap, rainbow pack of thin Sharpie markers, etc.

* Make Your Own Dress Patterns by Adele Margolis - $12

Optional Resources:

The Triumph of Individual Style by Mathis and Connor

The Fashion Designer's Directory of Shape and Style: Over 500 Mix-and-Match Elements for Creative Clothing Design by Simon Travers-Spencer

Fashion 101: A Crash Course in Clothing by Erika Stalder

Fashion Design Course: Principles, Practice, and Techniques: A Practical Guide for Aspiring Fashion Designers by Steven Faerm

Course Fees:

There is no specific course fee, but you will be expected to purchase supplies as needed. Expected material costs, not including basic tools and sewing machine: $100-$200 dollars.

I would love to partner with a parent as a fundraiser for supplies for those who would like to take the class, but aren’t able to financially. Please call me for information and details.

Instructor: J. Messenger :: 437-2591

Bio: I have been sewing since I was big enough to crawl up to my mother's sewing machine. I started sewing garments for myself 20 years ago. I have studied fashion history for the last seven years and fashion and flat pattern design for the last 4. I have a large portfolio of items I've created, including some notable celebrity knock offs. Contact me for more information or a digital portfolio.