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6817 N May Ave Oklahoma City, Ok 73116
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Mannequin Dress Form



This is a favorite for many students, and it's one of the most amazing tools I can help you make for your sewing studio because have you ever reached behind yourself to fit yourself - well, you can't so don't think you can. And what's even better is that you can stand away from the mannequin and fit it just like an expert would fit you (on it's you doing the fitting so it's even better than an expert). The mannequin I use is one that you can pin to, iron on AND if you change shape, it's a matter of altering the cover, and then zipping that cover back up to give you your current shape - and that's even if you're planning to loose some weight or gain some. It's not that hard. The dial-o-matic mannequins have their limit in proportion (or what the company things should be your proportions) to your shoulder width to shoulder to waist height - what happens if you're sway back?....a little?....a lot? Well, you're sunk, cause that mannequin can't show that. The tape or wrap mannequins are fine, but you really can't pin to those and you certainly can't iron to them. Lastly the Cadillac of forms, the Wolf Form, is great, but after you pay about $700 - $1200 for the form, then if you change shape, you have to buy a completely new one. That's not a lot of fun either. The Uniquely You form is not the cheapest but not the most expensive, but it is the best use of your money for what you will end up in the end. This class takes two days, and wear something that easy to slip in and out of as we will fit you a lot in the form. Cost is $120 and you can sign up at Bernina of OKC.

http://clairekennedydesign.com/classinfo/SupplyListforMannequin.pdf
Skill Details:
ALL
Requirements:
Uniquely You Dress Form Kit with Cover Sewing Machine Denim needles All purpose thread
Instructor Name:
Claire Kennedy
Instructor Bio:
Claire Kennedy

Claire is from Oklahoma City. She is a life-long resident of Oklahoma having been raised in a small town in NE Oklahoma, Pawhuska. She is fortunate enough to have traveled and has had a love of fashion since her first Barbie doll, where most designers start. She has clients mostly in the Southern Plains as well as others parts of the country.
Claire started sewing for her Barbie, and after introductory sewing classes, mostly concentrating on bibs, towels and other projects, became bored with the field and left it for almost 20 years. She met Erma Johnson Roberts in the late 1970's who shared her love and expertise and they began a life-long love of designing and execution of those designs.

The most rewarding and challenging part of what Claire learned was fitting. She felt this was the key to looking good in just about any style in just about any body. "All I have to do is 'listen to the fabric.' It tells me where to take in and where to let out. There are an infinite number of body types, and each body became a new challenge....a puzzle to figure out. I could care less whether the body was politically correct thin or thick. This was all a matter of putting together 2-dimensional pieces so that they fit a 3-dimensional shape! It's a puzzle!"

Claire's fitting techniques naturally had another benefit, other than working through the puzzle of fitting. "All my clients began to realize that they could fit into pants, ball gowns, short/long dresses, thin skirts, full skirts - just about anything they wanted. Frequently I heard how comfortable they were. I was always astonished at this, because this is what I was all about -- fitting to the body. But I found I was fitting to the mind as well. When several of my clients had certain phobias or sensitive areas of their body, I would fit around those sensitive areas, as well as the physical fitting of the body. " Claire's reputation was cemented as not only delivering a garment that was pretty, appropriate and creative, but also that felt as good as it looked. Her clients are not only pleased, but amazed at the comfort and enjoyment of the designs that Claire regularly delivered to her clients.

Claire starts with a muslin. Muslin is a cotton, unbleached fabric. The muslin is fitted then pulled apart and a final pattern is made from the muslin. There is a fitting in the fashion fabric as it is often a different body and needs fine tuning. Usually a hem and some small detail work will finish the gown. This process normally takes about 6 weeks, but has done dresses in shorter time.

"My greatest challenge is not the design, or what I can do, it is the fabric. This is even more evident by the recent announcements from Hancock's and Wal-Mart to close some of their stores and Wal-Mart to close its fabric departments. Custom dressmaking is a fine art that has for the past decades been on the decline. The two traditional best sources are Los Angeles and New York, supported by the entertainment industry - Los Angeles by the movies, and New York by theater, but also as it is the national center of fashion. But sewing is making a comeback and is making a resurgence in popularity. Here's a link from a recent article in Time Magazine about the rise in interest in sewing. I'm looking forward to stores opening up outside the NY/LA area!

"I see so many gorgeous fabrics on my travels that it is hard to communicate their beauty to my clients. I suppose I do this with my enthusiasm. Some fabrics leave me speechless, and I treasure my trips to find fine fabrics. It is truly 'eye-candy' for me. I've been lucky enough to have traveled to Europe, Canada, Japan and Hong Kong to establish contacts throughout the world. "

Mannequin Dress Form

Cost:
$ 120.00
12 hrs