Behind the Scenes at our School of Art Fashion Class

Sunday concluded a whirlwind week for us here at Martha Pullen Company – our July School of Art Fashion wrapped up after 7 full days of sewing classes, shopping, special events and more! (Not to mention, we were racing our final deadline for the September/October issue of Sew Beautiful.) But all said and done, we had a fantastic time getting to meet some of our faithful readers and soaking up all kinds of new ideas.

With Associate Editor Amelia Johanson visiting for the week from Ohio, our two sessions on publishing your work in SB were a great success. We hope to see lots of submissions from new designers coming our way in the near future – you are an extremely talented bunch. Don't forget that you can always submit your article ideas to SB! We will create a file for your submissions and review them for consideration at our semiannual editorial planning sessions. Send a picture of your piece(s) and a brief description to kathy@sewbeautifulmag.com. Be sure to specify your article's focus!

Editor Kathy Barnard taught her first ever Pre-Day Class, Beyond the Basic Bodice, where students learned new drafting techniques for modifying a basic bodice dress into 6 different looks. Our students were awesome and Kathy and I had so much fun sewing with everyone. We have put together a little video/picture montage of her class to share with those who couldn't attend. We hope to see all of you in February for the next School!



P.S. Spend five minutes visiting the rest of the school at our other montage with lots of videos and pics from Lace Camp! Click here to see it. Special thanks goes out to our web designer Stacie, who puts together all of our videos for us!

Emeline's Diagonal Lace Christening Gown Dress

I was just thinking this morning that we could use something fresh and beautiful from a reader to share on the blog this week, when I returned from lunch to find this gem in my e-mail box! Cindy Farmer sent in these pictures of her size 3T daughter wearing this beautiful dress that Cindy made for her. What's really cool about this dress is that it's an adaptation of Martha's Diagonal Lace Christening Gown, which SB designer Wendy Schoen teaches as a Pre-Day class at our School of Art Fashion:

Cindy wrote, "Wendy thought it would be a good idea to make it into a dress to fit my daughter [...] The changes that I made to make it a toddler dress were simple. There is plenty of room in the dress, and I think Emeline will be able to wear it next year as well. This dress was so much fun to make. As always, Wendy was a really great teacher."

Want to take the "Martha's Diagonal Lace Christening Gown" Pre-Day class with Wendy Schoen? There are still spots open at next week's School of Art Fashion, both in Wendy's pre-day classes and her Baby School! We would love to see you there. Register to attend on our website or by calling 800-547-4176 ext. 4.

Thank you so much for sharing your work with us, Cindy! Don't forget that we are always looking for gorgeous samples from our readers to share on our blog. Send your masterpieces to blog@sewbeautifulmag.com for consideration.

School of Art Fashion Seminar: Publish Your Work

Are you attending our July School of Art Fashion in Huntsville, AL? Join Kathy and Amelia at our free SB seminar to learn about getting your work published in the magazine!

Have you ever considered submitting your work to Sew Beautiful magazine? Do you wonder how we find our wonderful designers? Much of what is featured on SB pages comes from readers themselves. So often, it’s just a matter of having confidence in your work and being able to put together a simple proposal.

Join Sew Beautiful editors Kathy Barnard and Amelia Johanson as they present “Publish Your Work,” at a FREE informational evening session from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21st and from 7:30-8:30 a.m on Friday, July 23rd in the South Hall Welcome Area.

Find out how they plan each issue, discover what makes an article or design appeal to the editorial staff, learn how to present your work in the best possible light, and receive a list of editorial guidelines, including a calendar, which reveals the best times to submit your projects. You could be our next Sew Beautiful designer!

To sign up for these FREE classes, call Sis or Kerry at 800-547-4176 ext. 4 today! Also, check our School of Art Fashion website for updates and Student Supply Lists, as well as schedules and other info. There is still time to register!

Emma Jane's Sassy Skirt and Embellished Sweater

Would you believe it if we told you that the 12-year-old gal in these pictures is also the seamstress of these great pieces? It's true - reader Cindy Farmer sent us these pictures of her daughter Emma Jane and her latest fantastic creations. Color us impressed!

Cindy tells us, "The skirt is a strip skirt and the sweater is an 'altered sweater'. The skirt yoke pattern was redrafted to a size 14 from Sassy Skirts (Children's Corner). The strips and hem band did not need a pattern. The idea for the sweater came from Sandi Henderson's book, Sewing Bits & Pieces."

Emma Jane has been sewing for 5 years and will be attending the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion for the fifth time this summer. If you don't already know about them, you must check out our kids' Schools for that we offer during the School of Art Fashion! We have 3 schools - one for teens (high schoolers), one for older kids (middle schoolers), and one for younger kids (3rd-5th graders). Scroll all the way down to the last 3 sections on this page for more information. We all know that getting our younger generations involved in and educated about sewing is vital to carrying on the tradition.

We think Emma Jane has loads of talent, and obviously has a long sewing career ahead of her. We can't wait to see what she makes!

Sew Beautiful presents...

Sew Beautiful is excited to announce that we are now the official sponsors of the biannual Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion! Join us for our upcoming 2010 summer School, which takes place locally here in Huntsville, Alabama, July 19th – 25th. SOAF registration information is now available on the Martha Pullen Company website, including a downloadable PDF brochure.  You can also find the entire School brochure in print on the pullout centerfold of the upcoming May/June issue of Sew Beautiful, #130.

We are also pleased to announce our first ever SB Pre-Day class, "Beyond the Basic Bodice", to be taught by our very own Kathy Barnard, editor. In our 3-hour notebook-style class, you will use a basic girl’s bodice pattern to learn a variety of easy drafting techniques for designing five completely different bodices from one single pattern. Scroll down to #41 on the Pre-Day Classes page for more information.

Registration for the School of Art Fashion begins on March 31st. Don't procrastinate -- you don't want to miss out on snagging your favorite classes before they fill up! Visit the School website for more information, and look for our special preview article about the School and our sponsorship in issue #130 of Sew Beautiful.