Sunday 18 September 2022: Online Workshop

Geri in Stitches - Sunday 18th September 2022 - 2.00pm to 6.00pm (BST)

Online Interactive Workshop: The Gojiberi Dress

We are so excited to welcome a brand new tutor into the CraftyMonkies family - Geri Berman, better know to her legion of followers as Geri In Stitches! What a talent Geri is, not only a brilliant dressmaker, but a great teacher with a passion to share her skills learned over many many years. Geri is such fun and this class is going to be amazing! She has come up with a great idea, The Gojiberi Dress, a class where you can choose what you want to make: either a blouse OR a dress and all based on a core tee-shirt design! Read on for more information, we think this class will be hugely popular!

Introduction by Geri:-

Let’s draft and sew The Gojiberi Dess in this CraftyMonkies online course! The Gojiberi Dress features a V-neckline, dolman sleeves, and a gathered skirt that begins at the bust or under-bust line. Its roomy and oversized fit makes it the perfect dress for warm weather. The dress is made without any closures, and is worn by pulling it over the head, which makes it easy to sew and easy to wear.

We will draft the pattern pieces with the help of a basic T-shirt that fits you with comfortable ease. Then we will go over the sewing order and sewing techniques required to sew up the dress.

There will also be options presented to modify the dress to your liking. For example, a shorter gathered tier converts the dress into a blouse. Adding more gathered tiers will create a longer dress with more volume and movement. The sleeves can also be modified by adding ruffles, instead of finishing the sleeve hems with bias binding.

The Gojiberi Dress is very versatile and can be dressed up or down, depending on the fabrics used and the different style modifications that can be applied to it.

The size of the dress will be customised according to your body measurements with the help of a T-shirt that fits you. Using this method, the dresses can be drafted for a range of sizes!

So let's get crafty, unleash your creativity, and sew up a Gojiberi Dress.

What You Will Learn in this Online Interactive Workshop:-

In this workshop, you will learn a way of drafting your own handmade clothes with the help of a basic T-shirt as a pattern block. We will touch on simple drafting skills for an empire line bodice, and how to draft a gathered skirt and sleeve ruffles based on the measurements of the bodice. The sewing techniques covered will include sewing front bodice pieces to the back bodice, finishing the neckline and sleeves with bias binding, and creating gathers for the skirt and sleeve ruffles.

Skill Level for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

This workshop is geared towards a beginner or intermediate quilter/sewist. Makers will need to have the basic knowledge of using drafting-rulers and cutting with fabric shears, using a sewing machine and sewing a straight seam.

Material Requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

• Woven fabric (refer to the section below for details)
• The main drafting tool is a basic round or V-neck T-shirt that fits you with comfortable ease. Please avoid using a tight-fitting T-shirt
• Drafting and sewing tools include: measuring tape, matching sewing thread, pins, plastic drafting ruler (2” or 5cm wide), French curve (optional), fabric shears, sewing machine, serger (optional)
• An erasable marker like a Pilot Frixion pen to mark the pattern directly onto the fabric. If this is not available, dressmaker’s chalk or pencil can be used.

Fabric Requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

Fabric Choice: I highly recommend using a light to medium weight woven fabric. Since we are going to draft the dress directly onto the fabric, it is best to choose a stable fabric that does not shift and move while handling it. Fabrics suitable for this include cotton or linen, which are easier to cut and sew with. Avoid fabrics that have too much drape and fluidity, like some silks and viscose/rayon for your first version of the dress. I also suggest that you consider your first make of the dress as a wearable toile, so use fabric that is inexpensive, thrifted, or leftover from a previous project.

Once you figure out the dimensions of the dress that fit your preferences, then you can move on to cutting out more precious fabric for future versions. In addition, I would choose a plain fabric to work with for the practical purpose of seeing the drafting lines clearly on it. For your first go at it, avoid printed or patterned fabric which would require pattern-matching.

For a Gojiberi Blouse with a hem that ends at the hip, an estimated 2 - 2.5 metres of fabric will be sufficient.

For a knee-length Gojiberi Dress with one gathered skirt tier, an estimated 2.5 - 3.5 metres of fabric is required.

If adding more length to the dress, or adding more gathered tiers, then factor in additional fabric.

Equipment Requirements for this Online Interactive Workshop:-

• Sewing Machine
• Serger (optional)
• Drafting Tools: erasable marker or pen or dressmaker’s chalk or pencil, measuring tape, 2” or 5 cm wide plastic ruler, French curve (optional)
• Sewing Tools: matching sewing thread, pins, fabric shears

Pattern Information Relevant to this Online Interactive Workshop:

There are 4 main pattern pieces that we will be drafting for this workshop:-

- Back Bodice

- Front Bodice

- Gathered Skirt or Blouse Tier

- Bias Binding

Additional pattern pieces for the optional sleeve ruffle or additional gathered tier:

- Sleeve Ruffle

- Additional Gathered Tier

The bias binding can be cut beforehand from the self fabric to save yourself some time. If you already know how to do so, please cut strips of fabric on the bias 1 ⅝” or 4 cm wide. We will need about an estimated 1.5 m of bias binding to finish up the neckline and the sleeve hems.

Additional Information for this Online Interactive Workshop:

We will be taking some basic body measurements in the class to make sure the bodice fits, and the most important measurement is the bust measurement. Make sure that you are wearing a bra (if you are going to be wearing a bra with the dress) during the workshop when taking measurements, and wear a top that is more streamlined to the body.

To give you an idea of fabric choices, requirements, and sizing, here are some details of the sizes of the models and the fabric used for your reference.

Liyan is an 11 year old girl with a bust measurement of 28 inches (71 cm), and stands at 1.5m tall. Her T-shirt size is XS, and the fabric used is leftover Liberty London Cotton Lawn, and (1-1.5 m of 140cm wide fabric) was used to make her blouse.

Geri has a bust measurement of 33 inches (84 cm), and is 1.6m tall. Her T-shirt size is S/M, and the fabric used for the striped multicoloured dress is a light-weight cotton (2 m of 140cm wide fabric used). The white dress with an additional gathered tier is made from a lightweight, cotton-polyester blend (2.5m of 150cm wide fabric).

Batel has a bust measurement of 39 inches (99cm), and is 1.7m. Her T-shirt size is L/XL, and the fabric used for her ruffled sleeve dress is a lightweight dark blue twill denim (3 m of 150cm wide fabric).

Tickets for this Online Interactive Workshop (via the Zoom platform) will be limited & allocated on a first-come/first-served basis! If applicable, any free pattern, or other information, relevant to this course will be forwarded to you after booking and approximately 5 days before the course date. The ticket price of £40.00 is based on ONE person attending this crafting class.

This CraftyMonkies Online Interactive Workshop is being broadcast from the United Kingdom and the class time given is based on Greenwich MeanTime (GMT). We advise you check via Google Search (or similar) to see corresponding start-time in YOUR location! Here's a great world time zone reference:-

https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

Ordering MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT Online For Any Class/Workshop!

In light of the ongoing situation regards potential delays with supply of certain materials/fabrics/equipment from around the world due, please ensure you book your place & order any materials/fabrics/equipment online in plenty of time ahead of course dates.

IMPORTANT!

This class is live but will also be recorded. All ticket holders will be sent the recording following the broadcast if they attend or not!