Mil fashion at

A NEEDLE and thread can be your ticket to
freedom from the restrictions of retail fashions.

Settling down to scissors”

and sewing machine may
demand more effort than
walking through your local
shoppirig mall, but consider
how often it is difficult to
find ready to wear fashions
that fit well and look good.

Today almost anyone can
create a beautiful outfit.
Sewing is not a craft
maintained by a talented
few.

According to Nancy
Reimersma of the Albee’s
Sewing Centre, a_ select
group of manufacturers no
longer have absolute control
over certain fabrics as they
did 10 years ago. Now the
opportunity is there for
anyone to sew absolutely
anything and everything they
wish.

Ten years ago bathing suit
material was rare and
colors were drab. Now
bolts of material entice the
sewer with jewel colors,
vivid black and whites or
delicate floral patterns in
stretchy soft lycra’s.

Shoppers have just
recently been able to buy
fleece-lined stretch fabric
and shiny, bright coloured
four-way stretch materals,
necessary for the in-
creasingly popular work-out
suits and dancersize outfits.

Reimersma points out that
sewing with the new
materials would have
created extreme difficulties
on the old sewing machines,
but they too have changed
and are now equipped with a
large variety of stitches,
making sewing a breeze.

More classes are offered
every day for novice and
expert alike, said
Reimersma, and those classes
at Albee's are booked as
quickly as they are posted.

“Many people are learning
to sew in mid-life,” said
Charlotte Excell of Saba’s in
the Park Royal Shopping
Centre. “They haven't a clue
how to sew, but they just
jump in and do it,” and are
pleased at what they can
achieve.

Because more time and

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effort is invested in sewing a
garment, people need
personal attention when
purchasing materials and
patterns. -

“Department stores seem
to be cutting down on their
fabric sections and more
small fabric stores are
opening up,” said Leslie Jane
Tyrell of Leslie Jane fabric
store. “That personal service
that is expected is just not
there in the large stores.
People seek a-lot of advice
from us.” ;

“They often lack con-
fidence and have a hard time
envisioning what the pattern
and material will look like on

ewing your own

customers resisted. They
grew up with polyester and
no-iron fabrics and liked the
convenience and easy care,
said Tyrell.

Finally, shoppers have
converted and there seem to
be no regrets.

Besides the airy comfort
of the natural fibres, the
sharp drop in prices par-
ticularly in the silks, has
encouraged shoppers to
change over, according to
Charlotte Excell. “There are
many more colors and
texturds available in the
silks. There is a great deal
more choice for the sewer.”

As for the creases Tyrell
maintains that unless
someone is driving for four

hours or wearing a silk dress.

CHOOSING THE PROPER stitch becomes
easy with many features on the new sewing

machines.

Here, Nancy Riemersma, the

manager of Albee’s Sewing Centre in
Westview Shopping Centre, demonstrates the
new line of machines available to the home

sewer.

try to give subtle hints,
guiding them away from the

wrong fabric for their
pattern,” said Tyrell.
Tyrell warns against

choosing cheaper materials.
Some styles may be fine in
that fabric but more often
than not, a dress made with
inferior quality material will
end up staying in the closet.
“You wan't know why you
don't like wearing the dress,”
said Tyrell, “but in reality it
is the cheap fabric that
makes it hang wrong.”
Every year fashion
designers have introduced

linen and silks in the summer
every year

styles and

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them We help them out and ©

Lm

C3 - Wednesday, September 7, 1983 - North Shore News:

hiking, the wrinkles remain

soft, small and unobtrusive,

not harsh and large as those
in synthetic fabrics. .

“Some more of the
snobbish people even call
them
wrinkles that indicate what
good quality the material is,”
said Tyrell.

Stripes are everywhere
this year, in every facet of
fashion. Excell gives some

_ tips to the first time sewer.

“Allow extra material for
matching fhe stripes and
watch out for one-way

stripes. To make sure about |

the direction of the stripes,
lay out all your pattern
pieces in the same direc-
tion.”

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