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New chambray patterned fabrics!

May 11, 2017 12:00:00 AM


Pretty patterned fabrics have just appeared on our website!

These chambrays are fluid, perfect for sewing a dress, a shirt and children's clothes.
The chambrays are 100% cotton.


 

 

Which pattern do you prefer?

 

 

On our side, we fall for small bikes...

 

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Comments Posted in News By Amandine

Bird cloth Sirli baby romper pattern!

Mar 13, 2017 12:00:00 AM

The baby romper sewing pattern is finding more and more followers! Thank you very much. Notably to Caroline from une Souris à Paris for all her versions, in particular that of the bloomer.

It' s the occasion for us to rework the pattern so that it corresponds as well as possible to your expectations. In the coming weeks, you will find the model in a new pocket with the addition of the 24 and 36 months sizes.

Our little A also often wears his Sirli romper . That sewn birdie version looks good on him, doesn't it?

For information: The little A is 12 months old, 77 cm high, 8,5 kg. He wears the romper in size 9 months. It' s just a little tight at the waist.

For more comfort at waist level, we advise you to use a mesh elastic band . much softer than a classic ribbed elastic.

The fabric used is the beige bird cottonade, we also have the grey and the blue one .

Take some single piping or Lurex to make the outline of the romper!

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Comments Posted in News By Amandine

The pattern maker job

Oct 22, 2015 12:00:00 AM

Pattern making is an integral part of our job. This job is relatively unknown from the public, but nevertheless exciting and at the base of any ready-to-wear collection production.

Following presentations on the A&A Patrons history and our work today, we wanted to offer you further on pattern making job and take the opportunity to understand the realization process of a ready-to-wear collection.

Modélisme chez A&A patrons

We are a small independent structure, so we can practice a very different working way than large companies. The pattern making we carry is very complete because we can develop each of the models from A to Z.

To better illustrate our work, we propose this scheme representing the cooperation with the customer, the dressmaker and clothing factory:

schéma métier de styliste, modéliste

So you can observe that the pattern maker is involved in every step of the collection production! Even when it's time for the dressmaker or clothing factory to intervene, everything is prepared and supervised by the pattern maker.

After the collection production, the pattern maker can also intervene to perform quality control of each of the garments. To verify that each garnment complies with the technical specifications (dimensional and assembly control).

The A&A Patrons technical department can handle any type of collection, whether in women's fashion as well as men's and children's fashion.

The pattern maker work in independent consulting firm such as ours, requires a lot of special skills: strong experience, accuracy (help by design software such as Vetigraph and Grafis), good fabrics and haberdashery knowledge, mounting techniques and finally a good amount of strength to handle stress facing collections deadlines imperatives.

Did you already know the pattern maker profession? Did this article inspire you?
To go further you can also visit our presentation "Fashion design, pattern making, grading".

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Comments Posted in General information By Amandine

You start sewing or you sew already for a while and now, you can find the patterns with or without seam allowances. When you are a novice, you get lost and you do not understand the "why and how" and when we used to sew, we are adept of "with seam allowances" or "without seam allowances."

 

Pattern and seam allowances

 

As a professional, I will try to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Patterns without seam allowances (or seam allowances not included)

First, working without seam allowances allows you to check all assembly lengths coherence: for example, does the collar fit the neckline where it will be mounted? What is the value of the ease (*) of a sleeve? etc ...

Within our design office all patterns are developed initially without seam allowances, we also digitalize without seam allowances and then we check with one of the tools of our software all coherence lengths (see above, but also the side seams etc ..).

So if you buy a pattern without seam allowances, you will have to add them on the fabric and make a mark

Advantages: assembly accuracy for fine finishes and facilitates all delicate assemblies, easy to modify because you know where is the original outline of the pattern. For a model which you are not sure, you can take the precaution to add larger seam allowances for a fitting.

Cons: this method is long because you have to add the seam allowances accurately and you have to do the pattern outline marking, so you need good marking tools, accurate and lasting the time of your assembly.

Going back to our design office, when we have checked all our pattern, we add the seam allowances because they are patterns for industry and all of the adjusment fittings were made, then we adapt the seam allowances to the assembly type and to the manufacturer's(**) hardware. 0.5 or 0.7 or 1 cm etc ... following sewing types.

 

Transfer seam line with roulette

 

Patterns with seam allowances (or seam allowances included)

So if you buy a pattern seam allowances included, you don't have any additional work to do on the fabric, you can set up, pin and straight cut along the pattern edge, you just need to know the value of the reserve.

Advantages: much faster to cut and assemble, no sewing lines to match.

Cons: if the assembly is very technical, you don't have the pattern outline mark to guide you, it requires great sewing techniques mastery. The seam allowances have been set, you do not have much room to maneuver in case of fitting.

 

Our conclusion: prefer patterns seam allowances included for all simple clothing that you don't want spend too much time.

But if you get into the "beautiful" for which you want the hang perfect which implies some fittings, if you are precise and meticulous take a pattern without seam allowances.

 

Lexicon:

*ease: the sleeve head is always slightly larger than the armhole, on which it is mounted, this difference in length is placed, assembling, at the top of the sleeve over a small distance from both sides of the shoulder line. These are not gathers, it's a mounting ease, ie we play on the ability of the fabric to absorb a small difference in length when sewing. This ease allows to garnish the round part of the shoulder without the sleeve pulls.ease: the sleeve head is always slightly larger than the armhole, on which it is mounted, this difference in length is placed, assembling, at the top of the sleeve over a small distance from both sides of the shoulder line. These are not gathers, it's a mounting ease, ie we play on the ability of the fabric to absorb a small difference in length when sewing. This ease allows to garnish the round part of the shoulder without the sleeve pulls.

**manufacturer: outsourcing company dealing only with sewing clothing collections

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Comments Posted in Tutorials & tips By Nadine

Romantic Clothing Japanese Couture Book

Feb 19, 2015 12:00:00 AM

couture Romantic Clothing book

In the series of sewing books "Seamstresses Secrets ", here one dedicated to romantic clothes.

these sewing books of this set are translations from japanese books.

You will find 21 sewing models awith their explanations with pictures accompanied, of course, with full size patterns.

Many of today models are presented: tunics, shorts, dresses, skirts, blouses and pants.

This sewing book has many models in eyelet lace (broderie anglaise) which provides a very romantic feel.

The patterns are available in S, M, L and XL sizes, but be careful to properly compare your measurements with those of the book.





Details
:

Dedicated activity Sewing
Title Romantic clothes
Author Ruriko Yamada
Publisher Les Éditions De Saxe
Release date November 2012
Price 19,50 €


What we liked:

The models presented in this book are relatively simple, and therefore ideal for beginners for sewing. The presentation is original bringing a nice vintage look to the work. There are the basic sewing: Bermuda shorts, blouses, simple dress, a little buttoned blouse, trousers with elasticated waist ... The explanations are in the form of diagrams, step by step, very clearly at the end of the book as we usually find them in Japanese sewing books.

If you want a simple book to start sewing clothes for you, this book will not disappoint.

Another plus:

A community blog dedicated to Japanese fashion presentes all these seamstresses works made from this book:The Japan Couture Addicts. To see all the achievements from the Romantic Clothing book, it's here.

 

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The different tools to trace in sewing

Nov 19, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Our A&A's designing works allows us to test all fabric tracing patterns methods.

But what are the tools used and what are they for? We will attempt to answer these questions in detail.

In sewing, drawing on fabric is a must for
1/ Report outline of your pattern and mark the seam lines
2/ Draw seam allowances which also correspond to the cut lines of your fabric
3/ Transpose the seam lines on the other fabric layers

Pencil, marker and chalk to draw on the fabric
What are the tools to draw on fabric?The fabric tracing is very important to mark the values seams and your pattern outline on your fabric and the sleeve marks, etc... There are many tools which can have a different use depending on the medium and the desired accuracy.


- The chalk: The most widespread drawing tool, the tailor chalk, available in several colors allows to produce moderately coarse lines on different colors fabrics at lower cost, available on a-et-a.com in 3 colors set: white, red and yellow. The chalk must be trimmed regularly to stay quite fine and accurate, it requires so a chalk sharpener (here blue).
- The chalk roulette: is generally used for wool but requests that the seam is carried out in the aftermath because the powder disappears quickly. Its layout is thinner than traditional chalk.
- The pencil: more accurate than chalk, pencil needs to be purchased in several colors to match different fabric colors. It too must be trimmed regularly with a pencil sharpener to gain accuracy.
- The mechanical pencil: may exist with more or less thick leads, the more accurate is the 0.9 mm mechanical pencil allowing, unlike chalk or pencil, a thin and precise line. It is ideal for drawing, there are some with thick chalk (here in red), white (here in purple, from Prym)or with pink, white and blue chalk refill (here in red and metal). The eraser can erase the lines directly, if not, as for chalk and pencil, the line goes in the wash.
- The fineliner: the fabric fineliner can have different thicknesses, those presented come from Clover, they have the advantage of a clear blue light marking but well visible which readily disappears with water.
- Lines marker : allows you to draw with a fabric that clearly marks the fold as wild silk. Is used for instance when you can not make pencil line because the fabric is clear or transparent (see our Clover model here).

roulettes pour tracage tissu

Once the drawing done, it is important to copy the seam lines on the other fabric layers. You then use the famous roulette, carbon paper and a cutting board to avoid damaging your table.

Transposing seam lines with roulette

To transpose your sewing lines, you only need a cutting board, some carbon paper contrasting over your fabric and place over your fabric cut pieces to be transposed. You then draw your pattern layout with the roulette which will transpose the corresponding dots on the other fabric sheet through carbon paper.

We have several tools choices for this:

- Classic roulette : Vintage wooden fabric roulette. Handy roulette with a nice beech handle.
- The ergonomic roulette: Very nice because this roulette fits snugly to the hand. This is the roulette that we normally use in our design department.
- The double roulette: it is used with another method which consists in tracing first time the pattern outline along the seam allowance and then trace by hand, on the other side, the pattern outline.
- The carbon paper: essential to copy your pattern outline, the carbon paper is available in several large sheets of different colors (here 3 sheets 54 x 42 cm in red, white and blue). This copying paper allow to copy many outlines and can be used very long.
- The cutting board: thick media to protect your table, the cutting board allows all types of work: copying lines with roulette, cutting with rotary cutter, etc... Available in 2 sizes in a-et-a.com here.

Japanese rule and sewing patchwork

- The 50 cm sewing Japanese rule: essential element for all designers who respect themselves;). This 50 cm Japanese rule can easily transpose seam allowances on your fabric thanks to its in cm horizontal and vertical scales. Our Clover rule has even a 1.5 cm green contrast part corresponding to the seam allowance commonly used. Japanese rule is also essential for all pattern designings.
- The rectangular rule: very convenient for drawing parallel lines on the fabric because it maintains the fabric due to its large area, it also prevents the fabric from moving when drawing. It can also be very useful for rectangles paths and throught the fabric bias, it is ideal for patchwork work.

And you, what tracing tools do you use in sewing?

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Comments Posted in Tutorials & tips By Amandine

New knitting pattern: the Manu pullover

Jul 8, 2014 12:00:00 AM

In summer months, the novelty ... knitting! A big fat work, a pullover for men.

And yes, for this type of project, it is best to pre-empt:

We present you the pattern pullover for men "Manu" to knit with Ambiance of Fonty. It is available in sizes S - M - L - XL - XXL and can be knitted with 3,5 and 4 needles. A simple pattern with a touch of originality by its shawl collar. Ambiance wool is so soft that the pullover could be worn directly on the skin!

Pullover knitting pattern for men Manu

Pullover knitting pattern for men Manu

Knitting pattern sweater shawl collar

Knitting pattern sweater shawl collar

No more excuses for men, arm yourself with your knitting needles: now you can knit your own sweater!

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The youngest of our sewing patterns is out! We propose, in line with the baby's vest Tangara, a small baby's set to make in organic jersey: The baby's vest and shorts Kiwi..

Sewing pattern : Baby's vest and shorts Kiwi in organic jersey

The set can be done with a sewing machine or better, with a serger. The pattern has been designed to make it easier for beginners: the cover of the pattern comes with two full size boards and corresponding explanation booklets. We made an illustrated step by step to easily and visually follow the explanations of each of the patterns.

photo illustrated explanations, baby's vest Kiwi

The pattern of the baby Kiwi set can be achieved with organic taupe jersey et a green flowers bias, so it fits to both boys and girls!

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A&A just released his new sewing pattern ! : the baby vest Tangara.

It is made ​​of organic fabric with small squares that you find on the website here. Explanations were made with care and are accompanied by pictures or diagrams for each stage of implementation. This is a very simple pattern that is quite suitable for beginners.

The baby vest pattern size in 3, 6, 12 and 18 months. It can be an ideal gift for Christmas!

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Free pattern : Zpagetti basket

Apr 9, 2013 12:00:00 AM

Spring is back, it's time to get back to crochet !

We present a free pattern to crochet with Zpagetti yarn from Hoooked available on the website

A quick round basket to achieve using a hook No. 8 or 10 (hook pattern available here) :

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