Susan Khalje online class

About two weeks ago Susan Khalje released her first video class on her own website. This first class is for a cocktail dress, made from a pattern that you receive with the class. I was offered this class for free (lucky, lucky me and a big Thank you to Susan Khalje!) and as I had loved the couture dress class at Craftsy and having heard so many good stories from those who have attended a class in person, I certainly accepted the offer. Even though I don’t really have a need for a cocktail dress in the near future I was sure it would be a great experience (best thing apart from taking lessons from Susan Khalje in person).
I have not yet watched the complete course, but would like to share a my impressions on the course so far .
The class is about making a dress with couture techniques. Susan Khalje’s pattern shows 3 variations of the dress on the envelope. In the class she shows you the construction of the one shoulder dress. I like it, but would never make it, as it prompts the difficulty of the bra underneath for me. So I will make either view B or C when I start on this project. One of the things missing on the website is a clear picture of the dress (and its variations) prior to buying the class. I would also like to see views B and C made up.

That said you can of course use another pattern, the techniques covered are not specifically for this dress only. You’ll learn a lot that is useful in other projects too.
The course is detailed and clearly presented. It works from the muslin to the completed dress. There are detailed instructions for working with lace, how to work around the beads  (the lace Susan Khalje uses has lots of beads), how to finish, how to line and the little details that make it perfect.
A screenshot example of the subjects covered in the muslin chapter:

Contrasting thread is used in the video, which helps seeing it well and making it clear.
  
The pattern itself comes in sizes 4- 24, and because you will muslin it and have it fitted before you cut it from the final fashion fabric, it will be made to fit perfectly.
The pattern is printed on tissue paper. VERY important is that there are no seam allowances included. I love that, as I’ve written before I tend to cut off seam allowances when they are included or mark the seam lines anyhow. I have always liked to work with the actual seam line, mostly because that’s the way I learned it. European patterns always came (and usually come) without seam allowances.
The envelope and the pattern itself are not giving a lot of information. There is a size chart on the back in imperial values only. I’m very metric and have difficulty visualing every inch measurement that’s more than 4 inches (which is 10 centimeters), so it would have been helpful to have those too). Online conversion charts came to the rescue…
 
The course is not interactive like Craftsy courses are. I don’t think that is a problem as Susan Khalje presents the techniques well. When you buy the class you have 3 year access to the online videos. I don’t know the reasons why it’s limited but consider a class you take in person: when you leave the class you can’t go back and ask/see again wha’t’s done either. Making a lot of notes might be a good idea. And 3 years is quite a time to watch and watch again.
As it’s been some time since I watched Susan’s Craftsy class I’m not sure about all the differences. The initial steps of making the muslin are more or less the same, but the construction of this dress with lace is completely different. This morning I watched that part and it was great!
To me this is a great addition to the online resources about sewing high end (couture) garments and I’m looking forward to the other classes Susan Khalje is going to offer. There will be one or two that I will buy. It definitely is a great way to learn from a fantastic teacher when you’re (like me) too far away to take classes in person and want to take your sewing to a higher level.
Actually sewing this dress will be later in the year, I’m sewing up a storm (sewing mojo very much alive at the moment). Hope to show you 3 (!) summer dresses very soon.
Have a lovely weekend!

A Craftsy class review

In the past year I’ve bought quite a few Craftsy classes and have enjoyed some more than others. Past week a sale was on which you will not have missed, I saw quite a lot of links in blogland to them.  Today I entered my first review for a class on Pattern Review. I plan to add more on my experiences with the classes I’ve followed, but there are still a few I have to finish watching. I was rather disappointed in what I saw from Sandra Betzina’s class on pants fitting for example but still want to see the rest before I am too negative about it. The couture dress by Susan Khalje  was a wonderful course. I wrote about that course on my blog last year, though through various circumstances never got round to making the dress. Last week I bought Sewing on the edge by Lynda Maynard. I followed all lessons within 2 days and HIGHLY recommend this class which is about finishing the edges of your garments: necklines, armholes (tanktop, sleeveless top) and hems.
These are the subjects covered:

A few extra decorative ideas are added to the class, but the main focus is on clean, beautiful finishes. I tried one of the finishings for a knit based on the book (blogpost here ) and that was a success, but till now I never tried others.
Because I have the book I was a bit reluctant buying this class. As I had positive feellings about Lynda Maynards class on fitting (still not completely finished those lessons) I thought it might be worth to buy the video class and I am happy I did.
Lynda Maynard is a great teacher and she shows the steps of construction very clearly and is well prepared. She made sure that it is very clear which side is the right side of the fabric and what is the wrong side.
I learned quite a few tips and trics and it's easier to see her doing it then reading it all in the book. Though I'm sure happy to have the book too, which covers more than only these edge finishes.
Below a few screenshots from the class and the blouse I finished this weekend to fill the missing gap of white summer tops in my wardrobe. I used the double fold binding on the armholes. With Lynda’s method it’s more precise then what I did before (and honestly I mostly avoided them). 

ETA: just to be clear: the first 3 photos are from the class, not my work. Only the white blouse is mine.