Have risen and taken breakfast in the Lady Denman Resturant we were at our workstations by 9.00am.  The day began with aking and recording our measurements, from which our tutor esetimated our sizes and gave us each a pre-made callico bodice/come straight jacket which were worrn and pinned to our body shape.  These meaurements have now been transferred to paper and have created our own block templates that we each now have to take away and can form the base from which we can create more items of clothing at home to our own exact size.

Using our block template we have each created a new pattern unique to each of us nd based on our choosen design, mine is plain and simple with no sleeves others have chosen far more complicated deigns with pleats and wrap overs.  The word of the day has to be bossom. I dont think I have ever heard it used so often in the course of 12 hours !

There is not much time to relax during the day its full on classes right up until 9.00pm but I managed a half our walk around the grounds after lunch.  Here are some pictures of the gardens and the architecture

 

At the end of day two most of use are ready to start transferring our pattern shapes on to our fabrics and start cutting there was even talk of sewing tomorrow.

Appolgies for typos I only have a mini keyboard and a small tablet and very tired eyes.

Hope you all enjoyed the WI meeting this evening and the new tea regime went well.  More from Denman tomorrow

Regards Jacqui

Hello Everyone

I arrived safely at Denman College for The Sew A Vinatge Dress course.  The college is set in some lovely grounds which I hope to have time to explore tomorrow.  The residential rooms are mainly in small blocks of four rooms  away from the main house.  I am in the Oak block and my room is West Sussex each room is named after a federation so I assume their is a Middlesex room somewhere.  I understand that each federation had input as to how the rooms are decorated.  Here is mine its very spacious and apart from no TV its very well appointed.

We took tea (and cake) in the garden on arrival as the weather is so nice.  Then once unpacked it was back to the main house for the welcome meeting and the standard in  case of a fire run like hell talk.

Dinner was an excellent three courses and a chance to meet some of the other students.  Then at 8.00pm our first session which for the seven frock makers was a relexed hour looking at our fabrics and the patterns we wanted to make.  We have 4 x 50s styles and 2 x 20/30s style.  And would you believe it one lady has the same fabric as me the floral print.

Though I am still undecided between the daisy print or the floral

Welcome back after the summer break I hope you all had a good one.

This month Lesley and Kit will be demonstrating some fun kitchen science.  It will be relaxed evening with plenty of time to chat, compare tans and catch up.

I wont be at the meeting as I am at Denman college for the week learning to  sewing a vintage frock but hope to be able to keep you up to date with my experience by posting my news and progress here each day.  At the October meeting I will either wear the dress or bring  a bag of rags for recycling – depending on my success.

Change of programme. Unfortunately our flower demonstrator is unable to make the October meeting as she has been called for jury service and wont have the time during the day to prepare the evening, Instead we have a lovely member and professional milliner from Teddington WI to demonstrate and let us have a go at making a Fascinator

Flower arranging will be rescheduled for next year

 

Enjoy the meeting