Sew Inspirational

Palmer Pletsch FIT and SEW Education

Palmer / Pletsch – Pati Palmer

Pati Palmer has been teaching sewing for 30 years. She conducted seminars throughout North America and Australia for 15 years, traveling 26 weeks per year, before establishing the Palmer/Pletsch International School of Sewing in Portland, Oregon in the USA, where she now trains consumers and sewing educators. She is the author of 10 sewing books, editor/publisher of 20 more books, 11 how-to DVD’s and creator of 8 Palmer/Pletsch sewing notion products. For full details visit Palmer/Pletsch Publishing www.palmerpletsch.com

In 1986, Pati, after buying the business from Susan Pletsch, started 4-day workshops, then held only in Portland, Oregon. People came from all over the world, initially to learn to use the overlocker. Gradually Pati added workshops in Fit, Pant Fit, Tailoring, Couture and Beginner Sewing. In 1991, she added teacher training and 100’s of teachers have graduated with Certification. Her certification programme is the first world-wide sewing instructor certification program. Teachers continually return to Portland to add skills. It is not a franchise, but a teaching programme with strictly a continuing education purpose.

In 1999 Sue Neall was invited to become a Director of Education for Palmer/Pletsch, to expand the availability of training, and consumers and teachers have now also been training in Sydney, Australia, for the past 10 years. Now that schools are generally not teaching sewing, the pioneering education efforts of Palmer/Pletsch will make history by helping to keep sewing alive for the 21st century.

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA 2009 Workshops:

From 1980 to the present Pati has designed and written instructions for more than 100 patterns for The McCall Pattern Co. Prior to that she designed for Vogue. From the beginning, Pati’s approach to sewing and patterns has been revolutionary. For example, she created a “fit” pattern for McCall’s (2718) with five fronts for the various bra cup sizes, along with something unheard of – alteration lines printed right on the pattern tissue, so you can fit as you go.

McCall’s asked Pati to do a new line of patterns targeted to the baby boomer. Fit For Real People patterns debuted in June 1997 and are named after her book of the same title. FIT for Real People, coauthored by Marta Alto, was first published in May 1997. Fit has always been Pati’s specialty. Having fitted thousands of women, she has developed workable techniques that ensure that any size can use a commercial pattern and obtain a perfect fit. Her patterns differ from all others in that each pattern has lines printed on the pattern tissue to tell you WHERE to alter the pattern for each particular figure alteration and the guide sheet tells you HOW to determine your particular needs and transfer your requirements to the tissue. Each pattern style is a little self-contained fit package. The range specialises in classic designs that once fitted, become long-term staples in every wardrobe plan.

“Fit Expert” is how McCall’s Pattern Co. presents Pati in its catalogue. Besides conceiving of the designs, Pati writes the pattern instructions herself, thereby ‘holding the hand’ of the sewer with her fun, easy-to-read writing style.

Why sewers prefer Palmer/Pletsch sewing books and patterns:

• They are written from experience by teachers, not by writers researching a topic
• The technical writing and art has been tested by sewers for clarity
• Their books include more art than any other publisher
• Their motto is let art do the talking, keep the words to a minimum
• Their style is friendly and they identify with us
• Palmer/Pletsch books and patterns always have the newest information
• Every time they reprint, necessary updates are made
• The publisher and editor (Pati Palmer) is a University graduate in clothing and textiles
• They have to be good as they are the only international training center for sewing educators
• They have been in the sewing industry for 35 years and have sold millions of sewing books and patterns
• The publisher is also a licensee and the FIT EXPERT for The McCall Pattern Company

As always, whether it’s one of her patterns, or workshops, the focus is always on quality, along with making sewing fun, fast and easy.

Palmer/Pletsch FIT books include Fit for REAL People, Pants for REAL People and Jackets for REAL People

Pati’s Ten Best Fitting Tips

A few of the current range of Palmer/Pletsch patterns include –