SAF-T-POCKETS Patterns
15942 SE Brooklyn Street
Portland OR 97236-2049
503-761-6460 (phone)
503-762-1617 (fax)
sales@saf-t-pockets.com
 
 
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THE INSIDE POCKETchronicles of an independent pattern company owner |
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FIT and Boat Tour Around Manhattan
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We took the subway to the Fashion Institute of Technology for a private talk about some of the designer garments in their extensive collection. It was great to see the details up close and hear about the history of each garment. Later, we visited the exhibit on how New York women have influenced fashion through out the years. A stop at the campus bookstore gave the group the opportunity to shop for fashion books from one of the best selections in New York. The hard part was toting the books back to the hotel.
In the afternoon, we boarded the Circle Line boat for a 3 hour water tour around Manhattan island. Under bridges, near the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and around huge US Naval ships, our ship cruised along as the guide shared stories from the Revolutionary War to the present day. It seemed that everyone enjoyed the experience including sitting for 3 hours.
Next, it's off to Simplicity Patterns and more shopping.
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posted by Marsha
on July 6, 2008
at 22:49
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Shopping in the Garment District
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We started by heading to a wonderful leather and suede store called "Leather, Suede and Skins" on W 35th (11th floor). It's run by a father and daughter, and you need to be buzzed into the store. They have a huge assortment of skins in every conceivable color and texture. The hard part is making a decision on what you want.
Next, we went to Mood Fabrics, which was on everyone's list. Project Runway has brought a great deal of attention to this store, so it was very busy. Located on W 37th (3rd floor), the store is filled with wonderful fabrics. They are mostly rolls and sometimes you need help pulling something out to see it better. On the way out of the store, we saw Laura from last year's Project Runway coming in. Several of our gals chatted with her.
It was time for lunch, so we stopped at one of my favorites, the Times Deli on W 40th (7th & 8th). There is good food, lots to pick from and you can eat in short time.
 After lunch, some of us stopped on 39th & 7th Ave to have our picture taken by the big button & needle. This is the spot people can stop at to ask questions about finding a fabric source in the fashion district.
Next we stopped at Rosen and Chadick on 7th Ave (2nd Fl) for more fabulous fabrics. You pick what you want and they go upstairs to the warehouse and bring it down to cut. At B & J also on 7th several of the gals purchased lovely pieces of silk.
Our last stop of the day was at one of my favorite sources called "Metro Textiles" on W 37th (9th floor). The owner, Kashi, is always welcoming and has some great fabrics for some of the best prices in the area. Everyone stocked up and had him ship them home, which you can do at most of the stores. While there, I chatted with Emmett McCarthy from Project Runway about his new clothing line.
We only brushed the surface of the garment district, but it was a good start for the group.
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posted by Marsha
on July 5, 2008
at 21:01
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Visit With Designer Koos van den Akker
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First thing Monday morning, we had the pleasure of a visit to the workroom of Koos van den Akker.
Koos and his business partner, Puck, made us feel very welcome. Koos shared many of his feelings about today's fashion and how he designs for his business. His garments feature appliqués, bias bindings and interesting fabric manipulations that make each garment one of a kind. Nothing is mass produced there. The staff is well trained to create garments with the unique Koos look.
Our group really enjoyed the time we spent with Koos and his staff. You can visit his web site at www.koosnewyork.com.
Next, we continued into the heart of the garment district to search for the perfect fabrics. More about that to come.
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posted by Marsha
on June 30, 2008
at 22:54
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New York City Tour Follow-up
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In late May, I led a group of wonderful women through the garment district of New York. The tour was sponsored by the American Sewing Guild so members could see all that New York has to offer. For the next few days, I will write about our experiences while in New York.
The first day started with a half day bus tour of Manhattan.
We made stops in Manhattan at Grand Central Station, Battery Park, the former World Trade Center location, and two fabric stores in lower Manhattan. Mendel Goldberg Fabrics sells high end, beautiful fabrics imported from around the world. They are located on Hester Street (Allen & Orchard). Zarin Fabrics, just a block away, is a huge home dec store with 3 floors of fabulous fabrics.
After driving through the city, we were dropped off at the Metropolitan Museum where we viewed the "Superheroes" fashion exhibit. It displayed many interesting designer outfits influenced by superheros. Though not my favorite exhibit, huge crowds proved it is very popular.
Next, we went to the Top of the Rock observatory at the top of Rockefeller Center.
The views are spectacular, from Central Park clear to the Statue of Liberty. Between the bus ride and the view from Top of the Rock, the ladies began to get a feel of where things are located in relation to one another. It was a full day, but a great way to start the tour.
More to follow tomorrow.
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posted by Marsha
on June 29, 2008
at 12:25
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New Fabrics For Sale
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Hi, everyone! My name is Michelle and I am the webmaster for the SAF-T-POCKETS Patterns website. I am making this post to let you know that we have a number of new fabrics for sale on the site. All of these fabrics will work great for one or more of our patterns, and we have noted which ones within each description. Below is a small sample of what we have available. Happy shopping!
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posted by Michelle
on June 2, 2008
at 13:07
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New York Here We Come
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On Wednesday night, Marla Kazell and I will be flying to New York for the American Sewing Guild's Sew Much Fun Tour. We will lead a group of 19 women around the city to see the sites and visit fashion and sewing related spots. We will go to the Metropolitan Museum to see the fashion museum exhibit "Superheroes" Imagery in Fashion on how superheros have influenced fashion. It will be showing until Sept 1. The museum at FIT will also have an exhibit called "Arbiters of Style: Women at the Forefront of Fashion" May 21 to November 8, 2008 showing garments from Chanel, Lanvin, McCardell and many others. We will attend the musical "Gypsy" with Patti LaPone one evening and spend many hours shopping in the garment district for fabric. One day, we will have a behind the scenes visit to the work room of Koos van den Akker where he creates one of a kind pieced garments. I'll share more of what we saw when I return.
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posted by Marsha
on May 10, 2008
at 09:25
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New Products
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I am always looking for new, interesting products. Recently I found a source for shrinking thread. It's a polyester thread that shrinks 30% causing puckering. It's great when used for embellishing and scrunching fabric. We will be adding it to our site in the next week. Watch for many new interesting fabrics and more sample garments for sale.
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posted by Marsha
on April 22, 2008
at 16:18
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Back From Quilt Festival
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I arrived home late Sunday evening from the Chicago Quilt Festival. The show this year was huge and there were some absolutely gorgeous quilts. My hat is off to those who create those works of art. I am not a quilter but a garment maker. Often, when I vend at quilt shows, I hear, "I used to make clothes, but nothing fit so now I quilt." I'm always sorry to hear this. I feel I converted some quilters back to sewing garments by having them try on our sample garments and telling them about our well written instructions. Do any of you have friends that only quilt for this same reason?
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posted by Marsha
on April 15, 2008
at 07:27
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Chicago Quilt Festival
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I am leaving this morning for the Chicago Quilt Festival April 10-13, 2008. I always enjoy going to Chicago and am looking forward to a great show. If you are attending the show, please stop by Booth 1948 and say hi.
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posted by Marsha
on April 9, 2008
at 06:16
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First Time Grandma
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I am thrilled to report that I became a first time Grandma on March 13. My son and his wife welcomed a darling baby girl named Sophie Ann at 3:00am.
She weighed in at 7lb 7oz and Grandma got to hold her when she was only 15 minutes old. She was alert, looking around and probably wondering who all of us were. It has been wonderful to see our son become the devoted father I always knew he would be. We are all looking forward to seeing Sophie grow and develop. I can't wait to start teaching her how to sew and to create one of a kind clothing for her. Friends said they expect to see a new line of SAF-T-POCKETS garments called "Sophie's Choice". Who knows!!
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posted by Marsha
on March 21, 2008
at 20:34
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Who influenced your sewing?
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My mother was a huge influence on my sewing life. She created garments for the whole family, made costumes when we were in programs, and eventually taught me to sew so I could create my own garments. She was also smart enough to pass me on to a capable 4H leader who taught sewing when I was about 12 years old. She knew, at that age, I would listen to someone else without questioning, and she was right. She was always supportive when I was sewing and would rip out mistakes to keep me moving ahead. That was a special gift as I didn't get discouraged and kept going. Who influenced your sewing life?
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posted by Marsha
on March 13, 2008
at 11:09
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Patterns arrive
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The new Plenty of Pockets Pants pattern has arrived and is selling well. After listening to customer requests, we designed the pants to be more fitted than our previous pull-on pants. The shaped waistband provides a good fit, and you have the choice of a fly front or an invisible zipper in the center back. Easy-to-make welt pockets are included, along with a unique designer pocket flap. Other pockets include a great patch pocket with snap closure and a double pocket that has a zipper plus a flap pocket. You can create many different looking pairs of pants using this one pattern.
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posted by Marsha
on March 9, 2008
at 18:55
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