Skip to main content

Feature: Pamela's Patterns

Have you been working with commercial patterns and not getting the results you want? Well if you feel this way, you need to try Pamela's Patterns! Pamela Leggett, creator of Pamela's Patterns, has been teaching how to sew since 1981. She specializes is pattern fitting which is clearly seen in her line of patterns, which are made to fit more like ready-to-wear clothes.

In 2012, she was proud to bring the Palmer/Pletch Sewing School to the east coast. Along with Pati Palmer herself, she taught the classes at Steve's Sewing, Vacuum and Quilting in King of Prussia, PA. The main Palmer/ Pletch Sewing School is located at Fabric Depot in Portland, OR. 

In keeping with our theme of everything Valentine's, Love and Lace, we especially wanted to feature Pamela's pattern entitled, UnMentionables Worth Mentioning. This pattern is for the "unmentionables" aka undergarments! She includes a pattern for a cami-illusion, slip and panties.


The cami-illusion can be made from scraps in your stash. It attaches to your bra straps making it look like you're wearing a camisole.

The No "VPL" (visble panty lines) Undies are made from stretch laces and knits. These can be made from stretch lace trims, stretch  lace yardage, knits and even scraps of theses fabrics from your stash.

The Smoothing Slips are slips that smooth out anything you don't want to see under a dress or skirt. It is meant to be a fitted slip, not a full gathered slip. The slips can be made from tricot knits and charmeuses with stretch. 


Pamela has a number of videos highlighting her patterns. She has a really nice video for the Unmentionables Worth Mentioning pattern. She shares the type of fabrics and elastics you will need to use to create beautiful undergarments! The great thing is that most of the items in this pattern can be made from scraps! You can find a link to her other videos on her website.

Watching her video really inspired me to try my hand at making my own undergarments! It seemed a little intimidating to me in the past, but now that I know it is SO easy, I'll give it a try. In the meantime, keep following Kaitlin's progress on her Sew Along: Lingerie.

Pamela has a lot of new things coming out this year and I got the inside scoop directly from her! She will have a new pattern called, Pants....Perfected! This pattern features the Magic Pants and Grown Up Leggings. She will also be revamping some of her current patterns including the Versatile Twin Set with more options -- colorblocking and a duster-style cardi. And lastly, she just finished taping a Serger DVD with Threads Magazine and Taunton Press. This DVD should be available in fall 2013. To stay up-to-date on these and other updates, bookmark Pamela's website, Pamela's Patterns!

Comments

Recent Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: A Fresh Take on a Classic Shirt Dress

Summer has arrived! That means longer days, soaring temps, and the perfect excuse for me to add another linen garment to my wardrobe.  Lightweight linen and summer weather just go together, don’t you agree? That’s why I choose this striped linen for my next Fabricista make. Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews ready to share my summer dress with you.  The tiny blue and white stripes combined with navy buttons give it a bit of coastal charm, while the details make it anything but a traditional shirt dress.  The fabric is a Ralph Lauren 100% shirt weight linen. The stripes are so small that from a distance the fabric almost looks like a solid color. One advantage of those small stripes is that I didn’t worry about whether they matched as I would have with a wider stripe :-)  The pattern I choose is McCall’s 8556, a shirtdress that, instead of a typical straight silhouette, has a gathered bodice, a fitted waistband that sits just above the waist, short, c...

Made By A Fabricista: Mechanic Chic!

When it comes to buying ready-to-wear garments as a sewist, I only ever spend in three categories: heavy duty winter jackets (life in Maine!), bras… and jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit, but unfortunately the ones I used to buy have been impacted by the tariff situation and I can’t get them affordably anymore. This can only mean one thing, folks: it’s time to roll up my sleeves and sew my very first jumpsuit!  When I started planning for this project, I knew I wanted to use a heavyweight linen for cozy comfort in the fall and breathability in the summer. I wanted something that would wear beautifully and soften with age, and something with neutral tones that could go with everything. Naturally, when I came across this 100% linen canvas on Fabric Mart, my heart skipped a beat! I love the ikat-inspired geometry and something about it reminds me of leopard spots too. Bold yet wearable! I am pretty sure this fabric was intended for home decor which I don’t mind at all and in fact of...

Made By A Fabricista: Tried and true summer basics that fit.

Happy Summer Friends! As I am writing this, we are headed into a nasty heat wave…so the timing could not be better to share two of my favorite summer patterns and fabrics.  But first, let me tell you about the fail I had heading into this month’s blog… As Fabricista’s, we get to pick out fabric for each of our blog submissions. I fell in love with this gorgeous lilac jacquard knit that I thought would be perfect for a pop of color in my summer wardrobe. But I made a fatal error - I grabbed a pattern I haven’t made for years, quickly went up one size to account for a few new pounds, and sewed them up. And they don’t fit, will NEVER fit, and will never be worn. Sigh…when will I learn?? Here’s a flat lay pic so we can at least look at the lovely fabric: The lesson I learned (relearned!) is that just like with off the rack clothes, the things that worked well for me years ago don’t work well for me today.  And that’s the case with both tops and bottoms. So I went back to two patt...

Help Our Buyers Shop!

  Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out!  I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?