Guest Speaker & Teaching Classes

Greetings!  I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend.  I recently came across this photo below when I taught a Bow Tie Class at Francescas main office.  It made me reminisce about the times I taught classes or was invited to be a guest speaker.  I thought it would be fun to share some of the experiences.  Here are some photos along with the tutorials.

The photo that started it all….

Francescas Main Office – Houston, TX

Francescas Main Office – Houston, TX

Sewing Fashionistas – Katy, TX

Sewing Fashionistas – Katy, TX

I had the opportunity to teach at Joann Fabrics and showed students how to make the Birdcage Veil & the Camryn Fabric Flower.  This was a lot of fun because I got to see students choose their own unique fabric to make the flowers.  They are so creative!

Joann Fabrics – Sugar Land, TX

Joann Fabrics – Sugar Land, TX

I got to speak at Elsik High School’s Fashion Department.  I shared how I started Youtique Bridal & all the hard work to make my dreams come alive.  The Fashion Design Students also learned how to create the Fabric Flowers.

Elsik High School – Houston, TX

Elsik High School – Houston, TX

Elsik High School – Houston, TX

I was invited to speak to the Fashion Department of the Art Institute of Houston. It is always an honor to share my experiences of how I started my business.  This was actually around the time I started expanding to Lifestyle Designs.

Art Institute of Houston

And below are the cutest students I ever had.  It was a Mommy & Me sewing session where the children learned how to make a little satchel.  Their mothers shared that some used it to carry their dolls and others their library books.  They were so darn cute!  I do not have a tutorial for the satchel but I had to share my youngest students;)

Well, I hope you enjoy your weekend.  Take care & I hope you got inspired to create something EXTRAordinary! 😉

Hugs,

Ann

Sewing Fashionista’s Bow-Tie Bash

Rosalind creating her bow-tie.

I had a fabulous time teaching a very special group of ladies how to make a bow-tie.  The Sewing Fashionistas are a talented group of women with different sewing backgrounds.  They meet every other month to share their sewing experiences and present their current projects.  The meetings are hosted by Rosalind Gaither with Sew Much Fabric.  If you would like to expand your sewing knowledge, feel free to check out Roz’s blog at:  http://www.smfdesignsandfriends.blogspot.com/ or follow the Sewing Fashionista’s Facebook by clicking {here}.

Now check out all the fun:

To learn how to create the {JEREMY} Bow- Tie, the tutorial is below:

To view other uses of Bows, check out my Pinterest inspiration board by visiting {here}.  Thank you Roz for thinking of me and thank you to all my fellow Sewing Fashionistas for such a wonderful time.

Hugs!

Ann

 

DIY No-Sew Bow Tie : Francesca’s Bow Tie Bash

Greetings Everyone!

Summer has flown by so quickly.  Do you agree?

This past June I was invited to teach a “fun” class for Francesca’s Corporate Employees.  Francesca’s was voted one of the top Fashion Retail Companies to work for and I can understand why.  While visiting, I was impressed by their onsite gym and bistro/cafe provided to their employees.  I also got to tour their warehouse where merchandise was shipped and received.  But not only was their facility impressive, their employees were too.  Everyone I met had a contagious smile and they were such a friendly energetic group of employees.  What a privilege to have taught them.  They made the experience so fun.    Thank you Jen H. for thinking of me and giving me this opportunity!  🙂  I was also told Francesca’s sponsored Project Runway: Under the Gunn — super cool!

Check out their lovely smiles:

Since I already had a Bow Tie tutorial, it was the perfect project to modify down to an hour.  Here were my goals for “Francesca’s Bow Tie Bash”:

*inspire the students to be creative

*teach students to learn a basic sewing technique=transferring pattern onto fabric using a tracing wheel/tracing paper

*create a clean professional finish Bow Tie

*more importantly, have fun in the 1 hour session

Here are other uses for Bow Ties: Hair Bows/Head Bands, great birthday or baby shower themes, use for gift wrapping, accessorize clothing, belts, shoes, jewelry, table scape, accent frames, etc.  You can visit my Pinterest Bow Tie Inspiration Board by clicking “here.”

I believe when a Company allows their employees to exercise their creativity, their productivity in the workplace will improve.  It gives Employees the opportunity to think outside the box and improve their ability to problem-solve.  I truly believe Francesca’s is going to be a very successful company.

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When I get into my sewing “zone,”  my mind starts to wander.  On one of those sewing nights, I reminisced about my childhood at 4 years old.   I remember waking up to a bag of bubble gum at the foot of my bed.  My Father would leave a bag of gum for us after a long day of work and studying for classes.  We hardly ever saw him while he was in school so I guess it was his way to let us know he thought of us.  He was like our secret Santa even though it wasn’t Christmas:)  When we woke up, we were the happiest children alive and it felt like Christmas.  To read a little more about my Super Dad, click “here.”   After this night of getting into my sewing zone, I went out the next day and bought a bag of bubble gum for my children.  We spent the summer chewing gum and blowing bubbles.  It was fun and I had fond memories from it.  I just hope my children will remember this summer too:)

Well, I thought I would incorporate my summer memories into the tutorial and to also thank Francesca’s.  So here it is….I hope you enjoy!  Just a warning…I’ve been feeling silly lately so you’re just going to see a silly side of me:)

{JEREMY} No-Sew Bow Tie pattern:

Click to access bow-tie-1-fashion-fabric-pattern.pdf

If you would like a little sewing, here is my original {JEREMY} Bow Tie Tutorial I made in 2012.  My videos have come a long way and I want to continue improving them.  Thank YOU for watching and for all your support as I continue my journey!

Hugs!

Ann

 

For the good of our Community

These lovely ladies have a lot to smile about.  Look at the beautiful Flower Fascinators they created from the class.  Nkechi is a pro at crafting and Edith is a flourishing crafter.  Both are very talented young ladies that give their time and talents to their community.  They shared the idea about teaching young people and the children they work with how to make these beautiful fabric flowers.  It feels good to know these flower techniques could be passed on for the good of our community.  It makes this all the more rewarding for me.  Love it!

 Next class will be Tuesday Oct. 11, 6:00pm – 8:30pm.  For more information, click {here}.

Thanks for visiting!

A Little Something for the Birdcage Veil

Business Cards with hair pins

I can not wait to work with the students in the Bridal Accessories Class tomorrow.  It is an opportunity to share my love for Bridal design & Sewing with new friends.  The students will learn how to hand-sew Fabric flowers and  wear it with a cute Birdcage Veil.  Since they will need hair pins to keep their hair in place, I thought a little mini gift would be fun…Enjoy ladies!

Looking forward to meeting you:)

If you would like to learn more about the class, feel free to click…{here}

Thanks for visiting!

The Art of Creating Fabric Flowers

{Elizabeth and all her Creations}

I had a wonderful time teaching Elizabeth how to make Fabric Flowers.  Look at all the beautiful flowers she created.  Great job Elizabeth!  As soon as she learned the basic skills, her imagination and creativity was unstoppable.  I know she will create beautiful things following the class.  Keep us posted Elizabeth:)

In the next few months, I will be teaching Brides and all those curious about the art of creating Fabric Flowers and Bridal Fascinators.  Once you learn the basics of Handmade Flower Design, you can create just about anything with a touch of “lovely”.  The ideas are only limited by your imagination.

If you are interested in taking the class, feel free to click {here} for more information.

Here are some of the ways I have used Handmade Flowers:

  Custom Flowers by Youtique Bridal

1. Custom Flower Fascinator and Birdcage Veil

2. Custom Ring Bearer Pillow

3. Fabric Flower Cascade for Custom Wedding Gown

4. Flowers for Custom Sash

5. Joann Fabrics & Crafts Display

 Just a few other creative ways to use Fabric Flowers.

(1) Shoe Clips (2) Groom/Groomsmen Boutinirs (3) Flower Bouquet (4) Flower Girl Pompom (5) Bridal Wreath (6) Table Decor (7) Gift Packages (9) Purse Decor (10) Pillow decor….The ideas are endless

Thank you for visiting!

Jo-Ann Fabrics Open House II

Joann Open House II

It was another exciting day at Jo-Ann Fabrics Open House.  My Birdcage Veil and Flower Fascinator was officially tagged with the Jo-Ann’s Class Label “Bridal Accessories”  — pretty exciting.  Thank you to all those who signed up for the class & even came by the Display table to say “Hi.”  I really can’t wait to meet with you again.

Here is a little round up from the last Open House…..

Designed the "Lana" Fascinator

Showing a Guest how to wear a Birdcage Veil

Me & my God-daughter Lana

For the schedule of classes & supplies list please click {here}.

Thank you for visiting!