Cassandra Belanger
Cassandra founded The Stitchery out of a love for making clothes and a desire to enable others to do the same. Her main teaching focus is fitting, design and garment construction. She works with people of all skill levels, from complete beginners to advanced sewers.
The subjects that Cassandra specialises in are those that she naturally gravitates towards in her own sewing life. These include:
Fitting - Techniques and processes for getting really good fit, including methods for using a toile to determine fitting adjustments and how to translate these adjustments to the paper pattern.
Making Jeans - Making your very own well fitting pair of denims.
Pattern Cutting & Clothing Design - Creating your own patterns from a pattern block.
Sustainable Design Processes - Zero waste pattern cutting, inclusive sizing, circular design, environmentally and socially aware design and making processes
Classic tailoring - Using hand stitching techniques and sew in interfacings to create jackets and coats.
Making Jackets - From duffel coats to light blazers.
Making Shirts - In a range of styles, including techniques for making different types of collars, pockets, cuffs, plackets and sleeves.
Patchwork Quilting - Learn the basics of creating a textile through piecing fabrics together. Learn the process of ‘layering-up’ to create the layers of a quilt and finish with either machine or hand quilting and binding.
Undergarments - Learn to make bras and/or pants in any size. An introduction to sewing with stretch fabrics and using lingerie elastic would be vital to this kind of tuition.
Overlocker - Using this interesting machine to make professional looking garments, both knit and woven.
Freelance Work
The images shown on this page are made by Cassandra and her students. To view a portfolio of Cassandra's recent graduate work-in-progress, click here.
Cassandra's work has been featured in a number of publications, including Simply Sewing and Cloth Magazine. She's has been an ambassador for Fashion Revolution Scotland and has taught for Fashion Foundry. She has also been invited to host an event for The Lighthouse, which was part of the Paul Smith Exhibition.
Cassandra has worked with a number of other Fashion Designers, either making garments or helping to hone their garment construction skills. Over the past few years these have included Judy Clark, Alan Moore of Ten30, and Marc Ross, among others.
Storybook Patterns
Cassandra's love for designing clothes and teaching people to make them has spurred her on to start Storybook Patterns; an independent sewing pattern company which she hopes to launch in 2018/19.
As well as making garment construction more accessible to everyone, Storybook will bring focus to another one of Cassandra's passions, which is sustainable fashion design. Cassandra is using 2017/18 to complete a Masters in Fashion & Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art, where she will be honing her process for zero waste garment design and the use of sustainable fabrics and materials.
