Yarn store episode

Laurel's friend Ellen owns a yarn shop called Luv2 Knit & More. Ellen has been on our list of possible guests for a while now.

Creating Fashion with Laurel isn't a knitting show, but Laurel figured it could work if the two sat down to talk about women starting businesses.

It turns out Ellen is a scientist who has been helping cancer patients and people with autism by teaching them how to knit, so the converstation surprised us. I'd say it's one of our better episodes. I like the ones that get us out of the studio.

Shooting in a new location requires thinking on your feet. You can see I was moving cameras to better positions while the interview was in progress. This is our twenty-fifth episode.

Twenty-fourth

In the new episode of Creating Fashion with Laurel, one of Laurel's students guest stars as a model. About ten minutes in, we have an advert where Laurel announces that now three of her books are available from Barnes & Noble. A fourth book will be joining them soon.

Episode list (1–24)

Some of Laurel's YouTube subscribers have asked how they can watch the episodes in order. You could start anywhere really. Laurel teaches whatever she feels is important on the day.

Years ago, I suggested she do something for beginners, which is how we got the sewing machine episodes (13, 14, and 16). For anyone who wants to watch the episodes in the order we made them, here's how:

2020

1. Fabric Masks
2. Scarves and Hand-sewn Masks
3. The Invisible Zipper
4. Right-lapped Fly Zipper
5. Correcting Home Sewing Patterns
6. Correcting Sleeve Cap Notches

2021

7. Correcting Collar Patterns
8. Sewing a Convertible Collar
9. Inserting Bust Darting
10. PhillyCAM Anniversary Block Party

2022

11. Preparing to Fabric Shop
12. Shopping for Fabric in Philadelphia*
13. Sewing Machine Tips
    (AKA: Laurel discusses sewing machines with a specialist)
14. More Sewing Machine Tips (Part 1 and Part 2)

2023

15. Sewing Darts and Edging with Bias Binding
16. Seven Lessons and a Story: Sewing on Guage, Fabric Jams in the Race, Sewing Machine Manuals, Why Knots & Sewing Hooks, Sewing on Men's Buttons, Sewing on Women's Buttons, For the Quilters, and Aunt Hetty's Golden Thimble*
    Bonus shorts: Pattern Paper and Drafting Tools and Tips
17. Tight Cutting
18. Interviewed by Maureen Edwards for 8 Simple Steps

2024

19. Copying a Ready-Made Garment
20. Organizing Patsy's Wardrobe*
21. Teens Color Analyzed
22. (Problems with) Home-Sewing Patterns

2025

23. Introduction to Grading
    Bonus short: Saving Money on Fabrics
24. Bust Fit

---

*These are my personal favorites.

Missing links: We've removed the videos with mask-making in them from YouTube. They were looking a little dated. But Episode 1 is still on our PhillyCAM page, right over here.

This list is also on Laurel's website, here.

Twenty-three skidoo

The new episode of Creating Fashion with Laurel went online yesterday. In less than twenty-four hours, it broke a thousand views and a hundred likes. It took four years and twenty-two episodes (this is number twenty-three) for Laurel's audience to find her, but they're tuning in now.

Laurel mentioned her books in the previous episode and it boosted her sales, so for this one we made an advertisement that turns up about five minutes in. I shot it in 4k (exported at 1080) and with new microphones.

I'd been using boom mics, which I've learned is a no-no indoors. Now I'm using pencil mics, two mics as usual, so the episodes will continue to be in stereo. It's a subtle thing, but Laurel's voice moves between speakers when she reaches for fabric.

100K

The latest episode of Creating Fashion with Laurel just passed a hundred thousand views. Thank you to everyone watching.

With numbers climbing on previous episodes as well, it looks like the show has found a wider audience. Laurel says she just received three book orders from New Zealand.

Sewing Techniques on B&N

Laurel's flagship textbook, Sewing Techniques from the Fashion Industry is now available here, from Barnes & Noble.

Our most recent episode, Problems with Home-Sewing Patterns continues to garner attention on YouTube. Laurel's books have been selling well as a result, so having her best-seller on B&N should be helpful, given that they'll be handling the printing and shipping.

And they've done a great job. I've seen the Barnes & Noble version and it's a beautiful hardcover book.

Now that we've figured out how to do this, we'll be gradually adding the others. As always, this and the other seven books are available from LaurelHoffmann.com.

Movie Night flyers (2024)

Happy Thanksgiving! These are all the flyers I designed for Movie Night at The Plastic Club this year. Click images to enlarge.

I co-host these events with my friend Anders. This is my third post about the flyer designs, so it's been three years since post-pandemic Movie Night began. Wow, that was quick. The 2023 flyers are here and the 2022 ones are over here.