Pati Palmer has been teaching sewing for 37 years. After being an educator for the Armo interfacing company and a department store buyer and home economist, she conducted seminars throughout North America and Australia for 15 years. She traveled 26 weeks per year before establishing the Palmer/Pletsch International School of Sewing in Portland, Oregon, which trains consumers and sewing educators. Satellite sewing schools in Pittsburgh, Michigan, and Seattle also offers Palmer Pletsch “Sewing Vacation” workshops.
Pati is the author or co-author of 10 sewing books and editor/publisher of 20 more books and 18 how-to videos, as well as the creator of eight Palmer/Pletsch sewing notion products. Her “Real People” series of books—Fit for Real People, Pants for Real People, Jackets for Real People, and the new Knits for Real People—have guided thousands of sewists around the world.
Since 1980 Pati has designed and written instructions for more than 220 patterns for The McCall Pattern Company, starting with the now infamous Pati Palmer/Susan Pletsch 8-hour blazer pattern that stunned the industry by selling one million copies the first year. Prior to 1980 she designed for Vogue Patterns.
Pati says, “I am thrilled to see so many people sewing and teaching sewing today and so many young people blogging, teaching, designing, and innovating. That includes my daughter and co-blogger, Melissa Watson, who decided to leave the ready-to-wear industry to join the fashion sewing world. I am really enjoying our joint ventures. Time for the 20- and 30-somethings to shine and the rest of us to continue our good work while mentoring them! Together we will share tips for sewing our McCall’s designs in this blog.”
Pati Palmer lives in Portland, Oregon.