DARLENE VELTMAN

I have been working around fabric and sewing machines since I was a young girl.  I knew I wanted to be an artist, photographer or clothing designer at a very young age.  My mother was a wonderful seamtress and taught me what she knew.  I continued my education in Seattle learning patternmaking, alterations, production and custom sewing. I learned how to do technical fashion and detail sketches by hand at Generra Sportswear.  After that I worked as a pattern maker for Patagonia. This is where I furthered my computer skills and worked on Microdynamics CAD system. With these skills I was able to work as a freelance patternmaker in San Francisco for The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Levi's for several years.  

 

I relocated to Portland 27 years ago for the opportunity to work for Columbia Sportswear where I continued my skills in drawing, working solely on Adobe Illustrator.  Over my 11+ years at Columbia, I worked on developing training manuals for on-boarding new Design Associates and contributing to the development of thier new PLM system.  My new coaching role took me to Japan, Geneva, Bangkok and Hong Kong to guide teams through the new systems.

Seeking a new opportunity I followed a colleague to Merrell where I learned the nuances of product development and fine tuned my fitting skills. 

 

I continue to sew and design in my home studio, designing clothing, creating quilts, journals, bags, collage and jewelry.  

 

I use my extensive collection of vintage clothing/sewing catalogs and magazines for my inspration and research.