Introduction to Sewing to Dress Making.

🧵 Introduction to Garment Sewing: 6-Week Workshop ✂️

Unlock your wardrobe potential with our special July summer workshop series! This comprehensive 6-week workshop is designed for complete beginners or those looking to refresh their foundational sewing machine skills, guiding you step by step into the rewarding world of making your own clothes.

🌟 Summer Course Price: £165 (6 x 2.5-Hour Sessions) 🌟

• Duration: 6 Weeks
• Session Length: 2.5 Hours per week (15 hours total expert tuition)
• Level: Absolute Beginner
• Goal: Construct a simple, beginner-friendly garment.

Class runs every Wednesday evening in August and September

• Week 1: August 12, 2026
• Week 2: August 19, 2026
• Week 3: August 26, 2026
• September 2, 2026 — Week Off (No Session)
• Week 4: September 9, 2026
• Week 5: September 16, 2026
• Week 6: September 23, 2026

• Focus: Getting comfortable with your sewing machine, workshop safety, and decoding commercial sewing patterns.
• Content:
• • Machine setup, threading, bobbin winding, and basic maintenance.
  • Essential workshop safety and machine precautions.
  • Understanding tension, stitch selection, and practising basic straight lines.
  • Sewing standard seams (straight stitch, backstitching) and practising curves/corners.
  • Finishing raw edges (zigzag stitch or serger/overlocker alternatives) and a look at clean French seams.

• Focus: Translating your pattern to fabric and learning the fundamental techniques for joining pieces securely.
• Pattern Prep Basics: How to read a pattern envelope/packet (size charts, fabric requirements, and notions).
• Take accurate body measurements to choose the correct pattern size.
• Complete some basic samples.Laying out, pinning, and cutting fabric correctly (on-grain).Transferring pattern markings (darts, notches) to your cut fabric pieces.

• Focus: Mastering the critical preparation phase—learning how to accurately align patterns with the fabric grain and execute precise cuts.
• Content:
• • Understanding Fabric: Understanding the technical difference between the lengthwise grain, crosswise grain, and the bias.
  • On the Fold vs Grainline: Learning how to identify when a pattern piece must be cut on the fold of the fabric versus when it needs to be laid out flat along a specific grainline.
  • Perfect Alignment: Step-by-step practice using a tape measure to pin pattern pieces perfectly parallel to the selvedge (fabric edge) using grainline arrows.
  • Mastering the Cut: Best practices for holding fabric flat while cutting, choosing the right tools (shears vs rotary cutters), and avoiding jagged edges or distorted fabric pieces.
  • Transferring Markings: How to transfer crucial darts, notches, and dots from the paper pattern to your freshly cut fabric before unpinning.

• Focus: Beginning the garment assembly process and learning how to shape flat fabric to fit the body.
• Content:
• • Understanding the Blueprint: How to read and follow step-by-step commercial pattern construction sheets.
  • Adding Shape: Techniques for sewing precise fabric darts and creating even gathers.
  • The Initial Baste: Using long temporary stitches (basting) to baste the main panels together for a preliminary check.
  • Fitting Check #1: The golden rule of dressmaking—trying the garment on early to check proportions before committing to final seams.

• Focus: Securely building the structural body of the garment and managing waistline elements.
• Content:
• • Final Seaming: Replacing temporary stitches with secure, permanent straight stitching and backstitching.
  • Fit Fine-Tuning: Making minor fit adjustments along the seam lines based on the previous week's fitting check to ensure absolute comfort.
  • Casing & Elastic: Constructing clean, secure fabric casings and threading elastic waistbands smoothly without twisting.
  • Edge Prep: Cleaning up internal raw edges (using zigzag or overlock stitching) to prepare for final design elements.

• Focus: Executing the final, high-quality details that transform a project into a beautifully wearable garment.
• Content:
• • Mastering the Hem: Step-by-step practice with different hemming techniques, including the classic turn-and-stitch and a clean blind hem.
  • Necklines & Armholes: Applying facings or simple bias binding to cleanly finish open garment edges (if applicable to the project).
  • The Couturier Finish: Final garment pressing, clipping loose threads, and looking at fabric-specific care instructions.
  • Show & Tell: A celebration of completed projects, a final group Q&A, and expert advice on next steps for your independent sewing journey!🎟️ Ready to Start Sewing?

Spaces are strictly limited to ensure plenty of individual attention and machine time for every student.

Q: I have never even touched a sewing machine before. Is this really for me? A: Absolutely! This course is built specifically for absolute beginners. We start from the very beginning (how to turn the machine on and thread it) in Week 1.

Q: Can I bring my own sewing machine? A: Yes! We highly recommend bringing your own machine if you have one, as it helps you build confidence on the equipment you’ll be using at home. However, we have plenty of studio machines available for you to use free of charge.

Q: What happens if I miss a week? A: Because the curriculum builds week by week, we strongly encourage attending all sessions. If you do miss a week, we will do our best to provide you with catch-up notes, but we cannot offer make-up classes.

Q: Is my fabric included in the price? A: Practice fabric for Week 1 is included. For your main garment, you will purchase your own fabric after Week 1 so you can choose a colour and pattern you love, and ensure you buy the perfect size.

Click "Reserve a spot" to secure your sewing table today!