Dressmaking The Original

Over the 5 sessions you will create a garment of your choice and each session will cover different skills and techniques…

Session 1
• Measuring yourself correctly and selecting the right size for you on your pattern
• Reading and understanding the pattern
• How to pick the right fabric for your project
• Cutting out your pattern ready for session two
• Learning how to sew and finish different types of seams

Session 2
• Lay planning - how to arrange your pattern to cut your fabric correctly
• Pining and cutting out your fabric
• Transfering pattern markings to your fabric
• Making a start on your dress

Sessions 3 & 4
• Garment construction - aka making your dress
• Understanding the importance of interfacing, stay stitching, pressing and understitching
• Making minor adjustments to the fit as required
• Learning zip insertion & sample - how to insert an invisible zip with ease

Session 5
• Learning hemming techniques & samples
• Hemming your garment
• Finishing off your garment including hand finishing techniques

Alison, your lovely tutor will be there every step of the way, sharing the wealth of her experience, demonstrating techniques and encouraging you along your sewing journey.

This class is for people who already know how to use sewing machine in a basic way. You should be able to thread up the machine, and sew in a straight-ish line too! Don't worry about anything past this though as we will show you all the techniques needed for dressmaking. It is also a great course to take more than once to improve your dressmaking skills.

Although the course is called Beginner’s Dressmaking, you do not have to make a dress! You can make any item of clothing for any gender, top, tunic, trouser etc., but please follow the guidelines below for selecting your project.

Please note there will be a maximum of 6 learners on this course to ensure that everyone has enough time to get hands on support from their lovely tutor as well as enough space to cut out their garment.

Session 1
A Pattern.
• Choose something simple without too many details.
• Look out for pattern companies easy or learn to sew ranges.
• Pull over or elasticated without any fastenings are easier for beginners.
• Curved seams are trickier than straight lines, so beware of anything with princess seams or set in sleeves.
• Avoid patterns designed for knit fabrics.
• Choose a pattern for any gender or age, although it’s easiest if you are making for yourself as you can measure yourself and try on during the sessions.
• If you are not making for yourself, please ask for guidance in measuring in advance of the course starting as you will need these measurements for week 1.
• Pattern sizes do not relate to shop sizes at all – some patterns come in different size ranges, please select the correct size for you based on your actual measurements and the body measurements shown on the pattern envelope.

Session 2
Fabric and matching thread for your project as suggested and recommended by your tutor during your first session. Plus any other requirements as listed on the pattern such as zips, buttons, interfacing etc.

If you want to, you can bring along your own sewing kit. (Optional as all tools you might need are provided for you to use.)

Pattern and fabric guidelines are given to help you choose a project suitable for a beginner, if you choose something outside the suggested patterns/fabrics it could be more complex and you may risk not completing the garment within the course.

All the skills you learn, hand-outs for techniques demonstrated and samples produced throughout the sessions and of course, your finished garment.