Introduction to Dressmaking

🧵 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 (e.g., a simple elasticated skirt or tote bag, depending on group pace).

📅 Workshop Dates & Schedule

Class runs every Thursday evening from July through mid-August:

• Week 1: Thursday, 9 July 2026

• Week 2: Thursday, 16 July 2026

• Week 3: Thursday, 23 July 2026

• Week 4: Thursday, 30 July 2026

• Week 5: Thursday, 6 August 2026

• Week 6: Thursday, 13 August 2026

✂️ Itemised Week-to-Week Curriculum

Week 1: Machine Mastery & Pattern Foundations

• 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 practicing basic straight lines.

  • Sewing standard seams (straight stitch, backstitching) and practicing curves/corners.

  • Finishing raw edges (zigzag stitch or serger/overlocker alternatives) and a look at clean French seams.

Week 2: Fabric Preparation & Essential Seaming

• Focus: Translating your pattern to fabric and learning the fundamental techniques for joining pieces securely.

• Content:

• • Pattern Prep Basics: How to read a pattern envelope/packet (size charts, fabric requirements, and notions).

  • Taking accurate body measurements to choose your correct pattern size.

  • Introduction to pattern tracing techniques to preserve your original pattern sheet.

  • Introduction to fabric types (woven vs. knit) and grain lines.

  • Laying out, pinning, and cutting fabric correctly (on-grain).

  • Transferring pattern markings (darts, notches) to your cut fabric pieces.

Week 3: Pattern Layout, Grainlines & Master Cutting

• 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 selvage (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.

Week 4: First Steps in Construction & Shaping

• 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.

Week 5: Main Assembly, Waistbands & Fit Fine-Tuning

• 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.

Week 6: Professional Finishing Touches

• Focus: Executing the final, high-quality details that transform a project into a beautifully wearable garment.

• Content

  astering 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!