Better Dressmaking
Learn loads of tips and techniques to make your home sewing look less – well- ‘homemade’ at this 10 week Better Dressmaking Course run by Artisan Stitch!
About Better Dressmaking
| 24th April 2025 | |
| 10am - 12.30pm on Thursdays for 10 weeks | |
|
Artisan Stitch Studio 6.03A, Edinburgh Palette 151 London Road, Edinburgh East EH7 6AE |
|
| £315 | |
| Visit the event website here | |
| Facebook information can be found here | |
Learn tips and techniques to make your home sewing look less – well – ‘homemade’
Thursday 24/04/2025 - Thursday 26/06/2025
Course Description:
Level: Intermediate. You need to have had some experience of dressmaking with knowledge of a variety of garment-construction techniques.
Do your seams look wrinkled or puckered? Do your facings refuse to lie flat, and are you tired of wonky zips? Or do you even avoid zips altogether? Yes? Then this is the course to help you raise your sewing game.
I’ve observed a few areas where home dressmakers commonly struggle, and rolled them all up into 'Better Dressmaking'. First developed as a 3-day Summer School, it's now available in regular weekly sessions. Week by week, it will teach you loads more tips and tricks to improve the fit and finish of your home dressmaking projects and avoid that ‘homemade’ look that is the downfall of many sewing projects.
Through a series of tutorials, and practical sessions, you’ll be working samples of each technique, so you can practise the skills learnt in that session. We'll start with getting the groundwork right. How to choose the best size of pattern, and making some common adjustments for a perfect fit. Then I'll teach you the lingo of pattern terminology. I'll show you how to improve the appearance of your seams with pressing and trimming, and adding the WOW factor with perfectly straight and even topstitching. Darts, interfacing, buttonholes, zips, sleeves and waistbands are covered too. Each session expands on the skills learnt in the previous one, building your knowledge and technical ability over the 10 weeks (25 hours in total). By the end of the course, you’ll have a library of new techniques at your fingertips to take home so your sewing will be more 'high end' than 'high street'.
I've been sewing since I was a child (and that's a lot of years’ experience!). During that time, I've made every mistake in the book and learnt how to avoid them. Now you can benefit from my mistakes and learn to sew like a pro as I share my expert tips. I wish I'd known all this stuff when I started to sew.
Artisan Stitch won a Certificate of Excellence in January 2019 and is rated 'Best sewing classes in Edinburgh'. The UK Enterprise Award followed for Best sewing classes 2020 then Best Private Sewing Education & Tuition in 2021. Scotland Prestige Awards followed in each of the 3 consecutive years from 2022/23 to 2024/25. Artisan Stitch is the only course provider in Edinburgh, and one of only two in Scotland, that is recommended by Queen Margaret University for sewing tuition.
Who is this aimed at?
Home dressmakers who’d like to achieve a better fit and finish to their home sewing projects
You must have had some dressmaking experience and be familiar with using commercial paper patterns and basic garment construction. i.e. if you've used patterns to make at least 1 or 2 items but would like to improve the fit and finish.
What will I learn?
How to choose the best size(s) of pattern to achieve a good fit
Understanding pattern terminology
How to do some common pattern alterations
Learn different seam types and when to use them
How to take up hems
Neatening and finishing techniques
Edge stitching and top stitching to add impact
Perfect darts
Make machined buttonholes and sew on buttons
How to sew in a concealed zip
Avoid stretched necklines
Choosing and using interfacing
How to change the shape of a neckline
How to make facings lie flat
Setting in a sleeve
One day, all dressmaking will be taught like this!
Course arrangements
All fabrics needed for the course are provided. Sewing machines are available for your use or you can bring your own if you have one. Please remember your power cable/foot control, spare needles, feet, instruction manual.
You will need your basic sewing kit of: fabric shears, paper scissors and small trimming/embroidery scissors, pins, tape measure (cm), chalk pencils or fabric marking pens, notebook.
You will also need some items for the paper pattern work: a dressmakers' curved ruler, mechanical pencil, rubber, small glue stick, 3 coloured pencils (a cheap childrens' set is fine)
Cost £315 (includes all fabrics, zip, interfacing etc)
If you enjoy this course, then you may be interested in the sequel 'Dressmaking techniques: Beyond the Basics' which will be running as a 3-day Summer School in July/August 2025.
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