Sewing and Design Course

Lesson 1 • Workspace Setup and Safety

Guides students in organising an ergonomic, safe sewing environment with proper lighting and storage. A well-arranged workspace reduces errors and physical strain.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Fabric Structure

Covers woven, knit, and nonwoven fabric constructions and their behavioural properties. Connects fabric choice to project success and technique selection.

Lesson 3 • Sewing Tools and Equipment Overview

Introduces hand tools, machine types, and pressing equipment used in sewing. Establishes the baseline toolkit students rely on throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Essential Hand-Stitching Techniques

Covers running, backstitch, slip stitch, and whipstitch for construction and finishing. Hand stitches complement machine work and handle delicate or hard-to-reach areas.

Lesson 2 • Seam Construction and Finishing

Introduces plain, French, flat-felled, and overlocked seams along with finishing methods. Seam choice affects garment durability, appearance, and fabric compatibility.

Lesson 3 • Sewing Machine Setup and Operation

Teaches threading, bobbin winding, tension adjustment, and stitch selection on a sewing machine. Correct setup prevents skipped stitches and thread breakage.

Lesson 1 • Pattern Layout and Fabric Cutting

Guides strategic placement of pattern pieces on fabric respecting grain, nap, and print direction. Efficient layout minimises waste and ensures accurate cut pieces.

Lesson 2 • Selecting and Adjusting Pattern Size

Teaches size selection based on measurements and introduces basic length and width adjustments. Proper size selection minimises fitting corrections after cutting.

Lesson 3 • Understanding Pattern Symbols and Markings

Decodes grainlines, notches, darts, fold lines, and other standard pattern symbols. Accurate symbol reading prevents cutting and assembly errors.

Lesson 1 • Hems and Edge Finishes

Covers blind, topstitched, rolled, and faced hems suited to different fabrics and garment styles. A well-executed hem defines the finished quality of any garment.

Lesson 2 • Closures: Zips, Buttons, and Press Studs

Introduces centred, lapped, and concealed zip insertions plus button and press stud attachment. Functional closures are critical to garment wearability and appearance.

Lesson 3 • Garment Assembly Sequence

Establishes the logical order for joining bodice, sleeves, skirt, and lining sections. Following correct sequence prevents rework and ensures clean interior finishes.

Lesson 4 • Waistbands, Cuffs, and Bands

Covers interfaced waistbands, straight cuffs, and elastic casings as structural finishing elements. Properly constructed bands give garments a polished, professional appearance.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Garment Fit

Defines ease, balance, and grain alignment as the three pillars of good fit. Understanding these principles guides every fitting and alteration decision.

Lesson 2 • Fitting a Toile and Transferring Changes

Guides construction of a test garment in inexpensive fabric to evaluate fit before cutting fashion fabric. Changes marked on the toile are transferred accurately to the pattern.

Lesson 3 • Pattern Alterations for Fit

Teaches slash-and-spread, pivot, and seam-adjustment methods for correcting patterns before cutting. Pattern-level corrections save time compared to garment-level rework.

Lesson 4 • Altering Ready-to-Wear Garments

Applies alteration skills to existing garments including taking in seams, shortening, and resizing waistbands. These skills extend garment life and serve client alteration requests.

Lesson 1 • Flat Technical Drawing

Introduces flat sketches showing front and back views with accurate proportions and construction lines. Flats are the industry-standard communication tool between designers and manufacturers.

Lesson 2 • Fashion Figure and Croquis Drawing

Teaches the elongated fashion figure proportions and basic croquis construction for design illustration. A consistent croquis serves as the template for all design sketches.

Lesson 3 • Rendering Garments on the Figure

Develops skills for drawing garment silhouettes, folds, and fabric texture over the croquis. Accurate rendering communicates construction details to pattern makers and clients.

Lesson 4 • Elements and Principles of Fashion Design

Covers line, shape, colour, texture, and proportion as design elements and their governing principles. These concepts form the visual language used in all design communication.

Lesson 1 • Introduction to Draping on a Dress Form

Covers pinning, smoothing, and shaping fabric directly on a dress form to create three-dimensional patterns. Draping captures organic shapes that are difficult to achieve through flat drafting.

Lesson 2 • Flat Pattern Drafting Fundamentals

Teaches drafting a basic bodice, skirt, and sleeve block from body measurements using rulers and curves. Blocks are the reusable foundation for all original pattern development.

Lesson 3 • Grading Patterns for Multiple Sizes

Introduces size grading by shifting pattern points along established grade rules to create a size range. Graded patterns allow a single design to fit a broad range of body sizes.

Lesson 4 • Trueing and Finalising Patterns

Teaches smoothing curves, matching notches, and verifying seam lengths across all pattern pieces. Trued patterns produce consistent results across multiple cuts and production runs.

Lesson 1 • Tailoring Techniques for Structured Garments

Covers pad stitching, canvas interfacing, and hand-worked buttonholes used in tailored jackets and coats. Tailoring creates shape and structure that survives heavy wear.

Lesson 2 • Embellishment and Surface Design

Introduces beading, embroidery, appliqué, and fabric manipulation as decorative surface techniques. Embellishment adds design value and distinguishes custom garments from mass-produced items.

Lesson 3 • Couture Hand-Finishing Methods

Teaches pick stitch, fell stitch, and hand-rolled hems used in high-end garment construction. Couture finishes elevate garment quality and demonstrate mastery of hand-sewing precision.

Lesson 4 • Sewing Sheer and Delicate Fabrics

Covers fine needle use, French seams, and rolled hems for chiffon, organza, and silk. Delicate fabrics require adjusted handling to prevent snags, pulls, and distortion.