New to sewing clothes, or coming back to it after an extended break? And do you have plans to sew your own clothes one day?
These intensive project-based courses are designed especially for beginner clothes making. You can treat yourself or get together a group of friends.
You have two options for the beginners clothes making courses:
A clothes making project of your choice, to be fitted to your body shape and completed in six sessions
You choose the pattern and fabric, and I’ll be there by your side to help you and make sure you have everything you need to make it perfect for you.
Sound good? Then skip straight to the bottom of the page and enquire – I can’t wait to hear from you!
A bag project of your choice for a more gentle start – I’ll provide everything you need
This is best if you’re not sure about making clothes but want a rock-solid foundation in technical skills. These include:
- Operating the sewing machine safely;
- Laying and cutting fabric correctly;
- Understanding and following pattern instructions;
- Building up a bank of core sewing skills and techniques that will serve you no matter what you sew in future.
What’s included with the bag project?
The beginners clothes making or sewing course is up to 18 hours long and includes all the materials needed for the bag project, if that’s your preferred choice. You’ll get a photographed or illustrated instruction booklet too, so you can make as many bags as you like for gifts and to keep practising long after the course is over. Win!
You can choose from:
Drawstring tote bag
A cheerful and versatile design perfect for projects, groceries, and anything else you care to throw in it! You can fit anything A4 sized in this bag as seen.
Make up bag
Also suitable for a pencil case, this is a friendly introduction to zip insertion if you’ve never tried it before. A 20cm ruler or powder brush fits in this bag.
Purse or wallet
Featuring a zippered coin pocket and credit card slots, this is ideal for testing out machine buttonholes. This purse measures 18cm by 12cm by 3cm.
Zippered tote bag
You can also use this as a handbag by adding internal and external patch pockets for your keys and phone. There’s also room for lunch and a book.
All purse and bag projects are customisable. If you have a specific size in mind or want your bag to fit something in particular, I’ll teach you how to adapt the pattern to suit your needs. So if you’d like to make anything smaller or larger, you definitely can! (Just let me know via email or ASAP before the first lesson. You might need a different sized zip if you want to make a wider bag.)
Changing the size of your bag doesn’t affect the techniques you’ll learn – and it makes sense for you to make something you’ll actually use.
(This is why I love teaching beginners how to make bags – who doesn’t appreciate a tote bag? They’re so useful! AND you won’t be caught short paying for a plastic bag.)
What’s the investment?
Each course starts from £500 for 9 hours of personalised, individual tuition and includes everything you’ll need to learn how to sew and make fitting adjustments to a commercial pattern. This includes:
- fabric – both for practising and your final project(s)
- sewing thread
- printed instruction booklets and reference materials
- pattern paper and card
You don’t need to bring a machine of your own; you can use the ones I have on site for the duration of the course. I also have scissors and haberdashery for you to use for the duration of the course. This will help you to get an idea of what to buy when you’re ready to purchase a sewing machine of your own.
Because you’ve tried it already, you won’t be buying blind. Things like fabric scissors especially need to be tested in the hand.
It’s really important that you get a solid foundation so that you can make high-quality clothes that last for a lifetime.
Developing sewing skills for life
If it feels and sounds like a big investment, that’s because it is.
Making clothes is a lifelong skill and one you can pass on to friends, family, and younger generations.
You will learn so much more than just how to use a sewing machine. Investing time and money into a solid foundation means that you can:
- get used to following pattern instructions – these vary widely, even when the techniques are identical
- consolidate any and all techniques with a teacher by your side
- contextualise what you’ve learned with projects
- learn about fabric handling and which fabrics are suitable for what you’d like to make
- have someone (me!) to talk to about the research and practice you do away from class (this is optional, by the way! But brownie points if you do)
- not flail around the internet asking for free help (good luck!), wondering how much you actually know, or searching on YouTube to fill the gaps in your knowledge
- be confident in what you’re doing!
I recommend booking at least 2 hours at a time so that you can really make progress during each session. 3 hours is best, if you can manage it.
Where do the beginners clothes making courses take place?
All beginners clothes making courses are held at Streatham and Brixton Quaker Meeting House, just off the A23 and close to the South Circular. It’s a short bus ride up the hill from Brixton station or down from Streatham Hill rail station.
FAQs about the beginners sewing and clothes making courses
Does a beginners sewing course have to be this intensive? I don’t have a lot of time.
If you JUST want to dip your toes into sewing, I recommend this 1-day introductory course at Morley College. This covers the fundamentals of using the sewing machine.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I used to teach this course. It was a lot of fun! There’s no commitment required and absolutely nothing wrong with it, but a day is not a long time in Sewing World. At the end of the day, you’ll leave with squares of calico that you’ve stitched together and some handy diagrams. If you’re a “something’s better than nothing” kind of person, sign up ASAP.
However, please know that you will absolutely need a follow-up course. You’ll enjoy the day at Morley College and wonder what you can do next.
If you take my course, you’ll already know what you’re in for. You’ll already know what’s next. You start with operating the machine. Then, you move on to making a bag. You finish with clothes making fundamentals. Most importantly, you leave with secure knowledge and practical skills for life.
Solid foundations are more important than you think when it comes to beginners sewing and clothes making.
I’ve been making clothes and teaching for a long time. I’ve met a lot of people with knowledge gaps and less confidence than they deserve to have. Sadly, it’s because they skimped on the important stuff in the early days.
Plus – it’s important that you’re able to sort the wheat from the chaff regarding online tutorials. There’s a lot of information available for free and the quality is…variable.
After the course, you can also book me for a troubleshooting session. I do offer those if you can already sew. They’re via Zoom only, so not for beginners. Sorry!
I just want to fix or alter clothes – can you help me with that instead?
No.
Alterations are a monster I don’t want to fight anymore. Too many modern clothes are simply not built to last and not worth saving. Planned obsolescence is a major player in the fashion industry. Things are deliberately made to fall apart and keep us going back to buy more shoddy clothes.
To me, it makes more sense for you (and the health of the planet) to make quality items in the first place.
Grandma was right: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It makes more economical and ecological sense to own that clothes can grow or evolve with you. That way, you make less, buy less, AND throw away less. It is possible to engineer clothing so that there are features that accommodate comfort and weight gain/loss. I’d love to teach you more about how to do this.
If that’s still not for you, then I strongly and warmly recommend this wonderful book on alterations by J. Francois-Campbell. All the alterations you need to know are in here. Otherwise, befriend your local dry cleaner and pay them to do it for you.
I also wrote a more in-depth review of Simple Tailoring and Alterations – you can read it here.
Can you help me to choose a pattern for the clothes making option?
Yes, of course! I’d love to. We can chat over a Zoom or email. I have several recommendations, but the most important thing is to choose something that you’ll wear. That’s the most important thing. It needs to be something you’re happy to have in your wardrobe and be proud of wearing. No more settling for subpar stuff! Not if you’re taking your valuable time to make something for yourself. You’re worth more than simply settling.
That’s the joy of making your own clothes – you have complete creative control.
What’s next for the beginners clothes making course?
After you’ve completed the bag project, we’ll move on to clothes making techniques. You’ll build a technical file of key construction methods and seam finishes applicable to at least 90% of clothing items.
This is a handy reference guide to have beside you when you’re working more independently on patterns and making clothes of your own. You won’t have to wonder what a particular technique is, or how it should look when it’s finished, because you’ll have already done it! And you’ll have me right beside you to check that you’re moving in the right direction.
We can also get going on your first clothes making project during the time we have after making the bag. At the very least, I can get you set up. If you’re as enthusiastic as I am, you’ll get a LOT done!
Bring sewing-minded friends – I love meeting kindred spirits 🙂
You’ll have me for the beginners sewing course, but you are more than welcome to bring your real friends along. I love group bookings! Please add £25 per person to the base price if you’re getting a group together (this is to cover each person’s fabric, zips, etc.), and £80 if you need me to hire the Quaker House for you.
Notes for group bookings
The smaller projects require less fabric, so the overall cost will not increase as much from the base price. BUT – this can also depend on whether there’s a group of you and you’re all happy to make identical purses or makeup bags. Let me know more about this when you enquire and I can be more specific.
I’m more than happy to put together a custom price for you – we can definitely work together on that.
Make sure to let me know if you have a favourite colour of fabric – I’ll do my best to find it for you! Or you can source and buy it yourself if you’ve seen something you like.
The bag fabrics will be a durable cotton canvas for the outer shell, and a soft cotton lawn or quilting cotton for the lining. The drawstring is also 100% cotton. All components and materials are machine washable so that your bag stays looking fresh and pretty 🙂
A reminder of what’s included in the beginners sewing and clothes making course
If you choose the bag project, you’ll get:
- fabric and haberdashery – both for practising and your final project(s)
- printed instruction booklets and reference materials
- pattern paper and card
You’ll leave with:
- a completed project of your choice – either a cute bag or an item of clothing that fits you perfectly
- pages and pages of personalised learning resources
- references and recommendations for your next steps
- a technical file of key garment construction processes, tried, true, and practised by YOU
- knowledge and experience of how to lay, mark, and cut fabric correctly
- understanding of pattern markings and annotation
- confidence in your ability to comprehend and follow pattern instructions
- clarity on what your next steps are on your sewing journey
- the comfort of knowing you can contact me ANYTIME once the course is done. You can contact me directly, book a one-to-one via Zoom, or email me. It’s only the final goodbye when you say it is!
If you’re still unsure, I’m happy for you to jump on a Zoom call with you to see if we’re a good fit. If you’d prefer to do that, enquire below.
Before I forget – here’s a map of the Quaker House so that you can find it:
Over to you!
Ready to enquire about the beginners clothes making course? Now’s the time.
Have I missed anything, or do you have any other questions for me? Get in touch here.
If designing your own clothes is more your thing, or you’d like to get to that stage at some point, please also take a look at my Design and Make Your Own Clothes course.
First time visitor? Welcome! I’m Natalie.
Natalie Warner
I design size- and shape-inclusive knitting patterns for clothes makers who want their garments to fit well. Clothes should serve you, not the other way around. You alter clothes to fit you, not alter yourself to fit the clothes. This is at the heart of everything I do.
I also teach other people how to design clothes, and run two courses: an online knitwear design course, covering everything from illustration to pattern grading, and an in-person clothing design course comprising made-to-measure blocks, creative pattern cutting, and garment construction.
If you’re enjoying my content, you can get more by reading my blog, which features several articles on garment fitting, alterations, knitwear design and sewing pattern reviews, following me on Instagram or Pinterest @natalieinstitches, or signing up to my newsletter. And you can find out more about me here. Welcome!
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