One-day
Couture workshops are suitable for all levels of sewing ability.
Due to the small number of students individual help and guidance is always
available.
The
hands on experience and knowledge are designed to give confidence and
know
how to approach various sewing projects.
Courses
fall into four categories:
1, Essential foundations,
2, Difficult fabrics,
3, Tailoring techniques and
4, Couture pattern and fitting.
1,
Essential Foundation Courses
It is advisable to complete some of the
basic foundation courses and progress
to a more advanced level if you have limited sewing experience or have
not
sewn for many years and need to update your knowledge.
Know Your Sewing Machine
A
one-day workshop to discover everything you always wanted to know
about your sewing machine. This day is designed to gain confidence in
using
the functions and features of your own sewing machine, producing
samples,
which are attached to the reference booklet provided.
All
fabrics and notions provided
Course time 10.00 – 4.00pm £45
Half day 1.00 – 4.00pm £25
Working With Your Overlocker
A
one-day workshop to gain confidence in threading machines, changing
tensions and cutting distances. A booklet is provided and samples are produced
on your overlocker working on various weights of cloth and covering
many
essential stitching techniques for example, cording, gathering, overlocking
inside and outside corners, inside and outside curves and roll hemming.
A day to gain knowledge on garment construction, finishing and decorative
techniques.
Course time 10.00 – 4.00pm £45
Half day 1.00 – 4.00pm £25
Inside
Secrets
Introducing the home dressmaker to the world of couture. A day compiling
a comprehensive set of notes and samples for daywear, occasion wear, and
tailoring. Discover why the sample range of garments on display, look
good
and fell comfortable to wear. Understand how to eliminate everyday
problems, limp bodices, floppy collars, heavy hems, seam ridges, see through
dresses, seating and creasing.
An excellent course for updating your knowledge on
interfacings, underlinings,
linings and fashion fabrics.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Couture
Finishes
This one-day workshop guarantees you will never make hand made
clothes
with a homemade finish. Many samples produced throughout the day. A zip
placement that cannot go wrong, hemlines with no visible stitching,
piped
buttonholes, created by hand. Hong Kong finished seams, invisible
hemlines
and beautiful covered press-studs. A couture collection that can be used
in
everyday clothes.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Sewing
Essentials
Get your sewing off to a great start. A day
making a garment beginning
with advice on selecting patterns, fabrics and interfacings. Demonstrations
on cutting and marking methods. Make
an elegant top, covering various
sewing processes stay stitching, understitching, darts, curved princess
seams,
open and flat seam finishes, attaching a facing, grading and clipping,
inserting sleeves, seam and hem finishes.
Course
time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Professional
Pressing
Does the finish on your garment let you down? If you
would like to achieve
professionally pressed garments come along and make the equipment that
will make sewing and pressing a delight. Using the tailors ham, seam
roller
and silk pressing cloth made during the day see a series of samples
which
demonstrate sharp creases, perfect corners and many more essential
techniques. Learn how to eliminate shine and re-texture cloth working
with
a pound block and point presser. Understand the three stages of
pressing.
A must for all sewers.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm
£70
Principles of Fitting
This
is a foundation course for the three-day pattern and fitting courses,
to ensure that the correct size and style are selected for master
patterns.
This day covers essential information on analysing your figure to
determine the correct pattern shape and understanding personal fitting
preference.
A basic formula will be given to build a capsule wardrobe. A pattern of
your
choice is tissue paper fitted to learn the adjustments for personal
figure
variations and to understand the four stages of couture fitting.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
2,
Difficult Fabrics
Stretch
Knits
Produce in the day a garment that is
comfortable to wear, easy to care
for and quick to sew. Classic, casual and evening wear tops made in
stretch Jersey to minimise fitting requirements. Discover techniques for
stretch fabric construction that includes decorative neck finishes,
sleeve
bindings and hem finishes using overlocker and coverstitch machine.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Couture
Boned Bodice
If you are planning a special gown,
the couture sewing techniques will
give beautiful professional results. The inner structure is interlayered
providing a boning surface this prevents bones from poking through the
bodice. The fashion fabric is contoured to eliminate wrinkles and
produces perfect shaping to outer edges. During the day a bodice is
completed with invisible zip placement. Piping, lining and waist stay
demonstration is given and notes supplied.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Lovely
Lingerie
A day to create your own made to
measure bias cut luxury lingerie.
Begin by selecting the correct pattern, type of fabric and the most
appropriate decorative features. A waist slip and camisole will be sewn
by everyone. The days sewing course includes working with the overlocker
and sewing machine to produce various seam and edge finishes.
Applying difference types of lace decoration to include appliqué
insertion
and mitring. A simple technique will be used to apply soft lingerie
elastic,
and embroidery stitches will add extra decorative features.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Beautiful
Blouses
A day working with fine fabrics to
produce beautiful everyday garments.
How to handle slippery silks and difficult polyesters. Beginning with
the
preparation of fabrics, suitable patterns and advice on cutting and
marking fabrics. Choosing the correct interfacings for delicate fabric.
A sample garment will be made to include a simple method of applying
a collar and delicate bound openings for sleeves or necklines. Working
in delicate fabric, learn techniques to eliminate sleeve insertion
difficulties.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Luxurious
Linings
Learn to line all your garments to
give a high quality appearance and
luxurious feel. Discover the three different methods of inserting
linings,
which methods are suitable for certain types of fabric or styles of
garment.
Discover how to make lining patterns for unlined jackets, trousers and
skirts full and part linings, with finishing techniques for pleats,
vents
and zip openings. Learn to insert tucks into linings to prevent strain
and splitting in hemlines and back seams. Cover and shape shoulder
pads. Look at decorative features suitable for lining to include
embroidery, piping and overlocking techniques.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
3,
Tailoring Techniques
Designer
Speed Tailoring
If
you consider tailoring difficult or time consuming the Designer Speed
Tailoring
days will prove it is not. Speed Tailoring produces a
quality-manufactured
appearance. The fusible woven
interfacings sourced from the designer world
have an 8% stretch and produce brilliant results on all weights of
fabric.
Learn the anatomy of a Speed Tailored Jacket. How to form structure with
'T' zones, Plastrons, Headers and Bindings. Produce half a garment using
easy techniques to produce professional results every time.
Two day course time 10.00 - 4.00pm £130
Traditional
Tailoring
A day for everyone interested in
Traditional Tailoring techniques to
create a wonderfully structured garment. Learn how to shape and mould
canvas, using tailor’s pressing equipment. Pad stitch and tape the
garment
to achieve symmetrical lapels and superb collar shaping. Tucks or bumps
eliminated by the easy hand stitched finish creating perfect-notched
collars
every time. Some fabrics and styles require traditional hand stitched
tailoring for the best results.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Pockets
and Buttonholes
Are Pockets and Buttonholes sewing
techniques you avoid?
Come and learn the basic pocket formula
that can revolutionise your
sewing. Learn to make your own patterns and templates for jacket,
trousers and shirt pockets. A great day producing a comprehensive
set of Pocket and Buttonhole samples, to include piped, jetted, welt
couture patch pocket and three types of buttonholes including machined.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Trouser
Tricks
The trouser workshop covers many tips
and techniques for making
various trouser styles. You make a sample pair of trousers during
the day. Beginning with how to press creases in trousers, side pockets
that close perfectly, no pulls or gapping. A built in girdle for
extra
comfort and tummy control, an easy two-step method of inserting a
fly zip with placket. Finishing the day stitching a shaped waistband
for extra comfort.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
Stylish
Shirts
Ever wondered why a shirt collar
doesn't fit the neckline or the sleeve
is too big for the cuff? With the wonderful manufacturing method of
edge stitching the garment, perfect results are guaranteed. During the
day, firm fusible collar canvas is used to produce superb sharp corners
with no ridges. Construct a two-piece collar and stand. Make a sleeve
placket and apply the cuff. Finishing with a flat fell seam and no
wrinkle
curved hems.
Course time 10.00 - 5.00pm £70
4,
Couture Pattern and Fitting Courses
Comprehensive three-day
courses over two weeks to fit trousers,
Blouses, Dresses or Jackets, courses are available for each garment.
Purchasing patterns hoping the next one
will fit better is not the solution,
perfect and make a master pattern, which will save endless time and
money.
Determining your size, posture, bone structure style and ease
preference
is the start to creating garments that flatter the figure and make you feel
good.
Day One Week 1
Learn the importance of master patterns.
Bring a commercial pattern to
be measured and compared to numerous body measurements to identify
where the individual figure varies from standard pattern measurements.
The correct size is selected and the pattern is tissue paper fitted to
reveal body proportions and circumference adjustments.
Day Two Week 1
Fabric is prepared and a test garment
(toile) is constructed for fitting.
Important vertical and horizontal lines are marked onto the garment
for the second stage of fitting. To achieve a couture-fitting garment
adjustments and corrections are made to such precision that a garment
becomes the shape of an individual figure. The toile will be cut and
darted to accommodate all figure variations, bone structure and posture.
Note: If there are more than six
pattern adjustments, the toile is made
up, as homework to his is why there is a week before final day
Day Three
Draglines and folds identify areas of
adjustment on a toile. With the
use of a plumb line, set square and stand measure the proportional
and circumference measurements will be perfected to ensure the
toile
hangs correctly. All adjustments are marked onto the toile, which are
transferred to the pattern. A master pattern of a stylish garment
that
fits the body and flatters the figure is produced. When compared with
another pattern, the master pattern is a tool to determine size and
cut for an individual’s non-standard figure.
Three day course time 10.00 - 4.30pm £180
Skirt
Fitting
A tailored skirt, which is levelled at the
waist, can be adjusted for posture
and bone structure to correct hemlines. The skirt master pattern is
used
to correct all skirt styles so they hang correctly and the level is
parallel
to the floor.
Two day course time 10.00 - 4.30pm £120
