Step Into Dressmaking: Sew Your First Dress ✄✄
what students are saying
Stop searching for the perfect dress... make it! This is the Sigma Dress from New Zealand's PaperCut Patterns.
The Sigma dress features bust darts, waist and back darts, small soft gathers... AND pockets! Every garment is better with pockets! The dress is high waisted, to flatter your figure, you can additionally learn to lengthen the skirt if you are feeling the Winter winds. You will be taught how to insert an invisible zip (that looks amazing).
In this sewing course, you’ll create your own dress from start to finish, learning the skills to sew a beautiful garment you can actually wear. Whether you’ve made a few pieces before or you're ready to step beyond basics, in this course we will guide you through each step with support, no overwhelm, no guesswork.
By the end, you’ll walk away with a custom-made dress, plus the confidence to tackle more advanced garments on your own.
COURSE PLAN:
- Taking measurements & size selection
- Layup pattern pieces and optional skirt lengthening
- Cutting out and transferring markings
- Fusing interfacing
- Finishing raw edges with an overlocker
- Fill a bobbin, setup & adjust machines
- Stitching darts
- Sewing pockets
- How to create gathers
- Joining the bodice and skirt
- Inserting an invisible zip (like a pro!!!)
- Attaching sleeves
- Getting a professional hem!
In class, we make the short sleeve as included in Papercut's school pack. For more variations, including long sleeves, buy the full Sigma dress pattern by Papercut Patterns.
Workshop skill levels explained – click here.
Wear it with: Papercut's Sapporo Coat - click to view.
We have all the tools you'll need. Each participant is set up with fabric shears, pinking shears, thread snips, unpicker, hand needles, tape measures, pins, tailor's chalks, hem guides, ironing/pressing tools, rulers, stationery... there is no need to lug around your whole sewing kit. We've taken care of it all.
Details
You will learn
- Taking measurements and choosing the right size, pattern placement and transferring markings, cutting technique.
- Finishing raw edges and seams with an overlocker
- Stitching perfect bust and waist darts. Sewing an invisible zip. How to sew gathers.
You will get
- Finally Sew a Dress You’ll Wear on Repeat
- Instructions and a copy of the pattern to make many more dresses
Appropriate for
✄✄ Intermediate Sewing Star: This sewing thing is really growing on you! You can follow a suggested layout and have now worked with a variety of woven fabrics, maybe even your first knits. You've stepped up to using patterns for simple garments like basic skirts, pants and tops. You've sewn a dart, inserted a basic zip and have finished edges with an overlocker.
Preparation
What to bring
- .3 metres of light weight fusible interfacing
- 55+cm invisible zipper
- Woven fabric >140cm wide - 1.3 metres, or <140cm 1.8 metres. To make a knee length skirt, bring .3m more fabric.
- Matching sewing machine thread
What to wear
Casual
Your Teacher
Thread Den
2345 reviewsLearn to sew, craft and create with Thread Den.
Located on Melbourne's vibrant Brunswick Street, in Fitzroy. At Thread Den you can start at the very beginning, take your skills to the next level, and find your own unique style.
At Thread Den it's just like a friend (a super nice clever one) teaching you and a few friends to sew, craft and create. When you come in; take advantage of having all the equipment on hand, lovely big cutting tables, smooth running Janomes with plenty of feet accessories, inspiring resources, and friendly people to chat to.
Your teachers have years of experience, their own labels and businesses, and the desire to share their skills and craftsmanship with you.
Want to receive our lovely emails? You should join our mailing list. Click here to sign-up.
We can't wait to see your dress! It was lovely to teach you. We've sent you a note about coming along to a FreeStyle session to finish the last parts of your dress.
Cancellations & Refunds
If the organiser cancels the class:
You are entitled to a full refund.
If you can't attend the class:
- A refund can be requested 1 day before class starts. An admin fee of AU$35.00 applies.
- A transfer can be requested 4 days before the class starts. An admin fee of AU$10.00 applies.
- A credit note can be requested 4 days before the class starts. Free of charge.
No changes will be allowed after these times.
We recommend the refund upgrade option upon checkout in case you’re not able to attend the class. Learn more about refund upgrade option.
Terms & Conditions
Taking part in a workshop at Thread Den is fun and we love teaching people our craft, but here we have to get serious for a moment:
It is your responsibility to clear your diary for the booking you've made - especially if there are multiple sessions in your course. If you want to finish your project(s), you need to attend all workshops. You'll also need to arrive on time. We can't start again because it just isn't fair to your fellow participants.
Allow us this indulgence for a second, our workshops and courses - are usually sold out weeks in advance. It isn't a quick switch to pop you into another workshop. If we have an appropriate session where you can attend to keep going, we will try to offer you a discounted space. If that isn't possible, you will need to book a private lesson to stay on track (the minimum cost is NM -$144 or M -$119.52).
We also won't follow you up to check that you are coming along to class and/or that you have the right supplies for your class. Almost every workshop will require you to bring along your supplies, for some workshops we sell a supplies kit at an additional cost - but not for all. If you are unsure about what you need, just shoot us an email - info@threadden.com . We also want you to learn and love what you make as much as possible, please carefully consider the fabrics we recommend that you use. If you choose a fabric that is suited to a more advanced level you aren't going to enjoy your experience.
We've tried to answer any questions you could have in the workshop description, but again, don't hesitate to email us for any further details or with any queries. We loooove to see that fabric you are thinking of using and sending you off to some of our favourite fabric and habby suppliers.
Thanks for sticking with us and reading through those annoying details.
The details of our refund policy appear during the booking process.
Medical Events
- If you are required to isolate, with the supply of a medical certificate or COVID-19 testing referral covering the date of your workshop, you will be able to transfer your booking without incurring any penalties.
- Your safety is our priority, we reserve the right to make decisions if necessary to preserve the safety of all.
- In the event of a medical emergency, we may have to seek ambulance services on your behalf and at your expense.
Course Cancellations
- Classes are subject to sufficient enrolment numbers (usually this is 3 participants).
- We reserve the right to cancel any scheduled course.
This policy can be viewed on our website - https://threadden.com/about/bookings-and-cancellations-policy/
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Step Into Dressmaking: Sew Your First Dress ✄✄
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