Sewing: Patternmaking Essentials
Take control of your garment making in this hands-on Patternmaking Essentials course designed for confident home sewers. Learn how to draft your own skirt, bodice and pant blocks using your personal body measurements, starting with industry-standard templates and refining them for a perfect fit.
Across guided projects and practical sessions, you’ll create and fit calico toiles (prototypes), make precise adjustments, and transfer your final patterns onto durable cardboard blocks. By the end of the course, you’ll have a personalised set of skirt, bodice and pant blocks that you can reuse to design and create garments that truly fit your shape.
With small class sizes (maximum 10 students), you’ll receive plenty of one-on-one support and expert guidance as you build confidence in fitting, drafting and garment construction techniques.
Course Outline
- Skirt Block: Take accurate body measurements, draft a skirt pattern, sew and fit a toile, and finalise your cardboard block with seam allowances and markings.
- Bodice Block: Draft and sew a fitted bodice toile, refine the fit with tutor guidance, and transfer your completed block to cardboard.
- Pant Block: Create a custom pant pattern, construct and adjust a toile, and complete your personalised cardboard block.
- Refinement & Techniques: Finalise all blocks and explore additional elements such as sleeves, waistbands or pockets, or begin a personal design project.
Schedule & Pricing
- Most courses run as four full-day sessions (9:30am–4:00pm).
- An alternative eight-session evening format covers approximately half a lesson per session.
- Course fee: $719.
Important Information
- This class takes place in an upper-level room accessible by stairs only. The lift is currently out of service.
- Full-day classes include a 30-minute lunch break.
Details
You will learn
- Take accurate body measurements for drafting patterns
- Draft and fit custom skirt, bodice and pant blocks
- Adjust toiles to achieve a precise, personalised fit
You will get
- Personalised cardboard skirt, bodice and pant blocks
- Expert one-on-one guidance in a small class
- Reusable patterns tailored to your body measurements
Appropriate for
Confident home sewers and sewing enthusiasts with basic garment construction experience who want to draft and fit their own patterns.
Preparation
What to bring
- 5m calico (150cm wide) or 7m (115cm wide)
- Basic sewing kit including needles, thread and scissors
- Measuring tape, rulers, pencils, markers and notebook
What to wear
Closed-in shoes required
Your Teacher
Sydney Community College
38 reviewsSydney Community College is a registered charity with a voluntary Board of Directors.
The College has a mission to offer innovative continuing adult education and training programmes that support individual efforts and facilitate sustainable social change.
We do this by:
- Providing quality continuing adult education opportunities for people to build practical and theoretical skills and develop knowledge;
- Leveraging from and developing community capacity and inclusivity;
- Developing innovative affordable and accessible skills training programmes;
- Partnering with like organisations to deliver learning opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities;
- Partnering with all levels of government to deliver education policy objectives.
Cancellations & Refunds
If the organiser cancels the class:
You are entitled to a full refund.
If you can't attend the class:
You’re welcome to send someone in your place.
OR
- A refund can be requested 10 days before class starts. An admin fee of AU$45.00 applies.
Terms & Conditions
At Sydney Community College, we know that plans can change unexpectedly. Whether it’s a shift in your schedule, a family emergency, or just a change of heart, we want to support you in the fairest way possible.
At the same time, we’re a not-for-profit organisation that commits resources to running each class—so last-minute cancellations can significantly impact our ability to offer quality, affordable programs.
That’s why we’ve created a simple, transparent policy that balances your need for flexibility with our need to plan and deliver courses sustainably. Our cancellation policy offers two clear options, depending on when you notify us:
Cancel More Than 10 Days Before the Course Starts – You can choose to receive a full refund, minus a $45 administration fee OR a non-refundable credit note valid for 12 months for the full value you paid for the course. This credit can be used towards any future course at the College.
Option 2: Cancel Within 10 Days of the Course Starting - You’ll receive a credit note valid for 12 months for 50% of the course fee you paid for the course. This credit can be used towards any future course at the College.
Please note that both refund and credit options are only available before the course begins. Once the course has started—or if you decide to withdraw after it has commenced—no refunds or credits can be issued. If you need to cancel your enrolment, just email us and we’ll take care of it based on the timelines above.
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Sewing: Patternmaking Essentials
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