How To Make Clothes

We’re on a mission to bring back the almost lost craft of professional garment making skills for home sewing.

Learn design & garment construction from first principles.

Courses and workshops are led by Jane Norris, designer and educator. 

Spring 2024 Courses & Workshops . . . .

WENDNESDAY WORKSHOPS COURSE: April: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th – May 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd

THURSDAY SEWING DAYS COURSE: April: 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th – May: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd

Jane graduated from Ravensbourne College of Art & design (London) in 1982. Setting up her own business, a fashion label which specialised in designing and producing leather and sheepskin garments. Supplying the designer retail trade in the UK for the next 25 years. In 2019-2021 Jane completed a Master of Arts Degree in Creative Education – 'Making Learning’. During this time Jane set up a micro-business and a teaching practice to develop a teaching approach for garment making in adult education. This contributed to and supported her MA research projects.

Email: how.to.make.clothes101@gmail.com

Website: www.howtomakeclothes.co.uk

Instagram @how_to_make_clothes

Facebook @HowToMakeClothes

Classes coming up:

Spring 2024 – GARMENT MAKING WORKSHOPS:

New dates just added for after Easter: Please contact Jane by email if you are interested in booking onto the Wednesday workshop Course or the Thursday Sewing Days for the April or May courses.

April: 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th

May: 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd

Start Sewing your own Wardrobe of Clothes in 2024!

Come and join our lovely sewing groups, there’s the Wednesday Workshops group or the Thursday Sewing Days. Both days of course dates are designed for students to work on their own individual making projects.

The Wednesday Workshops have been running since November 2022, there is currently one place available for Wednesdays.

The Thursday Sewing Days started in September 2023, there is currently two spaces available for April and one space for May.

10am - 3pm at Art House, South Brent. Parking available for Art House workshops in the old school car park.

Both the Wednesday and Thursday groups run as 5 hour making sessions for students working on individual projects. What ever your level of experience you will receive all the help you need – from choosing a suitable pattern, to fitting adjustments, learning new techniques and professional finishing skills.

This new format of a 5 hour workshop (there is a lunch break and a few tea breaks) has proved a successful format, providing a productive time for making good progress with your making projects. The studio is lovely and light and spacious. It provides a hip height work counter long enough for 3 people to be cutting out or making patterns at the same time, as well as enough desk height sewing tables to provide for 5 student sewing stations.

Whether you are a complete beginner or you already have some garment making sewing skills, you will find this a friendly social learning space. It’s a place to challenge your skills and learn new techniques to suit your learning style. You will learn how to choose the most appropriate cloth you are working with and how to create the style of the clothes you would like to make.

Machines and equipment are provided. . .

You are welcome to bring along your own sewing machine if you would like to get to know it better. There are three high quality machines available for those who don’t have a machine of their own. There’s also a high quality overlocker with automatic tensioning – for professional seam and hem finishing, or for making a garment from a stretch jersey knit.

Five places maximum. . . .There is one place available on Wednesdays for April / May – and two places available on Thursdays for April and one place for May.

Current students are prioritised for booking onto each new block of workshops. If you’d like to register your interest for either Wednesday Workshops or Thursday Sewing Days – please email. . . .

The course fee of £200 to cover tuition for 4 x 5 hour Wednesday workshops, or Thursday sewing days including a sewing journal to record your progress and any extra thoughts and sewing tips to remember with future making projects.

An invoice will be emailed when you have a confirmed place, due for payment 2 weeks in advance of the course start date.
If you are interested or have any other queries contact Jane how.to.make.clothes101@gmail.com

Make Something Nice for Christmas!

A set of sewing day workshops to guide you through a Christmas making project, like this lovely suit from Liberty patterns. It’s a wrap top and Palazzo pants, perfect for special parties. The Palazzo pants alone in a rather bold cloth choice would be a great making project for Christmas events. . .This is an opportunity to learn how to work with more challenging fabrics, the shimmery fluid sort with large pattern repeats – or the plush nap of silk velvets. . .Even a simple t-shirt pattern would look amazing in a glorious cloth!

Wednesdays – November 1st, 29th and December 13th 2023. . . 10am - 3pm at Art House, South Brent.

Thursdays – November 2nd, 30th and December 14th 2023. . . 10am - 3pm at Art House, South Brent.

These workshops can be booked as 3 Wednesday workshops or 3 Thursday workshops, they run as 5 hour making sessions for students working on individual projects. What ever your level of experience you will receive all the help you need – from choosing a suitable pattern, to fitting adjustments, learning new techniques and professional finishing skills.

The new 5 hour workshop (there is a lunch break and a few tea breaks), provides a productive space for making good progress with your making projects.

This is a great next step for students who have already completed a How To Make Clothes foundation course or who already have some garment making sewing skills, providing an ideal learning space for settling into and exploring more about making different types of garments and experiencing different cloth types. It’s a place to challenge your skills and learn new techniques to suit your learning style and the style of the clothes you would like to make.

Improvers – an ideal learning option for improvers – those who have progressed to sewing clothes, but would like to learn professional finishing skills, or to know more about fitting and design adjustments.

Machines and equipment are provided. . .

You are welcome to bring along your own sewing machine if you would like to get to know it better. There are three high quality machines available for those who don’t have a machine of their own and a high quality overlocker with automatic tensioning is also available – for professional seam and hem finishing.

Five places maximum. . . .Places for Wednesdays SOLD OUT!

ONE place available for Thursdays

Current students are prioritised for booking onto each new block of workshops. If you’d like to register your interest for Wednesdays or know more about joining the Thursday group please email to reserve a place. . . .

The course fee is £150 to cover tuition for 3 x 5 hour workshops, including a sewing journal to record your progress and any extra thoughts and sewing tips to remember with future making.

An invoice will be sent when you have a confirmed place, due for payment 10 days in advance of the course start date.
If you are interested or have any other queries contact Jane how.to.make.clothes101@gmail.com

New! Beginners Foundation Course – Make a Big Skirt for Autumn

If you’ve always wanted to learn to sew this is a great place to start. Learn the foundations of machine sewing and make a classic pleated skirt. This project will give you a good foundation in basic garment making skills.

Starting 7th - 21st September 2023 on Thursdays 10am - 3pm at Art House, South Brent.

A Course for Beginners and Improvers:

Beginners – You may be a complete beginner who has not used a sewing machine before, or someone who is not yet fully confident in garment making techniques and deciphering pattern instructions.

Improvers who have progressed onto sewing clothes, but would like to learn the foundations of professional finishing skills.

Learning to make a contemporary Toast style skirt for autumn this will include all the basic skills of using a machine, making and completing a good all-rounder skirt with deep pleats and big side seam pockets. This course will help pave the way to tackling a range of future sewing projects.

Machines and equipment are provided. . .

You are welcome to bring along your own sewing machine if you would like to get to know it better. There are three high quality machines available for those who don’t have a machine of their own and a high quality overlocker with automatic tensioning is also available – for professional seam finishing.

Five places maximum. . . .

This is a new course, there are currently 3 places available. If you’d like to know more about joining please email to reserve a place. . . .

The course fee is £175 for 3 x 5 hour workshops, including the skirt pattern, zip, interfacing and a sewing journal to record your progress and any extra tips to remember when making more skirts.

An invoice will be sent when you reserve a place, due for payment 10 days in advance of the course start date.
If you are interested in booking a place or have any other queries contact Jane how.to.make.clothes101@gmail.com

New Wednesday Workshop Format – Individual Project Making. . .

Our established year round Wednesday garment making workshops are moving into a new format for Autumn.

Starting 30th August - 20th September 2023 on Wednesdays 10am - 3pm at Art House, South Brent.

This block of 4 workshops is now run as a longer 5 hour making session for students working on individual projects. What ever your level of experience you will receive all the help you need – from choosing a suitable pattern, to fitting adjustments, learning new techniques and professional finishing skills.

The new 5 hour workshop (there is a lunch break and a few tea breaks), provides a productive space for making good progress with your making projects.

This is a great next step for students who have already completed a How To Make Clothes foundation course. Providing an ideal learning space for settling into and exploring more about making different types of garments and experiencing different cloth types. It’s a place to challenge your skills and learn new techniques to suit your learning style and the style of the clothes you would like to make.

Improvers – This is an ideal learning option for improvers – those who have progressed to sewing clothes, but would like to learn professional finishing skills, or to know more about fitting and design adjustments.

Machines and equipment are provided. . .

You are welcome to bring along your own sewing machine if you would like to get to know it better. There are three high quality machines available for those who don’t have a machine of their own and a high quality overlocker with automatic tensioning is also available – for professional seam finishing.

Five places maximum. . . .Places for Wednesdays are now sold out!

Current students are prioritised for booking onto each new block of workshops. If you’d like to register your interest or know more about joining please email to reserve a place. . . .

The course fee is £200 to cover tuition for 4 x 5 hour workshops, including a sewing journal to record your progress and any extra tips to remember with future making.

An invoice will be sent when you have a confirmed place, due for payment 10 days in advance of the course start date.
If you are interested or have any other queries contact Jane how.to.make.clothes101@gmail.com