Hand sewing for couture and bespoke fashion short course

If you are looking for work in couture fashion, bridal-wear, millinery, bespoke tailoring or theatre costume production, perfect hand sewing skills are essential.Starting with a simple running stitch and working on a series of projects designed to help students perfect their skills and build up speed, this beginners course will focus on creating a reference book of hand sewn samples to add to a portfolio of work.

If you are looking for work in couture fashion, bridal-wear, millinery, bespoke tailoring or theatre costume production, perfect hand sewing skills are essential.

Starting with a simple running stitch and working on a series of projects designed to help students perfect their skills and build up speed, this beginners course will focus on creating a reference book of hand sewn samples to add to a portfolio of work.

Stitches taught on this course include:
Even basting, irregular basting and diagonal basting
Back stitch, stab stitch, prick stitch and saddle stitch
Chain stitch, blanket stitch and buttonhole stitch
Herringbone and slip stitch
Overcast and whip stitch
Tailor tacks and thread marks

Finished samples will include:
A stitch chart
A blind hem, bound hem and rolled hem
Tailored hem, tailored button and button hole
Shirt buttons and other fasteners
Covered button
Bound button hole
Hand stitched zipper

Other topics covered include:
How to present stitch samples
Transfer dart positions from pattern to fabric
Make a gathered ribbon flower
Make a pin cushion
Make a miniature petticoat; UK size 12 reduced to ? scale
How to attach gathers to a waistband
Hand-neaten seams
Prepare and stitch tucks, pin tucks and shell tucks
By the end of the course students will have produced a 'tool of the trade' pin cushion, a series of hand stitched samples and a portfolio size calico petticoat decorated in tucks, pin-tucks and shell-tucks.

Students will be expected to practice their hand-stitching between lessons, so please allow time to do this.

More information at Central Saint Martins.