The projects pictured above were class assignments completed by my students with various skill levels. These projects were designed, drafted, patterned, and constructed by students.
Alterations
What if, even after you follow expert tips, the perfect fit still eludes you? Then I can help. All prices are based off a flat rate of $30 per hour. Pricing may vary by project. The most common alterations are listed below. For alterations not listed please contact me for pricing. The cost of alterations can vary depending on the difficulty of the service.
- Shorten sleeves on a dress shirt: $19.
- Shorten sleeves on a jacket: $23 (without buttons) to $28 (with buttons).
- Take in the body of a jacket: $40 (two seams) to $52 (three seams).
- Take in a dress shirt: $20.
- Adjust the shoulders of a jacket: $35.
- Take in a sheath dress: $45.
- Pant Hems: $15
- Dress/Skirt Hems: $15– $25
- Wedding Dress Hem: $60—$80
- Taking in pants: $15-$20
- Taking in a dress at bust and/or waist: $20—$40
- Replacing a zipper: $20
Classes
I also offer a variety of sewing classes from basic technique to helping you get a large project off the ground. I have experience teaching a variety of age and experience levels. Approximate time for an introductory class: 2-3 hours, and advanced class is 3-4 hours.
Beginning Sewing—$40
- This class covers:
- Setting up your sewing area
- Basic tools and notions needed, and their functions
- Choosing your project
- Reading a pattern envelope
- Choosing the right size
- Determining good basic designs for beginning sewing
- Fabric
- Choosing the right fabric for the project
- Basic properties of basic fabrics
- Pretreatment
- Notions
- Types of notions (basic) used in most projects and why they are needed
- Making your pattern fit (part one)
- Taking measurements
- Making calculations to correct the fit
- Making your pattern fit (part two)
- A few basic alterations to the pattern
- Using your machine
- Threading the machine
- Machine maintenance
- How to wind/thread a bobbin
- Choosing needles
- Testing the stitches
- Practice makes perfect
- Exercises for learning to stitch straight lines, curves, turn corners, and backstitching.
* I will provide materials for a basic project that will help you practice your new found skills. This class also comes with a digital textbook.
- Advanced Sewing Project class—$45
- Why not build that dress you’ve always wanted to make, those curtains, or other sewing project? Beginning class that covers the basics of sewing and the techniques needed to complete a specific project. It’s a great way to build confidence and skill on a specific project!
- Pattern pieces and symbols
- Learn to decipher the symbols and markings on your pattern
- Layout charts and how to read them
- How to correctly position your pattern pieces for cutting
- How to alter a preexisting pattern
- Getting your fabric ready to cut
- A review of pretreatment
- Learn correct positioning of fabric on the cutting surface
- Grain lines
- What is a grain line? Why is it important?
- Lay out your pattern accurately
- Use the pattern markings and your grain lines to position the pattern for accurate cutting
- Cutting and organizing
- Cutting order, and how to keep the pieces organized for sewing
- Applying the interfacing
- Choosing which pieces to interface; how to apply interfacing correctly
- Marking the pieces
- Marking methods, what to mark, why we mark after the interfacing is applied
- Testing the fabric
- Test-stitch samples of the fabric
