Introduction To Alterations

Alterations: Make Your Clothes Fit

A sleeve that’s too long, a gaping waistband or straps that won’t sit right can turn a perfectly good garment into something that never leaves the wardrobe. In this course you’ll learn practical, beginner-friendly alterations to fix these problems, so you can rescue the clothes you already own and get a better fit from the ones you buy or make.

What we’ll cover:

• Hemming pants and jeans

• Choosing a hem finish

• Taking in side seams

• Creating shape with darts

• Shortening straps

• Taking in waistbands

• Shortening shirt sleeves

Course details

The course runs for three weeks, with a 2.5hr class each week. We’ll aim to cover all of the skills above, but we’ll adjust to the experience level of the group and the pace at which everyone works, so you get time to practise each technique properly.

Before you enrol

You should be comfortable using and threading a sewing machine and have a good grasp of seam allowances and basic sewing skills.

What to bring

• Basic sewing tools: pins, marking pens or chalk, and fabric scissors

• Sewing machine: no machine? Let me know and we can arrange one for you to use at the studio

• Practice garments: a pair of old jeans and a business shirt you no longer need. If you don’t have these, let me know, as we usually have spare garments you can use