Programme:
- Dressmaking tuition - beginner, intermediate, advanced and couture.
- Pattern cutting - basic blocks and style adaptations.
- Overlocking - for beginners, new owners and the terrified!
- Sewing machine skills - new owners and all levels.
- Post graduate and newly qualified teacher training - build your skills.
- Texile and fashion teacher staff development - refresh and broaden your skills.
One-to-one and small group sessions are ideal for anyone who cannot get to the groups or if you want a more intensive session to fit in with work or family commitments.
One-off sessions or courses can be booked.
Daytime, weekend and evening dates are available.
Dressmaking Tuition
Dates: arranged on booking.
Venue: Unique Couture Tuition, Skidby or other venue by arrangement
One-to-one or small group sessions are tailored to your requirements and are suitable for all abilities from beginner to advanced. You can learn basic dressmaking skills, how to use and adapt commercial patterns, tailoring, couture techniques, explore and sample a specific technique, resolve those frustrating fitting problems or get help with a project you're stuck on and at the same time get the most from your sewing machine or overlocker.
Cost at Unique Couture Tuition: £65 for half a day
£120 for a full day
Pattern Cutting - skirt, trouser, bodice, jacket blocks and style adaptations
Dates: to fit in with your commitments
Venue: Unique Couture Tuition, Skidby or other venue by arrangement
Learn how to accurately take your body measurements and use these to draft skirt, trouser and bodice blocks. Make and fit a toile (fitting shell) and then use your blocks to produce stylish garments that fit!
Cost at Unique Couture Tuition: £65 for half a day
£120 for a full day
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Overlocking for beginners, new owners and the terrified!
Dates by arrangement on booking
Venue - Unique Couture, Skidby
No prior skills required
2 hour session
This 2 hour session will cover all those important basics that will help you tame, control and get the most from your overlocker:
- Changing the needles
- Easy threading
- Identifying and adjusting the tension dials to achieve perfect stitching
- Starting and finishing methods
- Dealing with difficult fabrics such as chiffon and jersey.
- Narrow overlocking
- Rolled hemming
- Overlocker make to take home
Cost: £40.00 including materials and plenty of tea, coffee and bisuits!
Equipment required: Overlocker, instruction manual & accessories if the machine came supplied with these.
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Sewing Machine Skills
Dates and venues by arrangement
Venue: Unique Couture Tuition, Skidby.
No prior skills required
2 hour session
Bring along your sewing machine, or use one of mine if you don't have one or are thinking about buying one, and learn how to get the most from it in this 2 hour session.
Cost: £40.00 including materials and refeshments
Equipment required: machine and instruction manual
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Post Graduate and Newly Qualified Teacher Training in garment construction and pattern cutting
Create a portfolio of pattern cutting and garment construction technique samples to use in in the classroom or to enable you to confidently work as designer maker.
As far as I am aware there is no one offering this service - give me a call to discuss your requirements.
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Textile Teacher Overlocker, Pattern Cutting, Sewing Skills Staff Development Days
No previous skills required
Dates and venue by arrangement
Make the most of your school's overlockers in this 4 hour session. Starting with the basics discover easy threading, needle changing and how to balance the tension dials for a perfect stitch. Use the differential feed for stretch fabrics. Explore rolled hemming, rolled hemming with fishing line, using decorative threads, mock blanket stitch and wrapped edge stitch to produce a range of samples and simple products.
Learn or refresh your pattern cutting and pattern adaptation skills to create more interesting and better fitting garments.
Explore your garment construction skills by building a portfolio of those basic but crucial technique samples, for example zips, seams, hems etc.
Or build a combination of the above to meet your requirements.
From £250.00 (full day) for up to 4 members of staff.
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Terms & conditions:
- The cost of one-to-one/small group sessions is payable on booking.
- Fees are non-refundable.
- Machines brought for the session must be in good working order and are for the owner's use only.
- There may be a small additional cost on the day for materials.

