Which Learn to Sew course is right for me?
We have courses for sewists of all levels, from complete beginner to advanced.
Unsure about where to begin? Our Guided Placement for Sewists (GPS) will locate your perfect starting point on the Learn to Sew Your Clothes pathway.
the benefits of learning with us
Sew Liberated’s Learn to Sew Your Clothes learning path is different from other online courses. Each of the courses on our path is designed to bring the benefits of an in-person class straight to your sewing room. We’ll provide:
- expert, high-quality instruction.
- access to your sewing instructors long after standard class hours have ended via our robust online support group, where we can communicate via message, photos, and video questions/responses. If you run into a challenge, we’re here for you and will walk you through it.
- a stylist-designed series of projects that build your skills in a logical way … and create a fun wardrobe in the process!
- the freedom to speed up, slow down, or repeat instruction as necessary.
- the ability to work from the comfort of your home, on your own schedule.
Each course includes lifetime access to over 5 hours of step-by-step instructional video. All videos include the option to watch with closed captioning.
As you move along your learning path, you’ll notice that we provide you not only with courses that increase in skill level, but we will teach you how to properly fit your clothes, as well.
These fitting-focused courses are integral to your happiness as a sewist and a person-who-wears-clothes. You will love how our online support group provides you with the technological tools to be able to get fitting feedback and suggestions as you integrate this important skill.
We’ll provide fabric suggestions for each of your projects, so you can easily make a decision and get to sewing.
You’ll get useful and fun resources to go along with what you’re learning. We’ll share our recommended tools, sewing podcast episodes, books, articles, and tutorials.
Each course also includes lifetime membership in the private, online Learn to Sew Your Clothes course-specific support group, hosted by Sew Liberated’s team on our own platform, where you can ask any questions, post photos of your projects, and get to know other sewists on the same journey.
We’re also happy to partner with some of our favorite online fabric shops to give you discounts on your fabric and notions orders.
I am not even done with this course and want to share my appreciation for the work you put into its development and to Judith for her knowledge and patience as an educator. After I completed the (lengthy) process of fitting my block, I made an unhacked hinterland with some pricey fabric I had been saving and it fit beautifully . I was able to then go back and alter my ill-fitting original Hinterland (pre-course) so that it works better on my body.
And even better?! My daughter is 6 feet tall and has trouble finding clothes that fit. We found a pattern for a top that she wanted. I was able to make a muslin and go through the process of iterating adjustments for a great fit on her body and then make her final garment. I used the printed resources from this course as well at "The Perfect Fit" book to identify and make the following changes:
- broad back
- full bust without darts
- lengthen bodice
- carve out the front armsyche and blend the curve
I am feeling confident about my ability to adjust patterns to fit.
THANK YOU!
The course is absolutely
I can't even tell you how much I have enjoyed your courses! My sister and I did the Studio Tunic together and now we are waiting impatiently for the Hinterland. Thank you so much for all your inspiration!
I'm really proud of how far I've come! I'm also so proud of my classmates, whom I've been meeting via Sew Liberated's (non-social-media) groups pages, and it's been so nice to connect with other people who are also experiencing the learning process and sharing their own perspectives and questions.
The method of instruction - following the trajectory of an instructor teaching an actual student - makes it very easy to follow and understand. And having the community of other people in the class is an added bonus - a place to ask questions and get support. I could not be happier with my experience so far!
This is a wonderful platform and the community is simply amazing! I am so grateful to be a part of it! I really love the way the lessons have been set up and I'm really loving that I can easily go back to a section and re-watch it just in case I missed something.
Are you trying to figure out sewing machines, fabric, sewing patterns, and setting up a sewing space? “Intro to Sewing” is here to help.
Once you’ve got a handle on all that and are ready to dig into a project, come sew some PJ Pants in “Sewing Basics 1”.
If you have the basics down and are ready to take your skills to the next level, join us and make a matching PJ Top in “Sewing Basics 2”
Take your sewing to the next level, learning heirloom seam finishes, how to sew facings, and more.
Learn how to fit any woven bodice to YOUR body while sewing the iconic Hinterland Dress.
Why learn to sew?
That’s a great question, especially when you can buy or thrift your clothing with the click of a button. But there are a number of benefits that ONLY come from learning to sew your clothes.
Some of these benefits are obvious:
- Better fit for your body. Learning to sew will allow you to make clothes custom-fit to YOUR body. All bodies have different shapes and curves, no matter their size, but fashion brands only design for a certain set of proportions. So you may find yourself tugging on your clothes, or wishing they laid better over your curves. Once you learn to sew, you can say goodbye to all of that frustration.
- Better fit for your style. Choose your fabric, color, pattern, and silhouette … so much is possible with sewing skills. Never again feel frustrated with clothing that is either too long or too short, and never ever suffer through another day without pockets! Find a pattern you love? Make multiples in different, fun fabrics. The list goes on and on.
Some of the benefits of learning to sew are less obvious, but powerful:
- A new appreciation for the importance of how we clothe ourselves. If you aren’t yet concerned about the human and ecological consequences of fast fashion, you will be after you make your first garment. You will know the love and effort that goes into each stitch, and you will be more likely to care for that piece as the years pass, deciding to mend or alter it to fit your needs, rather than just throwing it aside at a local thrift shop.
- A supportive community. Sewing friends are such amazing friends! For years, we have supported each other virtually via blogging and social media, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a more generous, uplifting, I-totally-get-you-and-your-passions group of folks. Friendships can blossom in comments and DMs, sure, but we sewists love taking virtual friendship into the real world.
- A sense of agency when so much in our lives feels out of our control. Sewing is tangible. It lets you set aside your anxiety and focus on making something real with your hands. You can control this one little piece of your world, even if you aren’t perfect at it. Learning a new skill brings you into the present moment, and we all know that spending time in the present moment is good for your mental health.
- Practice solving problems in new ways. Yes, sewing will build a (pretty rad) technical skill set, but it will also build your mental skill set! To get from point A to point B in a project, you often have to pause and do some forehead scratching – and this is good for you. Learning to sew is a path of small failures and perseverance before success, and you will emerge with more confidence in your ability to problem solve in other areas of your life, as well.
Teaching people how to sew their own clothes is Shaerie Mead’s jam, and she’s been doing it for decades.
In addition to being a patternmaker and designer of her clothing line, Iona, she owned the much-loved Sew LA, a workshop space where she taught hundreds and hundreds of folks how to sew.
Shaerie’s clear, detailed, and approachable teaching style will put you at ease and deliver so many “ah-ha!” moments. She really gets how beginners learn, and she’s got your back.
There’s little Meg loves more than bringing mindfulness and a little bit of humor to the practice of sewing.
She brings her background as a progressive educator to the design and back end of the Learn to Sew Your Clothes series, and can’t wait to pop into the lessons here and there to inject her expertise in sewing and creative styling.
Click here to learn more about Meg, the founder of Sew Liberated.
You won’t be alone on your journey! You’ll learn by watching upbeat and intrepid Sophia learn to sew.
She’ll ask all the important beginner questions that are on your mind. Thanks to Sophia’s candid learning curve, you’ll realize that everyone makes little mistakes, and it’s ok! Mistakes are simply the way we hone new skills.
You’ll be delighted to observe Sophia blossom as a sewist as the lessons progress, right alongside you.
One of the first independent sewing pattern companies, Sew Liberated has been doing this since 2007. But we aren’t just informed by needle and thread. Meg has a Masters in Education, and brings her knowledge and passion for how people learn to everything that Sew Liberated produces: from beautifully clear instructions to designing learning journeys.
Combined, Meg and Shaerie have over 50 years of experience in both sewing and sewing education.
Course participants also have access to the boundless knowledge of Sew Liberated’s professional patternmaker and fitting whiz, Judith, in the online course community.
You’ll love learning with us if:
- You want the benefits of an in-person sewing class, from the comfort of home, on your schedule.
- You want stylist-designed projects that teach invaluable skills while enhancing your wardrobe with cool, unique pieces.
- You want to feel supported, technically and emotionally, in a private online community.
- You value expert instruction, but also FUN: you’ll love learning (and laughing) alongside Shaerie and Sophia.
- You want a clear, logical path to advancing your skillset in a stress-free way.
