Sewing: Patternmaking Essentials Course

If you’re a confident sewer ready to move beyond commercial patterns, this Patternmaking Essentials course will help you develop the skills to draft, fit, and refine garment patterns using your own measurements.

Designed as a practical introduction to patternmaking, this course focuses on creating skirt, bodice, and pant blocks that form the foundation of well-fitting garments. Working step-by-step, you’ll learn how to draft patterns on paper, sew and assess toiles (prototype garments), and refine fit through adjustment and testing.

As you progress through the course, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of how patterns translate into garments, and how shaping, balance, and proportion affect fit on the body. Once refined, your patterns will be transferred into durable cardboard blocks complete with seam allowances, hems, and construction details—giving you a personalised set of reusable templates for future sewing projects.

This course combines technical skill-building with creative problem-solving, helping you become more confident, independent, and precise in your garment making. With a small class size and plenty of individual guidance, you’ll be supported throughout the fitting and drafting process while developing practical skills used across sewing, fashion, and patternmaking.

It’s essential that you’re confident using a sewing machine and able to construct basic toiles or prototype garments.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Patternmaking Essentials course, participants will have developed practical skills and knowledge in areas such as:

Taking accurate body measurements for pattern drafting

Drafting skirt, bodice and pant patterns using personal measurements

Creating and fitting toiles to test garment fit

Making adjustments to improve fit and shape

Developing personalised skirt, bodice and pant pattern blocks

Building foundational patternmaking skills relevant to garment design and construction