Do you want to learn to sew? Join of one (or all!) our sewing skills classes in sunny Dorset!
Get sew-confident! Join our friendly sewing workshops and really get to know your sewing machine and polish up key sewing skills. Small group dressmaking classes on a Thursday evening with our Saville Row-trained seamstress Lynne. These workshops book up fast, but don’t worry – we’re adding more dates all the time. Our sewing courses will be running throughout the year from September 2023.
Jump to courses
- All about our courses
- Get to know your sewing machine
- All about zips
- Buttons, buttonholes and loops
- Simple Zipped Cushion
- Get to Know Your Overlocker
- How to Make a Roman Blind
- Make a Lined Tote Bag
- Make a T Shirt
- All kinds of pockets
- All kinds of seams
- All kinds of sleeves
- What you’ll learn at a Livingstones sewing workshop
- What to bring to your workshop
Looking for sociable sewing workshops? Join us in our fabulous fabric shop in Bridport and learn key skills to make your sewing shine!
Our evening sewing workshops are fun, sociable and a great way to improve your sewing skills. Choose from our range of regular dressmaking workshops in Bridport and get ready for better results with your dressmaking and furnishing projects!
All about our courses
Our Bridport sewing classes are designed to focus on dressmaking skills we often struggle with. Getting the details right on your sewing projects will make you a more confident dressmaker and means you’ll end up with a garment you’re happy to wear, in a fabric you love. All evening workshops last 2 hours and cost £35.00 each. You can just dip in to a single workshop, or book a series and really up your sewing game! All workshops are suitable for either beginners or more experienced sewers unless otherwise stated.
Get to know your sewing machine
Learn essential skills and tips and start sewing with confidence! You’ll learn on your own machine, so that you can use everything you’ve learned when you’re sewing at home. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Choosing the right needle
- Setting needle position
- getting the tension right
- Using different feet
All about zips
Learn to put in standard zips and invisible zips. Confidently fit zips to dressmaking and furnishing projects and get a great finish too. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Choosing the right zip
- How to sew in a standard zip
- How to sew an invisible zip
- Using continuous zipping
- Trouser zips
Buttons, buttonholes and loops
Learn all about button fastenings. You’ll look at sewing buttons and making button holes, and also cover rouleau loops too. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Different button fastening options
- How to sew buttons on properly
- How to make a buttonhole
- Working with rouleau loops
Simple Zipped Cushion
Make yourself a zipped cushion cover. You’ll go home with a completed cushion cover in your own choice of fabric. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Measuring and cutting fabric
- Pattern placement
- How to sew a standard zip in your cushion cover
- Finishing your cushion project
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Get to Know Your Overlocker
Learn essential overlocker skills and tips and start sewing with confidence! You’ll learn on your own machine, so that you can use everything you’ve learned when you’re sewing at home. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Threading your machine with confirdence
- Different seams and finishes
- Techniques for curved seams and corners
- Sewing with stretch and jersey fabrics
How to Make a Roman Blind
Learn techniques for one simple method of making a roman blind. This is a skills class where you will be working on a sample, not making a roman blind. You can then apply your skills to your own project at home. This class is not for beginners and you will need some level of sewing experience. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Calculating fabric requirements, measuring and cutting
- Using roman blind tape
- Rods and safety devices
- Finishing your roman blind
Make a Lined Tote Bag
Make yourself a handy lined tote bag in your own choice of fabric, or calico. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Measuring and cutting fabric
- Pattern placement
- Adding a pocket
- Making handles from fabric
Make a T Shirt
Make yourself a simple t shirt in your own choice of jersey fabric. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Cutting fabric using a pattern
- Sewing skills for stretch fabric
- Finishing a stretch neckline
- Finishing your t shirt project
All kinds of pockets
Learn all about pockets and how to fit them into garments. How to sew patch pockets, inset pockets, and seam pockets and get a great finish. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Different types of pockets
- How to position and fit pockets
- How to sew pockets in a garment
No dates currently scheduled
All kinds of seams
Learn to sew neat and tidy seams! Learn all about different types of seams for different garments, how to sew them and get a great finish too. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- Different types of seams
- How to sew flat seams
- How to sew curved seams
- How to sew French seams
No dates currently scheduled
All kinds of sleeves
Learn all about different types of sleeves and how to sew perfect sleeves into your garment. Learn tailor’s tricks to get a great finish. 2 hr workshop, £35.00.
- All about different types of sleeves
- How to sew standard set-in sleeves
- How to sew raglan sleeves
- How to sew gathered sleeves
No dates currently scheduled
What you’ll learn at a Livingstones sewing workshop
Do you want to join our sewing classes in Bridport? Our fabulous fabric shop, which is based in the vibrant Vintage Quarter is a stitcher’s paradise, full of fabrics for dressmaking, furnishings and crafts, as well as all kinds of bits and pieces and frequently described by our customers as an Aladdin’s cave. We designed our evening sewing workshops after listening to our lovely customers to find out what you want to learn and when you want to learn it. All courses run in the dressmaking room after the shop has closed, and of course there’s time before the course to have a browse!
What to bring to your workshop
You’ll need to bring your own sewing machine (or overlocker for the overlocker workshop only) to the workshop! We decided to do this because it means you’ll learn to sew on the machine you’ll be using at home, so you’ll be totally confident that you (and your machine) can use your new skills for your next project. . Please check your machine is functioning well in advance as we don’t accept cancellations on these courses. You can book your machine in for a service in advance if needed.
You’ll also need a basic sewing kit, which you’ll also need to do your best sewing at home! Bring what you use at home, and remember we stock a huge range of sewing tools, both in our shop in Bridport and online.
You’ll need the following:
- Sharp dressmaking scissors (not for cutting paper!)
- Hand sewing needles
- Machine sewing needles
- A quick unpick
- A tape measure
- Sharp dressmaking pins
- Tailors chalk
Refreshments are not provided due to time constraints, but please feel free to bring your own flask.