Certificate in Fashion Design & Dressmaking

Are you addicted to Sewing, Dressmaking or Fashion Design?  Are you looking for a short course or perhaps something more advanced? Regardless of your needs, the passionate team at Learning Cloud has got you covered but be warned!  

WARNING: THESE COURSES ARE EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE AND MAY CAUSE RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS!

Do you regularly buy magazines, collect fabrics and own a sewing box?  Do you refuse to lend your scissors to your partner or your children?  If so you might be showing the signs of a typical Learning Cloud student. 

15 reasons why people enrol with Learning Cloud!  Do you suffer from any of these 15 symtoms?

1. You are either sewing, or planning when you will sew next. 
2. You are seriously considering getting a sewing tattoo, or wish you were seriously considering getting a sewing tattoo.
3. You get grumpy if you haven’t sewn for a few days.
4. You are easily influenced by Big Fabric Store marketing techniques, especially when they include the words “clearance” or “70% off”, even more so if used together. Yes, dear, I did go fabric shopping two days ago. But the clearance bin is marked 50% off today. How could I NOT go?
5. After many years of telling your partner how offensive it would be to receive a household appliance as a gift, you put a new industrial strength iron high on your Christmas wish list.
6. You have more boxes of fabric scraps than a normal person has boxes of fabric.
7. You have a Pinterest board dedicated to sewing room decorating ideas.
8. You dislike beautiful weather, because it means you will take your kids outside to play instead of staying inside and sewing. One of these days, my machine is going to come outside with us.
9. You find fabric scraps or wads of string around the house.
10. The ladies at the cutting counter know your name, and the names of all your children.
11. You spent considerable effort collecting a quirky group of sewing addiction enabling folks, even tracking them down on the web.
12. You have a sewing blog and you post to it three times in a week. 
13.  You post photos of your latest creations on Facebook and regularly check for likes and when you receive one you feel good.
14. You own a large collection of magazines that you will never part with.
15. You work around the clock like a madman and you not getting paid.

Does this sound like you?  if so, you’ll be joining one of the worlds largest industries, fashion offers many career opportunities, and with the guidance of our experienced tutors, you can turn your love of fabric and style into a wonderful new career, profitable hobby or rewarding interest. Learning Clouds Fashion Design & Dressmaking course will teach you about colours and fabrics, and how to produce professional-looking sketches and patterns. We also cover all aspects of making a garment from start to finish, show you how to communicate your ideas, along with tips for working in the industry. Plus, as your course is delivered by correspondence, there are no timetables to adhere to so your study can fit around your current lifestyle. 

Key areas of learning - Fashion Design & Dressmaking 

• Fashion Awareness I (The Big Picture)
• Patterns
• Fibres and tools
• Layouts and seams
• Linings, facings, collars, cuff and pockets
• Zippers, buttonholes, sleeves and hems
• Toiles, machine stitches, yokes, vents and stretch sewing
• Fashion Awareness II (Your Personal Style)
• Fashion drawings and designing
• How to run your own fashion design or dressmaking business

MODULE 1: FASHION AWARENESS
Fashion awareness; skill requirements; the big picture; the individual; clothing ranges – budget, middle-of-the-road and expensive; seasonal and personal colours; colour groups; patterns; textures; style and seam lines; figure analysis; measuring the body; glossary; templates for clothing design; body measurement sheets.

MODULE 2: PATTERNS
Original pattern blocks; trace patterns; commercial patterns; misses/women’s measurement sheet; pattern envelope; inside the envelope; numbered pattern pieces; cutting layouts; sewing instructions; selecting fabric; layout instructions; reading the pattern; cutting and stitching lines; notches and darts; pleats; gathering lines and buttonholes; choosing your pattern size; basic alterations; fabric preparation; grainline gauge; commercial patterns.

MODULE 3: FIBRES AND TOOLS
Natural and man-made fibres; fashion fabrics; woven constructions – plain weave, weft and warp threads and bias; knit fabrics; modern developments in fabrics; special fabrics; essential tools; tools for marking; essential equipment; selecting a sewing machine; types of sewing machines; 4 main stitch formations; sewing machine features and parts; maintenance; overlocker; additional tools and equipment; storage.

MODULE 4: LAYOUTS AND SEAMS
Tips for cutting fabrics; marking-up; tools; stitched markings; hand basting; shaping and controlling fullness, darts; gathers and ruffles; tiers; seams – open, French, layered, welt and princess-style; seam finishing techniques – zigzag and serpentine stitch, clean finish and bound.

MODULE 5: LININGS, FACINGS, COLLARS, CUFFS AND POCKETS
Lining; underlining; interfacing; fusible interfacing; options; facings; understitching; extended and bias facings; necklines; collars – flat, one-piece, mandarin and Peter Pan; cuffs and openings; continuous band and straight cuffs; sleeve openings for cuffs; pockets – unlined patch, lined and pocket bag in a seam.

MODULE 6: ZIPPERS, BUTTONHOLES, SLEEVES AND HEMS
Hand-sewing stitches – basting, running, backstitch, overcast and slipstitch; closures and fastenings; zippers; buttonholes and buttons; sleeves; sleeve styles; waistbands; pull-on and fitted; hems – lean-finished, double-stitched, zigzag and tailor’s; constructing a shirt.

MODULE 7: TOILES, MACHINE STITCHES, YOKES, VENTS AND STRETCH SEWING
Fitting a toile; fabric layout; cutting guidelines; fusible interfacings; basic machine stitches – straight, backstitch, basting, blind hemming, ease stitching, topstitch, edge stitch, elastic stitching, gathering, satin, stay, under-stitch, zigzag and triple-straight stitch; speciality overlock stitches; selecting a stitch type, length and width; yokes; vents; stretch sewing; overlocking; attaching ribbing and lace.

MODULE 8: FASHION AWARENESS II
Pleats; wardrobe and lifestyle; flatter your figure; basic body shapes and what to wear; hairstyles; make-up; planning a wardrobe; foundation and basic wardrobe; timeless classics; fashion updates; adapting old clothes; accessories.

MODULE 9: FASHION DRAWING AND DESIGNING
Introduction to fashion drawing; working from a template; presentation; drawing mediums – ink, graphite, coloured pencils, marker pens, watercolour and crayons; how designers work; different areas of design – haute couture, designer label, ready-to-wear and mass market; history of design; designing a collection; themes; Australian and New Zealand designers; producing a collection; my designs in the marketplace.

MODULE 10: STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Work experience; sample letters for work experience and designs; working with customers; the workroom; quotations; style details; stationery; measuring the client; fittings and alterations; deposit; making payments; packaging; garment storage; filing systems; advertising; the Internet; operating capital; record keeping; paying bills; petty cash; taxes; insurance; terms and conditions; financial records; types of business operations.

For more information about our Dressmaking and Fashion Design course, just request your free course information pack.