I’m already hearing lots of buzz and excitement about the Sewing Clothing for Kids e-course this spring, and I am delighted to announce that registration is now OPEN!  Woot!

Psst!!  This class makes an EXCELLENT last-minute Valentine’s gift, so do feel free to forward the link to that certain someone who hasn’t yet made it to the store!

This class is a five week online course, open to anyone anywhere in the world, that walks through the basics of making clothing for children sized 12 months to 6 years.  We cover seven patterns, all of which are included with the registration, and most of which are great for both boys and girls!

See images below for a sneak peek into what we’ll be sewing beginning March 12, and then head over to register today!  I am capping enrollment on this class to make sure I’m able to interact with everyone on an individual basis, so if you’re hoping to join us, then sign up sooner than later!

Row 1:

A bonnet with a delightful gathered brim, perfect for summer and spring.

The bib is BIG, and is lined with neutral-colored flannel to make it absorbent.

The button-up shirt can be short or long-sleeved, and is fabulous in all those novelty prints you’ve been dying to use. The cut is great for either boys or girls, and I’ve made it for every season of the year.  Our son’s closet is stuffed full of them, including the one he wore with his Snack Bandolier last year!

Row 2:

The reversible-bodice dress isn’t truly reversible–rather, the bodice can be stitched so it buttons up the front or buttons up the back (you decide when you make the dress). It’s like having two styles of dress in one pattern! This one has a cute trim accent at the hem. We’ll also make a boys’ vest based on this bodice that is fully lined.

The Perfect Pants come in three lengths: shorts, capris/pedal pushers, and full-length. They have a flat front, elastic-waist back, and mock fly.  Check out the ones Rae has made for her kids, who seem to really love them!

Row 3:

More button-up shirt, with its curved hem, and the long-sleeved version has a sleeve vent–varsity skills, y’all!  The patterns in the class are ALL suitable for confident beginners, so anyone who has taken my Essential Sewing e-course or has a similar level of beginner experience is more than capable of making these garments–I promise.

The Overmost in a long version, this time in corduroy with a quilt-cotton lining. This one IS fully reversible!  See more images of the Overmost, which I love for both boys and girls.

Row 4:

The pinafore is sweet when stitched up for girls, and can be worn alone, over pants, over a skirt, over shorts, with a tee, without a tee–our girls live in these all year long!

Row 5:

The Overmost has criss-cross straps at the elastic-waist back.

I like the Overmost for girls and boys, especially with a great novelty button!

A fabulously versatile jacket with either zipper or button options for closures, and can have either a collar or a hood.

Row 6:

The jacket is fully reversible, and has pockets at the side seams.

The pinafore can have a single button at the bodice for the apron variation.

Row 7:

Or you can add buttons all the way up the back on the pinafore for full coverage or to wear as a dress!

Large covered buttons for the reversible-bodice dress.

Row 8:

The cowboy variation of the button-up shirt is cute with its patch pockets, cowboy yoke, and snap finish.

ALL these patterns come included with the class registration, and you’ll learn step-by-step how to sew each one with video instruction and the chance to ask your questions as we work our way through–and get personal answers.  I love, love, love teaching these classes online, and can’t wait to have you be part of it!  Check out this and other online sewing classes on the Whipstitch sewing e-course page, and I’ll look forward to “seeing” you in class!

I am super excited to announce that I’m offering a brand-new e-course this summer: Beginning Patternmaking! Like a lot of folks, I started sewing with store-bought patterns but quickly became frustrated when they were never quite what I was looking for.  Like shopping for the perfect purse: you know what you want, if only you could find it!  When I realized I could make my own patterns, from my own ideas, from scratch, it was as if a window had opened up and I could see inspiration stretching ahead of me for miles and miles and miles.

In the years that I was designing children’s clothing, making patterns was the only way I could find classic looks for kids that I really wanted my own children to wear–and that I felt good about making to sell.  There are plenty more options out there today when it comes to choosing sewing patterns, but I know with absolute certainty that each of us is bursting with ideas for “I wish they’d make a…” and “I used to have a ______, but can’t find one for my kids” and “If I could just find a….” patterns.  Folks, we’re just going to have to be the ones to take the dog by the ears, as the Romans used to say, and make these magical patterns ourselves!  The best part?  You can totally do this.

Pattern drafting for making flat patterns, paper patterns like you purchase from a store, is based on simple ideas and simple math (like, addition–and you’re totally allowed to use your calculators, Sports Fans!).  Once you’ve mastered these principles, the entire world is your oyster, and you’ll be set on a path to making all your sewing dreams come true!  If you’ve worked with patterns before, and have basic sewing skills down, you can absolutely learn to draft your own patterns.  And I’d really like to show you how!

See all the details for the Beginning Patternmaking e-course, and register early!  As with my other online classes, I’m offering an early bird discount off the registration price.  Come spend part of the summer with me, and let’s make some super cute clothes–and patternmaking history!

Y’all.  I am so, so excited.  In the midst of all the other excitement going on, I am delighted to announce new Whipstitch e-Courses for this fall!

I’ve been wanting to offer online classes for ages now, and have finally worked out the details to make it happen.  I worked hard to choose topics that are in demand and that I feel passionately about, so that I can bring you content that will help you get where you want to go with your sewing!  First up, in just a few weeks, is Sewing with Knits, designed to get you started sewing confidently and artfully with knit fabrics–without a serger!   With all the amazing knit fabrics out right now–from Patty Young’s collection for Michael Miller to City Weekend from Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S–there is a whole mess of eye candy waiting for you to stitch it up.  Don’t let a new fabric scare you!  This e-course is designed to walk you through the steps of sewing knits of all types step-by-step so that you can create amazing projects with total confidence.  This is a five-week online class with insane amounts of very cool content, and I am about to bust from excitement–I can’t even tell you how hard it was for me to wait until today to break the news!  I am totally looking forward to having you join us all.  See all the details here!

Then, in November, a course near and dear to my heart: Crafty Business Basics, where we’ll look at how to start, run & grow your sewing business!  Five weeks of exploring all the angles of turning your sewing machine into your own crafty enterprise.  There is a whole world of handmade fabulousness out there, and I hear all the time from folks who love to create and who have the most amazing original ideas–but who have no business experience and don’t know where to even begin to find a way to sell their designs.  Worse, there are crafty folk who don’t take the steps to sell their creations because they’re concerned that if they start a business it will take over their whole lives and leave no room for anything else–like their day job or their families.  Nothing could be further than the truth!  A sewing and craft business can exist on a lot of scales, and we’ll cover details of all of them–from dining room table cottage industry for pocket money all the way up to global stitch domination.  Details here, below the Sewing Knits e-Course!

Seriously over-the-moon delighted to meet new faces, share all the things I love, and watch you take off running in the courses!

Happy Stitching!