Learn More Than Just Techniques
Anyone can teach you a couple of clever techniques, but this course is truly unique!
Do you dream of drafting the ultimate party dress that will stop everyone in their tracks?
Maybe you’ve got a wedding or a ball (lucky you!) or some other exciting event and you need to make the perfect statement dress for it, but you don’t know how to start the drafting?
Or maybe you’ve mastered the essential pattern cutting skills and now you want a new project to sink your teeth into and want to learn new pattern cutting techniques at the same time?
This is the course for you!
Low Back, Square Neck Gown
Why I love this design…
- It features an elegant low back and high front neckline
- There's a square neckline on the front and back
- It's a super dramatic full skirt
- It has pockets!
- The contoured bust darts to really mold to the body shape
- It's fully lined, with hem facings
- It's a very versatile design that can be changed and customised in so many ways
Classic Strapless Peplum Gown
This design is great because…
- It's a timeless, classic strapless bodice
- Princess seams allow for maximum shaping over the bust
- The skirt is a minimal, elegant straight silhouette
- There is a back skirt slit with grown on facings and mitred corners
- It has a statement peplum with lots of volume
- There's lots of clever inner construction including boning in the strapless bodice, interfacings and grown on facings
- This type of strapless bodice often forms the base for lots of statement pieces and is easy to change and make unique
Design Your Own
Are you dreaming of your perfect dress?
Great! Because this course ends with a design and draft challenge, where you’ll design your own evening dress and practice drafting it in half scale!
Fitted Fishtail Gown
I’m in love with this design because…
- Bust cups are so fun to create!
- These bust cups have a flat inner layer and a gathered outer layer
- There's contouring both op top of the bust and below
- Thin straps make it feel most modern
- There's no waist seam
- All the body shaping is put into vertical seams running down the body
- The hem volume is all grown onto the vertical panels, creating a dramatic flare of volume from the knee
Twist Neck Gown
Why this design is one of my favourites…
- The front neck twist detail looks complex but is deceivingly simple to create
- There are no bust darts
- The front bodice has a clever inner layer that keeps everything in place
- The front wrap on the skirt allows for a daring leg split
- It's a great design for someone who wants the feel of a strapless dress but with a bit more coverage
- There are countless ways that we can use the ideas on this design and build on them to create something new
Class Schedule
1st of July 2024 – 12th of August 2024
This course is run over specific dates, using a mixture of weekly live sessions and recorded video tutorials.
Why is it only available on specific dates?
- It gives you some accountability (no more unfinished online courses!)
- You’ll meet your fellow students in the live sessions
- You have the chance to ask questions directly to me in the live Q&A sessions
- You can rewatch, rewind and replay the video tutorials as many times are you want
- You can do the class work and projects in your own time, no matter the time zone (except the live sessions of course!)
- All the live sessions are recorded so if you can’t make it then you can catch up later
This is where we all meet, go through some tips, what to expect and how to approach your learning over the next six weeks.
*After the session students will be given access to the course videos & notes. And asked to complete module 1 of the course.
It’s time for any questions that you have about module 1 and some brainstorming about how you think we can change the design to create different variations of it.
*After the session students will be asked to complete module 2 of the course.
Module 2 taught you a new dress, and you’re bound to have questions and thoughts. This is your time to ask and share!
We’ll also be discussing ways that we can make changes to the design and customise it.
*After the session students will be asked to complete module 3 of the course.
Module 3 taught you a more complex design with new ideas and techniques. This session is where we discuss your questions, thoughts and how you can use those new ideas to create unique designs of your own.
*After the session students will be asked to complete module 4 of the course.
By this point you’ve finished learning how to draft my favourite four designs. Now it’s time to answer any questions that you have and get talking about how you’re going to design your own dress for the class project!
(This is also a week that gives you a little breathing space and time to catch up if you’ve fallen behind)
*After the session students will be asked to design their own evening dress
This is your class project check in. Share your design with the class and ask any questions that you have about drafting the pattern for it.
*After the session students will be asked to draft the pattern for their design
Our final session together is where you share your finished project with the class. You’ll share your design and pattern, and any lessons learnt along the way!
Meet Your Teacher
Hello! I’m Kate, a professional pattern cutter and creator of Project Patterns.
The last ten years of my life have been spent making patterns for some of the top designers in London.
I’ve seen my creations on the catwalks, royals and red carpets, and now I want to share my knowledge and love of pattern cutting with the world so that everyone can create their dream clothes.
I love pattern cutting and honestly believe that anyone can learn to draft their own patterns, and have some fun at the same time!
FAQ's
This course is for you if:
- You have mastered the basics of dart rotation and other basic pattern cutting skills and want to learn to draft more complex styles.
- You want to challenge your pattern cutting skills and learn more about construction and fabrics.
- You are looking to take your sewing and pattern cutting to the next level.
Yes. You need to familiar with basic dart rotation, slash and spread and know how to add things like seam allowance.
Yes! This course has 7 live Q&A session where you can ask questions.
No problem! All the live sessions are recorded and a link to watch the recording is sent to all students after the session takes place.
Yes! At checkout you can select from two payment plan options:
1. Paypal “Pay in 3” option allows you to split the payment over 3 instalments over 3 months.
2. Klarna “Pay in 3” option allows you to split the payment over 3 instalments over 3 months.
Simply go through the check out process to find these options.
You can also pay in full using credit cards, Paypal, Gpay and Apple pay.
You have life-time access to the whole course so you can come back and revisit any of the lessons in the future.
Absolutely. We all take in new information in a variety of different ways, so there is written content to go alongside each video tutorial.
This course comes with half scale bodice and skirt blocks for you to practice with. You’ll find them as downloads in the course that can be printed on an A4 printer at home.
