Do You Want To Upskill or Find Inspiration for Free?
Sometimes I just need a little nudge to get my inspiration flowing, or a quick refresher on a specific technique to give me the confidence to embark on a project. Sound familiar? Then read on.
If you're eager to enhance your sewing skills or gain sewing confidence without spending a penny, several online platforms offer comprehensive courses suitable for various skill levels. I have searched online to see what is available, and the following are my top picks, each with a brief overview of what they offer.
The Stitch Sisters
The Stitch Sisters provide a range of sewing tutorials and courses designed for beginners to advanced sewers. Their content covers various techniques and projects, aiming to make sewing accessible and enjoyable.
The free course covers everything about using a sewing machine, from threading the needle to the various stitches. The Stitch Sisters also offer Level 1 and 2 paid courses, which guide you through the making of items such as a quilt and a purse with a clasp.
Just Fabrics – The Academy
As well as selling fabrics and haberdashery, Just Fabrics' The Academy offers an extensive online learning hub focusing on soft furnishings and upholstery. Their platform includes
Expert-led video tutorials
Downloadable workbooks
Hundreds of hours of lessons
Bonus content
A creative community for support and inspiration
These resources are designed to help learners develop lifelong sewing skills from the comfort of their homes.
Arkdefo
Arkdefo offers a free online sewing course tailored for complete beginners. The course includes on-demand pre-recorded video tutorials covering
Basic sewing techniques
Working with sewing machines
Drafting your own patterns
Their mission is to make sewing skills accessible to everyone and is aimed at those who want to learn and develop their dressmaking skills. As well as the free course, there are paid options offering bundles of patterns or a Platinum option, which includes everything and has lifetime access.
School of Stitched Textiles
The School of Stitched Textiles provides accredited courses in various textile disciplines. While many of their courses are paid, they occasionally offer free introductory classes and resources. These are ideal for those looking to explore textile arts before committing to a full program. The current free course on offer is the Appliqué Tree.
I completed a City and Guilds Machine Embroidery course through this school, which was demanding, yet incredibly rewarding.
These platforms offer valuable resources for anyone interested in sewing, from novices to seasoned crafters. Exploring these options can help you find the right course to suit your interests and skill level. Like any course, the results you achieve will vary according to the time and effort you can commit to, but by seeking out the free options online, it is easy to upskill at a time to suit you and without financial investment.
If you have any suggestions for similar courses, especially those that you have tried, please share in the comments.
Happy sewing!
Suzanne, Charlotte and Rebecca