Online Sewing and Craft Courses
Whilst we have a huge database of sewing classes throughout the UK listed on our workshops database we appreciate that not all of you live near a sewing school, or have the time to attend regular classes. In those circumstances an online sewing course may be just what you need. You can still learn new skills and techniques from expert tutors, but all in the comfort of your own home and at a time to suit you. Below we’ve picked out some of our favourite places to get online craft classes.
Craftsy
A well-established leader in this area Craftsy have online courses for pretty much every craft you can think of from dressmaking and bag making to bread making and fine art. Their sewing and quilting courses are taught by top name tutors such as Lisa Lam, Susan Khalje, Elizabeth Hartman and Alison Smith and even our very own site contributor Lorna Knight.
Craftsy often run special offers, free classes and sales so keep an eye on their social media, or join their newsletter to grab a bargain. Price wise most their classes seem to be within the £20-£40 bracket.
Find out more about Craftsy’s online craft courses by visiting www.craftsy.com
Creative Bug
Another of the leading online course providers Creative Bug has over 700 online craft courses to choose from. They also work with several well-known names from the sewing industry such as Carolyn Friedlander, Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, Kaffe Fassett and many others.
Price wise they seem to be a little cheaper than Craftsy, the classes I viewed were around £15-£20. They also offer a month option for $4.95 where you get unlimited access to all their classes. So, if you plan on doing several this could be the best option for you. They also offer a free trial of their monthly option.
Find out more at www.creativebug.com
Learn to Sew with A Pro
Here in the UK there are several great stitchers running their own online classes. Claire-Louise, the person behind Learn to Sew with a Pro is also the sewing advisor to The Great British Sewing Bee, author of the 3rd Sewing Bee book so really knows her stuff!
She offers a beginner sewing course, and a lady’s pyjama course online. She also offers a free mini sewing course which allows you to test out her online courses and make sure they are right for you. Her prices start from £12.99.
Visit www.learntosewwithapro.com to find out more about her online sewing classes.
Sew Over It
Popular London based sewing school Sew Over It also run online sewing classes too. At the moment there are just 2 classes, the Grace dress and the Ultimate Guide to Sewing and Fitting Trousers but there are more coming in 2017. The next one coming in early 2017 will be a coat making class, ideal for the winter weather.
The classes cost £45 and include the pattern (in pdf format) too.
Get the full details at http://sewoverit.co.uk/online-classes
Just Hands On TV
Just Hands on TV is a UK based patchwork and quilting TV channel. They deliver tutorials and workshops via their website: www.justhands-on.tv Tutors include Jennie Rayment, Mandy Shaw, Carolyn Forster and Angela Madden.
There’s a few free online classes and taster videos here. Otherwise you pay a monthly fee of £7 to access their database of 700+ classes.
Jen Goodwin Embroidery Classes
Royal School of Needlework embroidery tutor Jen Goodwin has introduced distance learning embroidery courses. She runs one at a time with a limited number of students to ensure they all get plenty of time and attention from her.
Her next course is a Jacobean white Hart Embroidery (kit included). This 12 week class costs £300. Get full details at http://www.jengoodwinembroidery.com/learn/
Threads Sewing Videos
If you are looking for free online sewing classes Threads Magazine have a brilliant You Tube channel with lots of video technique guides to help you learn to sew or improve your sewing skills. Most are only a couple of minutes long so they are bitesize techniques, easy to fit in with a busy lifestyle.
Most the videos are dressmaking focused but you’ll also find some other craft techniques such as embroidery in there too.
QNN TV
QNN TV describe themselves as the first on demand network for quilters. They have over 1200 video tips and quilting techniques for you to indulge in. Their tutors include British quilters Katy Jones (Quilt Now Editor) and Nick Ball from Quilts in the Attic as well as big names like Thomas Knauer and Fons & Porter.
You have the option of buying lifetime access to single videos for $5.99 or paying for a monthly ($7.99) or annual ($69.99) subscription which you can use to view any of their videos. They also have some free videos available too. Visit: https://www.qnntv.com/ to view their selection.
The Sewing Guru
If you want to learn dressmaking or tailoring skills from the comfort of your home, then the Sewing Guru could be the site for you. They have over 400 videos focused on making your own clothes taught by an English tailor.
They have three different membership pricing levels depending upon which courses you want access to. You can either pay on a recurring payment with prices from $19 a month, or pay slightly more for a one-off payment giving you access to the courses for a set period of time.
Find out more at http://www.thesewingguru.com
Made to Sew
If you want an online sewing class completely tailored to you and what you want to learn Aneka at Made to Sew offers a Skype teaching service. Although she’s based in the UK she teaches people all around the world to sew with her Skype lessons, either one on one or small groups.
She charges £35 an hour. Find out more at http://www.madetosew.com/product/online-sewing-lesson/
Tilly & The Buttons Online Workshops
Popular blogger, pattern designer and ex-Sewing Bee contestant Tilly Walnes offers 4 online sewing classes via her website https://www.tillyandthebuttonsworkshops.com/
You can learn how to use your sewing machine, sew skirts, sew with jersey or sew a shirt dress. The courses are based around her patterns which are included in the price (you pay a little more if you want a paper pattern). The prices start at £25.
The Thrifty Stitcher
Claire-Louise Hardie, the sewing producer behind The Great British Sewing Bee, is now offering several online courses for beginners - learn sewing machine confidence, make a pair of pyjama trousers, essential sewing skills and the Ultimate Beginners course.
The courses include in-depth video training and patterns if required, plus instructions sheets and workbooks as applicable. Courses start at an amazing £14.99 - find out more here.