Dressmaking: Clothes Alterations (May Day school)

16/05/2026

Duration : 1 day

| Arts & Craft

Learn how to make simple alterations to your existing clothes to get a better fit and feel better in your clothes.

Brief Description:

Learn how to make simple alterations to your existing clothes to get a better fit and feel better in your clothes.

Previous Experience and Knowledge Needed?

Knowing how to use a sewing machine and having basic dressmaking skills are required.  It is not suitable for complete beginners.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, you will have the opportunity to:

Learn how to correctly do a fitting, add in darts, taper seams, raise a hem, and lift a shoulder seam.  Alter one or more items of your own clothing.

Extra costs on the course, for example text textbook, materials or equipment:

No extra costs

For the session, you will need to bring:

The college has machines available to use, or you may bring your own sewing machine, cable, and all your usual sewing equipment, including a seam ripper.

Bring three or four garments that you would like to make alterations to. Depending on what alterations are needed, you may only get the chance to work on one or two items. Please note that it is not usually possible to make an item bigger, so please don’t bring clothing that is too small, hoping to make it fit.

Do bring along matching colour thread for the garments you’d like to work on. If you are hoping to replace a zip on a garment, please bring the zip along for this.

On completion of this course, what might your next steps be?

Enrol in a dressmaking course or a pattern drafting course.

The Adult Learn and Train office is also able to give course information or search for alternative courses for you.

Adult Learn and Train offers courses throughout the year.
Try similar courses or maybe look at learning something completely new.
You will find provision on some Saturdays and Sundays, you will also find courses available during the day and evening at different venues in Cambridge. Courses vary in length from one-off sessions to 10 weeks or more.

 

 

‹ To overview
Dressmaking: Clothes Alterations (May Day school)

Course details

Location

Coleridge Community College, Radegund Road, Cambridge CB1 3RJ

Time

10:00am - 4:00pm

Fees

£61

Booking notes

To book onto this course either call the office on 01223 712340 or email office@adultlearning.education

Tutor

Linda Couch

Linda Couch works as a theatrical and re-enactment costume maker and bridal seamstress for over twenty years. Additionally, she has her own successful costume label Milly Maybe. She also teaches dressmaking and creative sewing workshops for all levels for both adults and children.

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