This year 2026, I am offering more winter short courses and weekend workshops from my Studio in Founders Park, Nelson. I have over 40 years experience within the fashion industry either as a designer or fashion lecturer. I am keen to share with you as a home dressmaker or as an up and coming fashion designer.
My Workshop at Founders Park is well equipped with dress stands, a large cutting table and many industrial machines.
The courses are practical, full of relevant content and above all interesting.
Please contact me by e mail [email protected] if any courses interest you and I can send you full Course details.
Helpful information
- Courses run in one of the following formats:
– 5 consecutive weeks: 6.30 – 9.00pm on a nominated evening during the standard school term time.
– One day: Sunday courses 10.00 – 4.00 with an hour lunch break.
– Two day: Saturday and Sunday course 10.00 – 4.00 with an hour for lunch. - Course fees vary, as it relates to the number of students the course is set up for and if materials are included in the fee.
- A deposit secures a place on the course, bank details within the full course details. All deposits are only refundable if the course does not go ahead. Deposits can be transferred to another nominated person.
- If a course is cancelled for lack of students you will be notified by email 4 full days before the course is due to start.
- All courses are tutored By Jill Alexander B.A. Hons. St Martins School of Art. Cert. Ed. Portsmouth University, UK
List of courses for 2026.
Full course details available on request. [email protected]
Adapting Patterns Course /Pattern cutting Theory.
Monday 6.30pm – 9.00pm. 2/9/16/23/30 March. Course fee $195. Inc. all materials to complete the course.
This 5 week course is for dress makers that want to sew garments they can imagine but not find the pattern for. The starting point as a pattern cutter in the industry is the companies basic blocks, this option is not open to home dress makers. I have designed this course to help you select a domestic pattern to use as a basic block and enable you to make all the pattern adaptions you need to make the pattern of the garment you want to make. I recommend this course as the starting point to cutting or adapting your own patterns and basic blocks.
Places are limited to 10 students.
Project Sundays
Sunday 10.00 – 4.00pm. 15 & 29 March or 3 & 17 May or 14 & 28 June. 2 day course fee $150. plus all materials to complete your project.
This is a 2 day workshop suitable for graduates from the Pattern Cutting Theory and/or Sewing Skills course.
Limited to 6 students working on their own pattern cutting/ sewing project.
Trouser Block Making Course
Monday 6.30pm – 9.00pm. 4/11/18/25 May & 8 June. Course fee $250. Plus cost of card & calico used.
This 5 week course is all about fitting trousers and how to make changes to the pattern. Fitting problems and pattern cutting solutions. At the end of the course you will have a basic trouser block pattern. It is suitable for students that have sewing experience and a little pattern cutting knowledge. Ideally you will have graduated from the Pattern Cutting Theory Course. Places are limited to 6 to give you more individual tuition time.
Adapting Patterns Course / Pattern cutting Theory
Wednesday 6.30pm – 9.00pm. 22/29 July 5/12/19 August Course fee $195. Inc. all materials to complete the course.
This 5 week course is for dress makers that want to sew garments they can imagine but not find the pattern for. The starting point as a pattern cutter in the industry is the companies basic blocks, this option is not open to home dress makers. I have designed this course to help you select a domestic pattern to use as a basic block and enable you to make all the pattern adaptions you need to make the pattern of the garment you want to make. I recommend this course as the starting point to cutting or adapting your own patterns and basic blocks.
Places are limited to 10 students.
Bodice Block Making Course
Monday 6.30 – 9.00pm. 27 July & 3/10/17/24 August. Course fee $250. Plus cost of card & calico used.
This 5 week course is all about fitting garments and how to make changes to the pattern. Fitting problems and pattern cutting solutions. At the end of the course you will have a basic block pattern for a bodice with long sleeves. It is suitable for students that have sewing experience and a little pattern cutting knowledge. Ideally you will have graduated from the Pattern cutting for dressmakers Short Course. Places are limited to 6 to give you more individual tuition time.
Trouser Block Making Course
Wednesday 6.30 – 9.00pm. 26 August & 2/9/16/23 September. Course fee $250. Plus cost of card & calico used.
This 5 week course is all about fitting trousers and how to make changes to the pattern. Fitting problems and pattern cutting solutions. At the end of the course you will have a basic trouser block pattern. It is suitable for students that have sewing experience and a little pattern cutting knowledge. Ideally you will have graduated from the Pattern Cutting Theory Course. Places are limited to 6 to give you more individual tuition time.
Bodice Block Making Course
Wednesday 6.30 – 9.00pm. 14/21/28 October & 4/11 November. Course fee $250. Plus cost of card & calico used.
This 5 week course is all about fitting garments and how to make changes to the pattern. Fitting problems and pattern cutting solutions. At the end of the course you will have a basic block pattern for a bodice with long sleeves. It is suitable for students that have sewing experience and a little pattern cutting knowledge. Ideally you will have graduated from the Pattern cutting for dressmakers Short Course. Places are limited to 6 to give you more individual tuition time.
Sewing a MADCAT Classic Knit Top
Saturday & Sunday 10.00 – 4.00pm. Date to be confirmed. Course fee $220. Inc. all materials to complete the course.
This course is suitable for students that have some sewing experience and own a sewing machine that does a zig zag stitch. At the end of the weekend you will have made your own classic raglan MADCAT top. Learn how to work with stretch knit fabrics and take home a pattern that fits you so you can make many more tops. Places limited to 6 – 8 students.
Taking a Pattern from a Garment
Saturday & Sunday 10.00 – 4.00pm. Date to be confirmed. Course fee $195. Inc. all materials to complete the course.
This weekend course is about making a pattern by copying the shape and details from an existing garment, without unpicking the seams. It is only suitable for students that have sewing experience or have a basic understanding of pattern cutting. Places are limited to 8 to give you more individual tuition time.
Textile Decoration including screen printing.
Saturday & Sunday 10.00 – 4.00pm. Date to be confirmed. Course fee $210. Inc. all materials to complete the course.
This is an introductory course suitable for all students wanting to investigate screen printing, stencilling, block printing, free hand machine embroidery and appliqué. No previous experience or ability to draw is required. Places are limited to 8 students.
Sewing Trousers for Toddlers and Children
Sunday 10.00 – 4.00pm. Date to be confirmed. Course fee $120. Inc. all materials to complete the course.
If you would like to make clothes for your own child/grandchild then this course is a good place to start. Sew all that love in to each garment. My children and now my grandchildren enjoy choosing the fabric for their trousers and I just love the excitement and enthusiasm they show for the project. Then the pleasure I get when I see them wearing the trousers till they have outgrown them. Places limited to 6 – 8 students.
1 DAY SEWING COURSES 2026
Course fee. $95
These are one day courses made up of demonstrations and opportunities to try out skills and techniques using your own sewing machine. Threads, fabrics and notions are provided as part of the course fee.
Places are limited to 8 students, with a minimum of 4 students required to make the course viable.
CUTTING OUT and following pattern instructions
Sunday 22 March or 26 July 10 am – 4 pm
If you are new to sewing, the patterns and instructions can be difficult to understand. This course explains how to read the pattern pieces and follow a lay plan, making savings on the amount of fabric you need. This course will also help you make sense of the pattern instructions, which can sometimes be unnecessarily complex.
SEWING MACHINE skills & techniques
Sunday 26 April or 9 August 10 am – 4 pm
This course is for students of all abilities from those that are yet to use their new purchase to those that have been sewing for a few years. If you have a zig zag sewing machine, how ever old, you will be surprised what it can achieve after you have attended this course. Unlock the potential of your sewing machine and the different sewing machine feet. This course is the first step if you want to learn how to sew garments or need to refresh your skills if you have not used your sewing machine for a while.
SEWING SKILLS for beginners
Sunday 10 May or 23 August 10 am – 4 pm
This is another one day course to follow on from the sewing machine skills Sunday course. I have designed this course as a series of demonstrations of essential sewing skills for you to practice on your own machine. You will need to bring your own machine to the course and be able to thread it up without supervision.
At the end of the day you will have samples of different seam finishes and hems in different weight fabrics. I will cover how to sew a dart, match notches and bind edges. I will cover basic skills for sewing in zips.
SEWING SKILLS for a professional finish
Trousers & skirts
Sunday 31 May or 6 September 10 am – 4 pm
This is another one day course to follow on from the beginners sewing course. It is also suitable if you have basic sewing skills and looking for a professional finish or just want to know the easy way to achieve finishes on skirts and trousers. I have designed this course as a series of demonstrations of essential sewing skills for you to practice on your own machine. You will need to bring your own machine to the course. At the end of the course you will have a series of samples of pockets, trouser zips, waist bands and yokes.
SEWING SKILLS for a professional finish
Shirts, blouses and dresses
Sunday 7 June or 20 September 10 am – 4 pm
This is another one day course to follow on from the other sewing skills for a professional finish course. It is also suitable if you have basic sewing skills and looking for a professional finish or just want to know the easy way to achieve finishes on shirts, blouses and dresses. I have designed this course as a series of demonstrations of essential sewing skills for you to practice on your own machine. You will need to bring your own machine to the course. At the end of the course you will have a series of samples of shirt collars, cuffs, collar and reveres, faced necklines and button holes.