After-School Programs & Camps
During the school year, or over summer or holiday breaks, sewing programs are available for individuals, schools, and organizations.
Programs are setup for children, or adults, to learn sewing techniques as they design and create different projects. The programs engage students in a fun and constructive manner, and build upon skills related to problem solving, math, and engineering, while also demonstrating new ways to express their creativity. The knowledge gained will enable students to explore an endless array of possibilities to directly apply their new sewing skills.
Sewing programs cover a wide range of projects, experience levels, and timeframes so there's something for everyone:
- Starting at age 7+
- Students learn how to properly use and care for a sewing machine
- Projects cover design, fashion, accessories, and decor, as well as specific techniques that can be applied to any project
- Levels include beginners who have never touched a sewing machine, to advanced students who want to take on more complex projects
- Usually start at 10+ hours, programs can span from 3 days to a full semester
- Arrange recurring or ongoing programs for new students or those who want to advance their skills
- All programs are customized to meet the needs of students and organizations
- Prices vary based on the program details, but are offered at a significantly discounted hourly rate
Contact me with any questions or to get started.
School Sewing Programs
In-class and after-school programs
- Schedule regular drop-in enrichment sessions during classroom hours
- Programs can take place on site after school if resources are available, at a student's home, my home studio, or other locations
- Curriculum can be coordinated with teachers, administrators, and other instructors to integrate projects and learnings from other courses
- Multiple programs can take place simultaneously to provide flexible options based on age ranges, skill levels, and projects
- Projects not only utilize commercial patterns and fabrics, but also include options for custom and student-designed materials that that can integrate student art, school branding, and more
Do you want sewing offered at your school? Contact me to explore program options, or ask your school administrators to contact me.
Contact us to learn more or get started
512-630-2115 /Sewing Camps
Keep kids active with engaging activities over school and holiday breaks
If you need to keep kids busy for a few days, sewing camps are a great option. They can be scheduled back to back, or over a few days throughout the week, with each session lasting 1-3 hours.
For larger groups of 6 or more, instead of machine sewing, there are options for crafting activities. These work well for parties and camps where the projects are usually simpler, students can get plenty of attention, and everyone has fun working on the activity.
These aren't just for kids, but can be organized for adults too.
Contact us to learn more or get started
512-630-2115 /About the Instructor
Vanessa has 18+ years of experience teaching adults and children. She was an instructor at the Stitch Lab where she taught intro and specialty sewing classes, gave private lessons, hosted parties, and ran summer camps. In addition to sewing, she has also taught art, English and grammar to children as young as two all the way through high school-aged kids. Her teaching experience extends overseas as well when Vanessa was in the Peace Corps and she taught grades 1-12, and ran clubs and summer camps. Vanessa has taught adults and kids of all ages, and especially likes seeing how everyone applies their newfound sewing skills to express themselves.
Vanessa is a full-time seamstress, working with clients on a wide variety of custom projects and production, that helps to keep her current with the latest sewing trends and technologies. She is also a machine service technician and has expert knowledge on a wide range of sewing machines. This experience is shared with her students by showing them how to properly use and maintain their sewing machine.
Sewing Machines & Supplies
Students can learn on their own sewing machine, or sewing machines can be provided. Other tools and supplies are also usually provided to make each lesson as easy as possible to setup. This also provides you with the opportunity to learn about the necessary supplies before buying them yourself.
With some lessons, particularly for beginners just starting out, fabric is also provided to teach the essential sewing techniques. When fabric or other supplies aren't provided, a full list of everything needed will be provided based on the project.
Ready to buy a sewing machine? See recommended sewing machines and features below.
Contact us to learn more or get started
512-630-2115 /Sewing Machines for Beginners
If you're looking to buy a sewing machine for you or your child, these are a few I recommend.
While teaching and servicing sewing machines, I get to try out a LOT of different machines, and am frequently asked for recommendations. These recommended sewing machines are simple to operate and easy to learn on. Plus, they have the one feature I always recommend for beginners who are learning to sew - speed control. If you're not familiar with speed control, watch the demo below to learn more about this feature and why I suggest it for beginners.
Speed Control on Sewing Machines
Speed control is a feature found on many, but not all machines, and it maintains the speed of the sewing machine regardless of how hard you press on the foot pedal.
I teach many different students, and it's not uncommon for beginners to be intimidated by the speed of a sewing machine when they first sit down in front of one.
Contact us to learn more or get started
512-630-2115 /
Not what you're looking for?
Check out all options for classes and personalized lessons, or contact me with classes and programs you'd like to see developed. Take this survey to let me know more about what you would like.
Custom Sewing
Any of the items made in our classes can also be made custom for you. We specialize in creating custom clothing, decor, stuff for pets, and more.
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