Commercial Sewing Staff Training Services
Sewing training programs to develop and support your commercial sewing staff.
Onshore and near-shore sewing manufacturing are expected to continue to grow. This is the result of several factors:
- Consumers seeking high-quality products that are locally made
- Increasing costs for offshore that are more comparable to onshore and near-shore
- Brands looking for more sustainable options for their manufacturing with supply chains that don't crisscross the globe
Expanding Commercial Sewing Opportunities
To meet the onshore manufacturing demand sewing manufacturers need staff with the right skills. Working in this industry ourselves we know firsthand the challenges with finding experienced stitchers.
This challenge is particularly acute outside of major metro areas in communities across the country that don't have established sewing manufacturing with existing talent or training resources to onboard or upskill staff.
With our combined experience in sewing manufacturing and sewing education our services aim to enable more local sewing manufacturing.
Commercial Sewing Training Programs
Whether you're an established manufacturer making your own products, a cut & sew studio producing products for others, or a solo designer who has grown to the point where you need to hire your own stitchers, the sewing programs cover a wide range of common needs and can also be customized to your specific products and processes.
Standard Sewing Training Programs
Select from existing sewing classes and programs to develop common techniques and skills.
The standard industrial sewing training programs include options to learn to use industrial straight stitch and overlock sewing machines. For stitchers who will be using domestic sewing machines I also offer beginner to advannced programs that cover how to use these machines.
Programs focus on using the Juki 8700 single needle industrial sewing machine or the Juki MO-6400 industrial overlock machine. Topics covered not only include instruction on how to use the machines but also working in a production environment.
- Terminology
- Stitch and feed mechanics
- Threading and needles
- Tension
- Different motor options - clutch and servo motors
- Working with different types of fabrics
- Basic troubleshooting
- Using patterns and tech packs
Custom Sewing Training Programs
Custom training programs and resources developed specifically for your products and processes.
Based on the skill level of your staff, the materials and processes to sew your products, and the production environment, custom sewing training materials and programs are developed to meet your specific needs, including:
- Order of sew guides
- Detailed sewing construction documentation with photos and line drawings
- Step-by-step how-to videos
- Training classes to demonstrate the construction processes and techniques
- Patterns
- Tech packs
Case Study
How Ronkita Design helped Paskho with their mission to provide new job opportunities in marginalized communities.
Online Training
For the training classes I use a custom, multi-camera system that enables me to toggle seamlessly to different points of view to show the sewing machine, tools, processes and projects from multiple perspectives for an immersive learning experience.
Staff can participate in virtual classes from your location, or they can even join from their home if they have the necessary tools and equipment.
About the Instructor
Vanessa has been teaching children and adults for over 20 years and offers beginner to advanced sewing lessons to students locally and virtually across the country. She's also an instructor in the Fashion Design Program at Austin Community College and is a member of the Fashion Design Advisory Committee. Previously, Vanessa was an instructor at The Stitch Lab where she taught intro and specialty sewing classes, gave private lessons, hosted parties, and ran summer camps.
Vanessa is a full-time designer and seamstress working with clients on a wide variety of custom sewing and product development projects for fashion, wearable tech, decor, accessories and soft goods that keep her current with the latest sewing trends and technologies. She is also a machine service technician and has detailed knowledge of a wide range of sewing machines that enables her to personalize sewing lessons for the types of machines students are using.
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