Cutting and sewing — woven
The core course: measuring, drafting, cutting and sewing garments in woven fabric, from a straight skirt to a lined jacket.
Sewing and pattern making school
Learn to draw the pattern, cut the cloth and finish the garment.
A school in Diadema, Brazil, teaching the trade the way it is actually practised: you measure a body, draw its pattern on paper, cut the fabric and sew the piece through to the last seam.
Ask about a courseHow it is taught
Dots first, then the line, then the cloth.
You take the measurements
Every pattern starts from a real body, not from a ready-made size chart. The first lessons are about measuring correctly and writing the numbers down.
You mark the dots
The measurements become marked points on paper. Join the dots in the order the method sets out and the pattern piece appears, in the right size, the first time.
You cut and sew it
The paper piece goes onto the fabric and the garment is made through to hems and fastenings, so you leave the lesson with the finished piece, not a sample.
The dot method this school teaches was devised in Italy in 1969 and has been taught in Brazilian sewing schools ever since. It exists to take the guesswork out of pattern drafting: no draping by eye, no trial garment, no copying someone else's block.
What you can study
Courses, from the first straight seam to industrial pattern making.
Cutting and sewing
Cutting and sewing — knit
The same craft applied to fabric that stretches: needles, seams and finishes that hold their shape on t-shirts, leggings and sweatshirts.
Alterations and repairs
Taking in, letting out, shortening, replacing zips and linings — the work a sewing room is asked for most often.
Creative sewing
Bags, cases and home pieces, with the structure, interfacing and hardware each one needs to hold its shape.
Lingerie and swimwear
Elastic, cups, gussets and stretch seams, and the pattern adjustments these pieces require.
Sleepwear and loungewear
Pyjamas, robes and soft trousers: light fabrics, plain construction and finishes that survive washing.
Pattern making and design
Industrial pattern making
Blocks, grading across a size run and the paperwork a factory needs to cut the same garment a thousand times.
Draping
Modelling the piece in calico on the stand, then transferring what you pinned back onto flat paper.
Fashion drawing
Croquis and proportion, so an idea can be shown to a client or a workroom before anything is cut.
Technical drawing
The flat drawing and spec sheet that tell a sewing room exactly how a garment is put together.
Digital pattern making
Taking drafting onto a computer: drawing, grading and printing patterns from files instead of by hand.
Customising
Reworking existing garments — dyeing, appliqué, trims and restyling — without losing the fit.
Working in the trade
Sample machinist
Making the first sample from the pattern and the spec sheet, the role a workroom hires before production starts.
Personal styling
Reading a body, a wardrobe and an occasion, and advising on what to make or alter.
Window display
Dressing a shop window and a rail so the work is seen the way it was intended.
How classes run
One lesson a week, at a machine of your own.
Courses are taught in stages. You move on when the piece in front of you is finished and correct, not when the calendar says so, so people who already sew and people who have never threaded a machine can sit in the same room.
- FormatWeekly lesson, two hours, at a machine you do not share.
- TimetableMorning, afternoon, evening and Saturday groups.
- StartingYou start on the next available slot; there is no waiting for a class to fill up.
- PaceStage by stage, each one a finished piece you take home.
- MaterialsCourse books and drafting sheets are part of the course; fabric for your own pieces is yours to choose.
- After the courseFormer students may bring a pattern question back to the school.
Before you enrol
Questions we are asked most.
Do I need to know how to sew already?
No. The foundation courses assume you have never used a sewing machine. The first lessons cover threading, tension, straight seams and how to keep a line under control before any garment is attempted.
Do I need my own sewing machine?
Not to study. Lessons are taught on the school's machines, one per student. Many people buy a machine later, once they know which type suits the work they want to do, and we are happy to be asked about that.
How long does a course take?
It depends on the course and on how quickly you finish each stage. A foundation course in cutting and sewing runs through a set number of stages; with one lesson a week, most people complete it in a matter of months.
Can I learn enough to take in work?
That is what the trade courses are for. Alterations, sample machining and industrial pattern making are taught the way a workroom expects them — with a spec sheet, a size run and a finish that stands up to inspection.
What do I bring to the first lesson?
Yourself and something to write with. Drafting paper, rulers and the course book are handed out at the school. Fabric only becomes necessary once you start your own pieces, and we tell you what to look for before you buy any.
Are the courses in Portuguese?
The school teaches in Brazil and lessons are given in Portuguese. This edition of the site is written in English so that the courses and the method can be read by people outside Brazil.
Enrolling
Tell us which course you are looking at.
Write to us with the course that interests you and whether you have sewn before. We reply with what the course covers, how the stages are organised and when the next slot opens.
Ask about a course