🌟 We love sewing, and one of our favourite things is watching children discover just how much they can make for themselves.
Our Elective Home Education Children’s Sewing Course is a 20-session programme for children who enjoy creating and would love to learn real sewing skills in a small, friendly and supportive group.
This isn’t a collection of individual craft sessions. We have designed a complete programme where each project has a purpose, introduces new techniques and builds on the skills learned before. We’ll start right at the beginning, so no previous sewing experience is needed, and gradually work towards children planning, problem-solving and sewing much more independently.
🧵 Skill Level: No previous sewing experience needed
⏰ Duration: 20 × 3-hour sessions, every other week
👧 Age: 10+
🪡 Group Size: Maximum 4 children
We’re The Fabric Vault, a small independent fabric and sewing shop in Tudor Row, Lichfield. We’re not a school — we’re simply people who love sewing and love sharing that knowledge with others.
We wanted to create something particularly for children who are Electively Home Educated that goes beyond coming along, making one project and going home.
There is a proper plan behind the course, but we definitely don’t want it to feel like school!
Children will learn in a relaxed, friendly environment where it is absolutely fine to ask questions, try something, get it wrong, unpick it and try again. We want them to enjoy what they are making while gradually understanding more about why we do things in a particular way.
As the course progresses, we’ll start stepping back too. Instead of automatically telling them what to do next, we’ll encourage them to look at their instructions, think about what they already know, make decisions and solve little problems themselves.
We start with getting to know the sewing machine and the basic sewing language we use, before gradually introducing more techniques through increasingly challenging projects.
Across the 20 sessions, children will learn about accurate measuring and cutting, seam allowances, different seams and seam finishes, zips, interfacing, wadding, elastic, gathering, binding, buttonholes, pattern reading, fabric choice, dressmaking, upcycling and much more.
They’ll make everything from bags and smaller creative projects to pyjama bottoms, skirts and dressmaking projects.
Later in the programme, the emphasis begins to change from “Can I make this?” to “Can I work out how to make this?”
That difference is really important to us.
Every child will build their own Sewing Portfolio, which grows alongside them throughout the course.
Rather than trying to remember everything we have ever told them, they’ll have useful reference sheets covering the techniques they learn, sewing terminology and information they can return to whenever they need it.
The idea is that their Sewing Portfolio doesn’t stop being useful when the course finishes. It becomes their own sewing reference to use for future projects too.
Although the atmosphere in our sewing room is relaxed and friendly, there is a full curriculum behind the programme.
We have planned all 20 sessions with clear teaching points, skills and progression, so that what children learn in one project prepares them for something they will encounter later.
We also have detailed lesson plans for the programme and are very happy to share our full curriculum with parents or carers on request.
The Fabric Vault is an independent fabric and sewing business, not a school. This is a specialist sewing course created for children who would like to learn in a relaxed, encouraging environment as part of their wider Elective Home Education.
By the end of the course, we don’t expect children to know absolutely everything about sewing — none of us ever will!
What we would love is for them to have enough knowledge and confidence that when they see something they’d really like to make, their first thought isn’t:
“I don’t know how to do that.”
It’s:
“I think I know how to start.”
Towards the end of the programme, children will have the opportunity to choose and plan a sewing project of their own and start putting everything they have learned into practice.
Children are welcome to bring their own sewing machine, which can be particularly useful as they learn how their own machine works, but our shop sewing machines are always available to use.
What they need to bring will vary depending on the project. We’ll let parents and carers know in advance when children need to bring particular fabric, a pattern, old jeans or anything else for an upcoming session.
Their Sewing Portfolio should come with them to every session, as we’ll regularly refer back to techniques they have already learned as well as adding new pages throughout the course.
We’ll provide the sewing equipment needed during the lessons, including sewing machines for children who don’t bring their own, as well as cutting mats, rotary cutters, rulers, irons and other equipment we use during the course.
Each child will also receive their own Sewing Portfolio, and we’ll provide the reference and technique sheets that are added to it as they progress through the programme.
Some materials and smaller items will be provided as part of individual projects. For projects where children need to choose or bring their own fabric, pattern or something specific such as an old pair of jeans, we’ll always let you know in plenty of time before the session.
This course is suitable for children aged 10 and over.
We know that joining a new group and coming into an unfamiliar sewing room can feel a little daunting at first, so parents and carers are very welcome to stay for the first lesson, or just for part of it, while their child settles in.
After that, children will normally attend the sessions independently.
Because our groups are very small, we can give each child plenty of individual help and encouragement. However, if your child may require additional support during the lessons, please contact us before booking so we can have a chat about their needs and whether we can provide the right support within the group.
đź“Ť The Fabric Vault, 8 Tudor Row, Lichfield, WS13 6HH
đź“ž Any questions?
Call or WhatsApp us on 07394 558778
