When you're learning to sew your own clothes at home, the temptation might be to grab a PDF pattern and figure it out as you go. It's true that our Online Workshops are a higher price than a pure pattern alone and life sometimes does get in the way of our best made crafting plans, leaving projects sat waiting for us to even start.

However, there's a tangible difference between making a garment and genuinely learning to sew - and that difference shows up in the finish, the fit, and every project you tackle after.

Before Hetty founded The Modern Sewing Co., she took an intensive four-week tailoring course: a deep dive into slow, methodical, professional making. That experience shaped everything about how our online sewing workshops are designed. 

A pattern will get you making. A workshop will teach you to sew properly.

If you want to build real sewing skills from the start - or evolve your skills to tackle even more complex and satisfying projects - you're in the right place.

What’s included in an online sewing workshop?

Being able to sew to a high standard shows up in the finish of your garment, how it fits your body and your confidence and capability as a sewist.

With our workshops, you'll learn exactly that. You receive everything you normally get with one of our standalone patterns - professionally drafted pieces you can trust - plus essential, expert-led lessons in sewing skills and tailored advice including:

Video tutorials with our Founder Hetty
If you've ever struggled to translate flat printed instructions into a real-life three dimensional piece, our video tutorials are for you. Drawing on Hetty's 12+ years of sewing expertise, each tutorial is broken into focused chapters so you can pause, rewatch, and truly absorb each technique and element of the make before moving onto the next. Perfect for visual learners - and you can easily add subtitles to any video, too.

"My first ever time making clothing and the video instructions, written instructions, and free beginner pre-tutorials were absolutely 5*. I am blown away by the quality of finished garment I was able to make as a complete beginner. I can’t wait to make this in more fabrics as it’s a staple piece. The product (workshop) is so professional and clear, I worry I will forever compare any future patterns and instructions to this. Indeed I’ve just completed my second sewing project with a pattern from someone else and it was not even on the same level as this one. Please bring out more designs and workshops."

Abigail, United Kingdom

A step-by-step on pleating in the The Sienna Dress Workshop, part of The Art of Dress Making Workshop.


Step-by-step photo guides
We really want to remove any guesswork from the journey, as that can really slow you down and even lead to frustrating mistakes. Instead, you get straightforward guidance, such this process for the French Seam Side Seam in The Art of Shirt Making Workshop. Each workshop includes lifetime access so you can come back again with fresh ideas - and get free access to any future updates, too.

"This workshop really helped, from cotton interfacing, which I had never heard of, and won't use anything else now, to different seam methods, instead of an overlocker, and looks so much better, sewing buttons on by hand, so the thread doesn't show on the back, plackets, and so many more things that I will continue to use along my sewing journey. I went on to do the trouser workshop, and I can't recommend these workshops enough."

Kate, United Kingdom

Fitting guides with video support
The beauty of crafting your own wardrobe is that you can take the time to ensure it fits perfectly - unlike standard sized high street purchases. Our workshops include a dedicated fitting guide, with videos, to help you take your measurements accurately and make adjustments for your specific body. That includes finding your measurements, grading between sizes and full bust adjustment.

“I have enjoyed sewing my trousers very much and they are well fitting and looking perfect. I have sewed the worker trousers and now I am looking for a good material for the spring trousers. The new fitting Guide is very helpfully because I had to change the pattern a little bit according to my body’s measurements. I am very happy about sewing my trousers together with Hetty.”

Andrea K., Germany

Who are the online workshops designed for?

We designed our workshops for all sewists, including:

• ambitious beginners who want to learn good sewing habits from the start

• intermediate and advanced sewists who want to master specific garment construction, tackle more complex projects and genuinely build their skills

Sounds like you? For a free taste of our workshops, check out our Getting Started series, which helps you build your tool kit, choose your fabrics, set up your sewing machine and more.

What's the difference between i ndividual workshops and "The Art of" Series?

Our individual workshops focus on a single garment and are ideal if there's a specific make you want to master. You get deep, garment-specific guidance and come away with both the finished piece and a real understanding of how it's constructed. Our community are currently loving the Day Tote, Over Shirt and Worker Trouser Workshops.

The Art of Series goes one step further - and builds out your wardrobe nicely, too. These courses bring together several makes in sequence, so each project builds on the skills developed in the last. Whether you're working through shirt making, trouser making, outerwear or dressmaking, the Art Of Series is designed for sewists who want to build a lasting, well-rounded skill set - beyond just completing a single project.

It's time to invest in your sewing skills

Sewing patterns are a great starting point if you feel confident in your skills and want to focus on a one-off make. However, if your goal is to sew clothes that look and feel genuinely well-made - garments that fit properly, are constructed cleanly, and reflect a real level of skill - then a workshop is the more efficient route.

You'll spend less time troubleshooting. You'll avoid the frustration of unpicking and redoing. And you'll build the kind of foundational knowledge that makes every future project easier.

Explore all our online sewing workshops here.

Want more?

• Getting started with your new make? Here’s our guide to printing your PDF sewing patterns at home.

• Our Founder Hetty reflects on tailoring, femininity and the Naomi Blazer. Read on.

• Master three ultra-wearable shirt patterns in our most-loved workshop, The Art of Shirt Making. Sign up now.