Dressmaking and Design Program

The program goal for Penn Foster's Dressmaking and Design program is to prepare students to create professional-grade garments from customized patterns using hand- and machine-sewing techniques in order to work as a dressmaker.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Identify basic sewing tools and how they're properly used to cut, pin, press, and hand-sew knits and woven fabrics.
• Recognize the parts of a standard sewing machine and techniques for its threading, use, and proper maintenance.
• Identify the characteristics and properties of common fabrics and the fibers from which they're made, including details on care, cleaning, and how to handle these fabrics when sewing.
• Estimate the amount of fabric needed for a garment and handle, press, and tack fabric properly while constructing the garment.
• Choose and correctly use various styles of seams, pockets, necklines, sleeves, and shoulder pads for a garment based on the garment's style and intended wear.
• Choose and construct flourishes such as collars, fasteners, cuffs, buttonholes, waist finishes, and interfacing for a garment based on the garment's style and intended wear.
• Recognize different body types and the colors, lengths, silhouettes, and styles used to create a finished product that will flatter the wearer's individual shape.
• Comprehend the components and construction techniques for specialty garments related to maternity wear, infants' and children's clothes, nighttime wear, and undergarments.
• Identify types of and uses for decorative elements such as hand-sewn embroidery, ruffles, pleats, and decorative fastenings.
• Measure a wearer in order to choose the right size pattern for a project, alter a pattern to fit the individual's shape and preferences, transfer the pattern to the chosen fabric, and continue to alter for proper fit as the garment is constructed.
• Comprehend the basic principles of draping fabric in order to create decorative flourishes, enhance the fit of skirts and bodices, and sew a variety of sleeve styles.
• Recognize the details of successfully managing a home business, including how to purchase professional sewing items, appropriately register a home as a place of business, price finished products, and use good customer service as a marketing strategy.

Succeed by learning how to use your Penn Foster program.

Objectives:

• Understand how to use your Student Portal.
• Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
• Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.

Build your foundation for success by learning how to best approach the study of sewing.

Objectives:

• Discover the terms, tools, and equipment used for cutting, sewing, and pressing.
• Produce a variety of basic seams.
• Explore several types of temporary and permanent stitching techniques.
• Learn the basics of taking body measurements, buying and preparing patterns, and making simple alterations.

In this course, discover the various parts of a typical sewing machine and explore the functions of several machine attachments.

Objectives:

• Thread the upper and lower parts of a sewing machine.
• Describe how to create a stitch.
• Set the correct timing and tension to ensure accurate stitches.
• Care for and maintain your sewing machine.

Practice the skills you’ve learned by completing optional learning activities. Compile your projects into the binder you received earlier in your program to create a professional portfolio of your work. Then, take and submit the exam at the end of this exercise.

Now you’re ready to explore one of the most important topics in your program—fabrics.

Objectives:

• Identify the various types and properties of fabrics and learn how to best work with them.
• Develop skills for handling hard-to-work-with fabrics.
• Describe how to properly care for garments.

In this lesson, learn the basic dressmaking processes to meet your customers’ needs and create beautiful garments.

Objectives:

• Select and prepare fabrics.
• Layout, cut, and mark fabrics.
• Tack together cut fabric pieces for a fitting.
• Construct and apply the finishing touches to your first garment.

Practice the skills you’ve learned by completing optional learning activities. Add these projects to the binder sent to you earlier in the program to continue building your professional portfolio. Then, take and submit the exam at the end of this exercise.

Learn how to tackle more complicated and interesting features to enhance your garments.

Objectives:

• Prepare openings in fabrics at necklines, side seams, skirts, and sleeves.
• Select and install zippers.
• Construct and attach several types of collars and cuffs.
• Finish a garment at the waist.
• Attach various types of fasteners, such as hooks and eyes, snaps, and trouser clips.

Build on your knowledge by learning advanced dressmaking techniques.

Objectives:

• Choose flattering styles and fabrics.
• Strengthen and finish corners, slashes, and points.
• Join and finish curved edges, pointed edges, and overlaid seams in a variety of ways.
• Construct and attach patch, seam, and cut pockets.
• Form and stitch pleats.
• Select and use interfacings, linings, and backings.
• Make coats, jackets, and trousers.
• Create a variety of sleeve types.
• Learn how to work on a bias and how to work with weighting, shoulder pads, strap holders, and boning.

Practice the skills you’ve learned by completing optional learning activities. Add these projects to the binder sent to you earlier in the program to continue building your professional portfolio. Then, take and submit the exam at the end of this exercise.

Learning Aid: Pattern

Successful designers know how to manipulate the principles of design—balance, proportion and scale, rhythm, emphasis, and unity—to create the most flattering looks.

Objectives:

• Describe the visual effects of various types of lines and silhouettes in garment design.
• Judge whether garments are successfully and practically designed.
• Use optical illusion techniques in your garments to draw attention away from certain areas of the body.

Learn how to construct specialized garments.

Objectives:

• Sew maternity wear, infant clothes, toddlers’ and children’s wear, nightwear, and underwear.
• Use specialized seams for underwear, infant clothes, and other fine fabrics.
• Work with lace.

Read an assignment in your supplement, Always in Style, and then practice the skills you’ve learned by completing optional learning activities. Add these projects to your binder to continue building your professional portfolio. Then, take and submit the exam at the end of this exercise.

Supplement: Always in Style

Embroidery is a highly specialized skill, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming an embroidery expert after completing this lesson.

Objectives:

• Describe the uses, tools, materials, threads, stitches, and designs of embroidery.
• Create embroidery stitches by hand and with a sewing machine.
• Transfer embroidery designs from paper to fabric.
• Join seams with special stitches.
• Learn the basics of smocking and quilting.

This course is designed to teach you various garment decorative-finish techniques.

Objectives:

• Create scallops, ruffles, godets, fringing, shirring, tucks, pleating, and topstitched seams.
• Explore various types of evening wear decorations, such as beads and sequins.
• Prepare and use rouleau, piping, bows, braid, and ribbon.
• Make belts, loops, and arrowheads.
• Create custom designed fasteners, such as covered buttons, Chinese ball buttons, link buttons, and frogs.

A perfect fit starts with a pattern that has been altered to match the body of the person for whom you’re sewing.

Objectives:

• Choose, trim, mark, and measure a basic commercial pattern.
• Create a chart showing your measurements.
• Alter the following elements as needed: (1) bodice darts, length, shoulders, armholes, and bust; (2) sleeve head, length, and width; and (3) skirt length, front, sides, and back.
• Test your altered patterns and transfer your alterations to heavy paper for future use.

Practice the skills you’ve learned by completing optional learning activities. Add these projects to your binder to continue building your professional portfolio. Then, take and submit the exam at the end of this exercise.

Learning Aid: Pattern

In this course, learn how to look at and adjust the garment on a three-dimensional figure with all of its individual contours.

Objectives:

• Use techniques for properly fitting shoulders, necklines, armholes, bodies of garments, sleeves, and skirts.
• Use a basic pattern to create varied dress styles.

In this course, learn how to draft garment designs from your basic pattern.

Objectives:

• Describe the general procedure, equipment, tools, and supplies for flat designing.
• Design garment bodices, necklines, collars, sleeves, and skirts.
• Design one-piece dresses, nightgowns, slips, infant yoke dresses, and matinee jackets.

Draping is the process of creating original designs directly in fabric instead of using paper patterns. This technique teaches dressmakers the relationship among fabric, figure, and fashion in a way that no other method can.

Objectives:

• Describe the principles, fabrics, styles, and equipment used for draping.
• Use a dress form or human figure as the foundation for clothing construction.
• Mark details such as seam lines, pleats, and darts.
• Create bodices, sleeves, collars, skirts, and slips directly on the fabric draped on a figure or dress form.

Practice the skills you’ve learned by completing learning activities. Add these projects to your binder to continue building your professional portfolio. Only one of your learning activities is mandatory. You must complete this learning activity to prepare for, take, and submit the exam at the end of this exercise.

Supplements:

• Dressmaking Glossary
• Sewing as a Home Business
• One Piece of Fabric
• Sewing Basics
• Fabric Remix: Repurpose and Redecorate

Create an entire garment and submit it for evaluation.