In this article I want to introduce you to an online sewing community. This website has over 300,000 members and the main focus is garment sewing. In fact, I was able to meet quite a few of the members at the 10 year anniversary party in Chicago and let me tell you these people can sew. The website offers a plethora of information with reviews, blogs, contests, and online classes.
In an age of instant access, online classes are a perfect way to learn, interact with others, and get an opportunity to learn new skills on your own time schedule. There are a few different variations of classes on PatternReview: some offer live chats with the instructor, some include detailed PDF files, and most of them include video. Video classes are my personal favorite; I just find it easier to learn while watching. The classes remain open forever, so once you sign up you can watch at your own pace. There’s nothing like learning while sitting on the couch in your pj’s! All of the classes have a class board where you can ask questions, post photos, and interact with other students.
The classes offered on PatternReview are all based on garment sewing and fitting. Instructors include Jennifer Stern, Sarah Veblen, Kenneth King, Susan Khalje, Deepika Prakash, and me. The prices are very reasonable; if you compare the cost to a live class with an instructor it’s a great bargain.
Deepika Prakash is the founder of PatternReview and a great friend. This is what she has to say about her website: “I started PatternReview.com 10 years ago because as I started sewing I realized that I really enjoyed sharing and learning from others who sew. As my love for sewing grew, I decided that I wanted to do more to promote sewing education and (I) partnered with experts in the sewing industry. PatternReview.com helped these experts bring their offline skills online while helping them maintain that personal interaction with our members.
“At PatternReview.com not only will you learn new skills from a variety of online classes, but you will also make lots of new friends. In our classes, the teachers have a one-toone relationship with their students. You can watch videos, ask questions or take in-depth workshops in which our teachers will give you personalized fitting advice patiently while you perfect that garment or pair of pants. We take things slowly because we want to ensure that the students are actually learning.
Because PatternReview is a sewer-run website, my teachers and I take pride in what we do. I hope you will check us out."
Written by Angela Wolf
