The following, privately run short courses, are taught by Rowena Luke-King online.

COUTURE HAND SEWING - SAMPLE BOOK

COUTURE HAND SEWING - PROM DRESS

DESIGN & CUT PATTERNS FOR FASHION

QUARTER SCALE VINTAGE FASHION DOLLS

With a maximum of six in each online class, a second camera over her hands,
recorded demonstrations and dedicated WhatsApp groups to offer support between lessons,
Rowena creates a warm and welcoming environment for learning via Zoom.

Each course has its own set of detailed handouts
and for those of you who are left handed, mirrored stitch diagrams are available on request.

New courses are added as they become available, so do keep an eye on this page
and/or sign up for Rowena’s newsletter,
by filling in the second form at the bottom of this page.

COUTURE HAND SEWING - SAMPLE BOOK will introduce you to a variety of stitches and techniques used in couture and tailored fashion, as you work on a series of step-by-step samples to keep on file for easy reference.

Working with different weights of cotton fabrics you will explore a number of hems including rolled hems, pin hems, faced hems and tailor’s hems; different types of seams and seam finishes including a flat fell, french and mantua-makers seam whilst documenting each new stitch on a calico stitch chart.

You will be encouraged to repeat these exercises in your own time and in a variety of fabrics including different weights of linen, wool and silk, before moving on to more specialist techniques such as hand worked eyelets and button holes; hand stitched zippers, press studs, hooks and covered eyes. You will learn how to attach buttons including a tailor’s keeper-button; make and appliqué rouleau loops and use insertion stitches to add rouleau loop trims to a hem, a neckline or a cuff.

Should you wish to add miniature hand stitched garments to your sample book, a shift top and shift dress pattern in quarter-scale will be provided.

A WhatsApp group will be set up offering you ongoing support and trouble-shooting tips between lessons, and an opportunity to swap favourite books and suppliers with your fellow students.

Price: £575.00 for nine, two hour lessons on ZOOM with a maximum of six attendees (full).

Dates: Tuesday 13th October - 19th December 2026 from 2.00 to 4.00pm.

Equipment and materials are excluded from the price of this course,
however the list of what you will need to purchase will be kept to the absolute minimum
and some swatches of specialist fabrics will be provided.

Samples and Sample Book Pages by Rowena Luke-King.

Please note that this course is not offered as Individual Tuition,
however once you have completed it, you may like to expand your skills by enrolling on:
Couture Hand Sewing - Prom Dress

I you prefer to study ‘in person’, Rowena teaches
Hand Sewing for Couture & Bespoke Fashion
at Central Saint Martins;

COUTURE HAND SEWING - PROM DRESS will build on techniques practiced in Rowena’s V&A online course; Couture Hand Sewing - Make A Dress in Quarter Scale.

Adapted from her miniature Cocktail Dress pattern, this quarter scale dress will have a fully lined princess seamed bodice with a gathered skirt and net petticoat. Tiny bones will be constructed and inserted into flat fell seams and you will be shown how to adapt the pattern to include a train for bridalwear.

Whilst investigating different types of silk you will be introduced to different support fabrics and linings. You will learn how to layer sheer fabrics such as chiffon and tulle; add nylon crinoline for a more structured hem, insert a miniature zipper and make miniature pads to add volume at the bust. 

As a feature of this course you will learn how to make miniature gathered fabric flowers with wired stems and leaves; how to design layouts for sequinned, beaded and/or ribbon embroidered motifs, and engineer a design ready to embroider directly onto a miniature bodice shape.

A WhatsApp group will be set up offering you ongoing support and trouble-shooting tips between lessons, and an opportunity to swap favourite books and suppliers with your fellow classmates. 

Please note that working with luxury fabrics requires a more practiced level of hand stitching
which you can acquire by studying on any of Rowena’s other hand sewing or embroidery courses.

Price: £585.00 for ten two hour lessons on ZOOM with a maximum of six attendees.

Dates: Friday 22nd January - 26th March 2027 from 10.00am to 12pm UK time.

Equipment and materials are excluded from the price of this course,
however the list of what you will need to purchase will be kept to the absolute minimum
and some specialist materials will be provided.

A kit to make your own quarter-scale tailors dummy to fit and display your prom dress on,
is included in the price of this course.

Quarter Scale Prom Dress by Rowena Luke-King

Please note that this course is not offered as Individual Tuition.

DESIGN & CUT DRESS PATTERNS will see you create a collection of calico tops, skirts and dresses in half-scale and/or quarter-scale that can easily be increased and adapted to full-scale.

This beginners course will start with an introduction to the front bodice block and the endless variety of styles that can be created by rotating the fullness of the darts to different positions around the bust point. You will be shown how to use the fullness of the darts to introduce gathers; ignore the fullness of the darts for a shift top and cut away the fullness for princess seams and fitted waist bands.

Using the front and back bodice blocks together you will learn how to mirror style lines from the front to the back. You will learn how to alter the neckline; create basic collar shapes; add button wraps, facings and seam allowances. You will learn how to use the skirt block to extend a fitted bodice below the waistline; ‘slash and spread’ or ‘slash and overlap your pattern pieces to create different skirt shapes, collars, and ‘set in’ sleeves including capped, fluted and puffed.

You will be introduced to basic Fashion Design Development techniques as you learn how to test your paper patterns in calico, and work towards creating an capsule collection of calico toiles in quarter-scale or half-scale, should you wish to you.

A WhatsApp group will be set up offering you ongoing support and trouble-shooting tips between lessons, and an opportunity to swap favourite books and suppliers with your fellow students.

Price: £575.00 for nine, two hour lessons on ZOOM with a maximum of six attendees.

Dates: Wed 27th January - 24th March 2027 from 6.00pm to 8.00pm UK time.

Equipment and materials are excluded from the price of this course,
however the list of what you will need to purchase will be kept to the absolute minimum.

A kit to make your own quarter-scale tailors dummy is included in the price of this course
along with a pattern to make your own half-scale tailors dummy
and a set of standard UK size 12 pattern blocks in both half-scale and quarter-scale.

Please note that this course is not offered as Individual Tuition.

Quarter-scale and half-scale tailors dummies by Rowena Luke-King.

QUARTER SCALE VINTAGE FASHION DOLLS combines doll making and garment construction in miniature.

Inspired by Théâtre de la Mode, Rowena Luke-King has created specifically for this course, a beautifully proportioned pattern from which to make a cloth doll whose vital statistics are that of a standard UK garment size 12, reduced to perfect quarter-scale. Using needle sculpture to enhance her shape; embroidery to add facial features and polished nails; dyed flax, wool tops or yarn for her hair, once inserted with wire she will be able to stand on her own and bend her limbs into a pose.

With the vintage-style quarter-scale dress pattern provided, you will be guided through the accompanying written instructions as you stitch it together, either by hand or a mixture of hand and machine. You will be shown how to adapt your dress pattern to create different styles, use the original doll pattern to make trousers and panties and will use a variety of media and found objects to create matching miniature accessories.

A WhatsApp group will be set up offering you ongoing support and trouble-shooting tips between lessons and an opportunity to swap favourite books and suppliers with your fellow students.

Please note that working in such tiny detail requires a more practiced level of hand stitching
which you will have acquired by studying on any of my other hand sewing or embroidery courses.

Price: £625.00 for ten, two hour lessons on ZOOM with a maximum of six attendees.

Dates: To be Arranged.

Equipment and materials are excluded from the price of this course,
however the list of what you will need to purchase will be kept to the absolute minimum
and some specialist materials including fabric for the doll will be provided.

This beautiful quarter-scale doll was created by Trudy Grant whilst studying with Rowena at Central Saint Martins.
Trudy’s doll is wearing a vintage dress pattern; McCall’s 4885, reduced to quarter-scale.

Please note that this course is not offered as Individual Tuition.

Terms & Conditions: You must be over 18 to attend an online course with Rowena Luke-King. Exceptions are made for under 18s who are about to turn 18 while preparing an A-level portfolio for application to art college. Your place on an online short course will be confirmed once full payment has been received. Your payment is non-refundable unless under exceptional circumstances, however in the event that you are unable to attend a course that you have booked a place on, every effort will be made to offer you alternative dates for the same course or an alternative course.

Online Courses take place on ZOOM with additional support via Email and WhatsApp, so please check that you have good internet connection before booking. You will be expected to work on your projects in your own time between lessons and will need to buy equipment and materials, the cost of which will be kept to the absolute minimum.

Prices, dates, terms & conditions are subject to change. Please check details before booking.

If you have any questions before booking a place on any of the short courses outlined on this website
please contact Rowena by completing and sending the form below.

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