Learn techniques to create sewing patterns, design a dress from scratch, stitch crochet garments, and more with these online fashion design courses for beginners
One way to build a wardrobe that truly shows off your style is to make your own clothes—plus, it’s a great way to join the sustainable slow fashion movement! But with all kinds of techniques and materials out there, it can be difficult to know where (and how) to get started.
In this article, we share ten online fashion design courses that will prepare you with the skills and inspiration you need to design and make clothing using crochet, sewing, and upcycling techniques from start to finish.
With professional designers to guide you, you’ll discover tips for finding design ideas, making patterns, and sourcing fabrics, before learning the techniques you’ll need to design custom crocheted tops, shirred dresses, tailored pants, bomber jackets, and more.
Online courses to sew your own clothes
1. Dressmaking: Draft and Sew a Shirred Dress, a course by By Hand London
Learn how to design made-to-measure clothing using a sewing machine with By Hand London founder, Elisalex (@byhandlondon)—an independent brand that celebrates individual style and creative women.
In this course, Elisalex shows you how to create a custom-made shirred dress from scratch. As well as taking you through each stage of sewing your dress, she teaches you how to take your measurements and transfer them to your pattern, tips to cut fabric, and shares advice for making environmentally-friendly choices in your designs.
2. Make and Customize Your First Bomber Jacket, a course by Lydia Higginson
Over five years ago, seamstress Lydia Higginson (@lydia_mademywardrobe) started her creative project “Made My Wardrobe”, for which she makes all of her own clothes and hasn’t bought a single garment since.
Ready to join the DIY movement? In this course, she teaches you to make and customize a bomber jacket. She explains, step by step, how to use a sewing machine, how to cut each piece of fabric, and how to add creative embellishments and embroidery.
3. Pattern Cutting: Create Classic Tailored Trousers, a course by Monisola Omotoso
If you struggle to find pants that fit comfortably, why not make your own? Designer and creative pattern cutter Monisola Omotoso (@patterncuttingdeconstructed) has created clothing for icons like David Bowie and developed patterns for Alexander McQueen—she also makes pattern-making kits to help people get started.
In this course, Monisola teaches you how to measure and make a pair of trousers. After designing a basic trouser block pattern, you’ll sew a pair of classic pants using a fabric of your choice. Plus, you’ll learn how to adapt the pattern to create different styles and looks.
Online courses to crochet and knit clothes from scratch
4. Granny Square Crochet: Make Your Own Sweater, a course by Katie Jones
Learn to handcraft bold and brightly-colored statement pieces using the simple granny square technique with knitwear designer Katie Jones (@katiejonesknit), who designs and sells granny square patterns for vibrant colored crocheted garments.
Through her course, Granny Square Crochet: Make Your Own Sweater, you’ll learn step by step how to stitch and transform individual granny squares into a custom sweater, finished off with a double crochet edge.
5. Intarsia Knitwear Design and Creation, a course by Laura Dalgaard
Intarsia is a fiber art technique in which you combine different colored yarns to craft fabrics featuring organic shapes and designs. It’s one of knitwear designer Laura Dalgaard’s (@lauradalgaard) favorite styles for creating playful, hand-knitted wearable art—which sells along with knitting patterns.
In her course, Laura teaches you how to knit a custom sweater using the intarsia technique. You’ll learn to combine organic shapes and harmonious color combinations to create a piece that’s truly unique.
6. Top-Down: One-Piece Crocheted Garments, a course by Estefa González
Simple patterns, seamless garments, and endless possibilities are three key characteristics of crocheted garments made using the top-down method. The designer and founder of crochet platform Santa Pazienzia, Estefa González (@santapazienzia) uses the technique to create stylish fashion collections.
Through Estefa’s course, you will learn how to crochet one-piece garments using the top-down technique. Discover tips to take accurate measurements, adapt your designs to any material, and apply different finishes to your pieces.
7. Crochet Techniques for Colorful Clothing, a course by Marie Castro
Brazilian creator Marie Castro (@marie_castro) also specializes in the top-down technique to create her vibrant garments and accessories.
In her course, Crochet Techniques for Colorful Clothing, she’ll teach you how to make seamless, easy-to-weave crochet dresses and blouses. Marie will walk you through the basic stitches, share advice for choosing your color scheme, tips for improving your creative process, and much more.
8. Creating Garments Using Crochet, a course by Alicia Riego Rodríguez
Better known as Alimaravillas (@alimaravillas), Alicia Riego Rodríguez is a Nordic-style crochet designer and yarn bomber known for her minimalist designs. Starting with the very basics—including how to hold your crochet hook and make your crochet patterns—in this course, Alimaravillas teaches you how to create garments using crochet. You’ll also learn the colorwork technique to add a burst of color to your creations.
Online courses for upcycling clothes
9. Textile Design: Upcycling Clothes with Experimental Techniques, a course by Giselle Manzano Ramírez
Instead of making clothes from scratch, transform your old wares into something new by getting creative with upcycling in this course by designer and artist Giselle Manzano Ramírez (@giselle_ny).
For Giselle, clothes can be empowering, doubling up as a canvas to express meaning and emotion. With that in mind, in this course, she teaches you how to upcycle clothes with experimental techniques. You’ll learn reverse dye techniques with unconventional objects to create unique, sustainable garments in your own personal style.
10. Lettering for Embroidered Patches: Make a Wearable Statement, a course by Cristin Morgan
Creating embroidered embellishments to sew onto garments is another DIY technique to build a wardrobe that expresses your personality. Fiber and textile artist Cristin Morgan (@cristinmorgan) specializes in hand embroidery; her work has featured in several publications including publications from Martha Stewart and Better Homes and Gardens.
In her course, she teaches you how to revamp your clothes by creating colorful hand-embroidered patches inspired by typography. Whether it’s an old jacket or pair of jeans, learn how to transform your clothes into wearable art that makes a personal statement.
Discover more resources to design your own clothes
Check out all of Domestika's online fashion courses, and read on for more recommended resources to build your design skills and find creative inspiration...
- Learn how to design macramé sandals, create floral headdresses, make custom jewelry, and more with these online courses to design fashion accessories.
- Pick up quick tips to set up your sewing machine in this free tutorial.
- Looking for fashion inspiration? Discover thousands of free vintage design ideas from the 19th and 20th centuries.
