Learn to sew and create your own garments with Barbara Emodi

Barbara Emodi sews, writes, and teaches in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She has taught sewing classes in Australia, Canada, the United States, and online, and has written extensively for a number of sewing magazines. She is also a past contributing editor of Threads and for many years wrote a monthly column for Australian Stitches. Barbara sews everywhere she goes. Many of her published works were made on her travels, where she worked on picnic tables in campgrounds all over North America with the supervision and assistance of her extended family. She has published two books with C&T Publishing: Stress-Free Sewing Solutions and SEW ... The Garment-Making Book of Knowledge.

At Creative Spark Online Learning, she teaches folks to sew and create their own garments. Her students love her! Hear what her student, Norma Horne has to say about her classroom: "Barb’s knowledge of all things sewing and her presentation style mean her workshops are educational and fun - time well spent." 

Let's step inside her virtual classroom, starting with her newest class Stress-Free Shirt-Making.

Stress-Free Shirt-Making

Everyone has a classic shirt in their closet or on their sewing wishlist. However the details of shirt construction - collars with bands, tailored shirt plackets, and flat-felled seams - make many sewists panic. Who better to show you how to sew your next favorite shirt than Barbara? You’ll learn to make a classic shirt using the most straightforward, stress-free techniques possible. Classic details like a collar and band can be simple to sew if you break the process down into bite-sized steps. This course applies to a wide range of shirt patterns, and Barbara shows you how to choose the right ones. Beginners and experienced makers alike can add to their repertoire of sewing skills and confidently give their projects a professional finish.

T-Shirt Basics: Knits for Novices Series-Part 1

Many sewists are apprehensive about sewing with knits because they worry that it’s harder to work with fabrics that stretch. The opposite is true. The stretch factor of knits can work with and for you. Knits sew up fast and fitting is easy–the rules are different. In this first in a series, you will learn how to make a knit T-shirt or top with a ribbing or self-fabric neckband. This is a great introduction to the fabrics and the essential techniques unique to knit garment construction. During this course, you will gain an appreciation for how knits are different to work with than woven fabrics, but also that, once you know the tricks, knits make for fast, fun, and easy sewing.

Core Garments: Top Variations, Skirts and Pants (Knits for Novices Series, Part 2)

Knit garments such as V-neck and polo shirt tops, dresses, sleeveless tops, pants, leggings, and skirts - are the core garments of most wardrobes because they are comfortable, easy to wear, and look great! Once you have learned to sew a basic knit t-shirt, you can level up to sewing all these wardrobe staples. In this course, Barbara shares her favorite methods for constructing these core garments with shortcuts and pro tips she has learned and developed over her 50-year sewing career. You will learn a myriad of options to customize your handmade clothing and become a more confident sewist in the process!

Explore Barbara Emodi's online courses

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