Curated Fashion Intensives for Teens & Adults
We now offer a curated series of intensives designed for those who are ready to deepen their experience in fashion design, sewing, and sustainability. Each intensive focuses on a specific area of fashion. You’ll have the flexibility to choose the topics that most inspire you, building your skills step-by-step, project by project. Our instructors Christine Knobel & Julie Ann Brown are fashion industry professionals who have a wealth of experience as instructors and experts in their field.
Summer 2026
May 27 - August 27 2026
Courses run 2-5 weeks long + Early Bird Pricing through April 15 1st ($25 - $100 off each class) + 10% Discount when purchasing 2 or more courses + option to split classes into two payments.
This summer, our program emphasizes portfolio development and skill building through a flexible range of courses. Many classes are offered in shorter 2–4 session formats, allowing students to explore a variety of techniques or focus on specific design skills, while others extend up to five weeks for deeper study. Classes are listed below (with links to register) in chronological order.
Summer Courses
Corset Construction
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Wednesdays, May 27- June 24 | 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Skill Level: –Intermediate
This course will teach the basics of corset making from choosing the right materials to how it all comes together. Students will practice making a mock-up to achieve the proper fit. From mock-up, students will construct the corset in coutil with boning, lacing, and busk. We will learn specialized techniques, including how to cut and insert boning, different methods of seam finishing, flossing, and inserting grommets or hand-sewn eyelets. Click on sign up to see more details for this class as you will need to purchase materials from a specific place, ahead of time. This class takes place one day a week for two hours over 5 weeks. Instructor Christine Knobel
Learn to Sew the Closet Core Rika Pants
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Thursdays, May 28 - June 25 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Skill Level: –Intermediate
The Rika Pants are a timeless and versatile design that can feel like tailored trousers or utilitarian workwear depending on your choice of details. Featuring a high rise sitting just below the natural waist, a three-piece waistband, angled front pockets, a fly front zipper, and a straight leg, Rika has you covered coming and going.
NOTE: Please come into the shop to be MEASURED beforehand so that we can guide you to cut out the correct size. You are required to bring your paper pattern cut out in your size to the first class.
We will start with cutting the fabric and finish with full assembly. Class takes place for 2 hours a week over 5 weeks. Homework may be assigned to ensure completion of the garment.
Instructor Christine Knobel
Portfolio Development / How to Sketch: Your Own Fashion Figures
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Tuesdays June 2-23 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Some of the most sought after fashion design schools request fashion sketches on figures. In this essential class students will develop their own full standing front and back figures using a variety of methods:
quick gesture sketching
blocking with shapes
tracing references
free sketching
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Developing Your Design from Sketch to Garment
Part 1 of a 3 part series (Ages 13 - Adult)
Wednesdays June 3 - 24 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Learn how to translate your design inspiration into real fashion ideas through sketching. Instruction includes an introduction to textiles so that you can choose the right fabric for your design. Using this fashion sketch, students will develop a technical flat sketch, including the front and back view that is used on all commercial patterns. This flat sketch will help you to formulate the construction details and proportions to be able to make a pattern and sew your first sample.
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Portfolio Development / How to Sketch: Hand Feet & Faces
Tuesdays June 30 - July 7 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Are you sketching your fashion figures with blank faces? Maybe you have been leaving the feet off, or hiding the hands behind the back? Then you NEED this class!
Learn to sketch these challenging areas of the body with confidence by learning some simple techniques that will teach you how to:
avoid claw hands
make hands in proportion to the body
sketch barefoot vs shoes
divide a face for success
simplify features
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Portfolio Development / Creating Mood Boards for Fashion and Life
Wednesdays July 1 - 8 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Mood boards are a collage of inspirational images brought together in one place to create personal meaning and spark creation. Also called vision boards, they can be used to inspire the creation of tangible objects, like apparel, or clarify more abstract concepts like better health with images of delicious looking fruits.
For designers, they are an essential tool in the early development process because it helps them to narrow down all the possibilities and focus on a few key elements for that moment. Fashion schools often request mood boards as part of the portfolio submission because they want to see cohesion in a student's design process.
In class, we pull images from everywhere: the internet, old magazines, and collage them together with fabric swatches, bobs and bits. Composition is considered as we paste them to a physical board.
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Developing Your Design from Sketch to Garment
Part 2 of a 3 part series(Ages 13 - Adult)
Wednesdays July 1 - 29 | 3:30-5:30 pm
This course will launch from the designers sketch and tech pack from part 1 in this series. In this hands-on course, designers will learn how to understand and adjust a pattern. Students will learn how to research commercial patterns to fit their designs. From there, the student will learn pattern drafting techniques to change the pattern into one that will complete their design. This course is ideal for those eager to transform their fashion ideas into well crafted, wearable pieces.
This class takes place one day a week for two hours for 5 weeks.
Students are required to have completed 2-3 sewing projects to have some construction knowledge before taking this course.
Instructor Christine Knobel
Constructing a Front Lacing 18th Century Corset (Stays)
Thursdays July 2 - 30 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Let's get laced up from the front!
This course will be covering the construction of the 1780’s Stays from Red Threaded corset patterns.
This 1780s stays pattern features a lower bust line and is shorter overall. This creates a conical torso with a defined waist, a lower prow-front bosom, and drawn-back shoulders—hallmarks of the fashionable silhouette of the late 18th century. The front lacing also simplifies dressing, and the closed back ensures a lovely smooth line beneath the Anglaise and Italian gowns that were so popular during this period.
Please purchase the kit & pattern before class begins and allow time for shipping (sold separately):
Skill Level: Intermediate
We will learn specialized techniques, including how to cut and insert boning, different methods of seam finishing, and inserting grommets or hand sewn eyelets.
Instructor Christine Knobel
Portfolio Development / How to Sketch: Clothing on a Figure
Tuesdays July 14 - 28 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Once you have your figure ready, it’s time to learn how to add the clothes! In this class, we explore different ways to sketch clothing on the figure while considering fit, volume, fabrications, and layers. You will learn how to sketch:
construction details like pleats, folds, ruffles, and flounces
fit details like darts, seams, pin tucks, and gathers
assorted volumes from leggings to voluminous evening gowns
Please bring one full length figure to use as your template. You are welcome to use either pencil and paper or work with a stylus on a tablet in layers.
This 2 hour class meets weekly and has 1-2 hours of homework for 3 weeks.
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Textiles 101 - Introduction to Fabrics
Wednesdays July 15 - 22 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Whether you are vying for admission to a fashion school, or you are wanting to expand your sewing knowledge, you need to learn more about choosing the right fabrics for your projects.
In this class you will learn the difference between the two major classes of fabrics: knits and wovens and how they are constructed. Then students will begin to learn about the composition of the fibers (plant, animal, synthetic, etc.) and how that affects the lifecycle of modern clothing.
The 2nd class will meet at Stonemountain & Daughter in Berkeley for a guided tour to touch and feel fabrics while learning some common names and descriptions.
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Portfolio Development / Design Ready to Wear with Croquis
Wednesdays July 29 - August 19 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Also known as Sportswear Separates, Ready to Wear describes the clothing that we mix and match to wear every day: tops and bottoms. If you were asked to design two tops and two bottoms (portfolio requirement for FIT), how would you start? The first ideas are usually the easiest. What if you had to come up with 20 ideas a week?
To prepare you for what is ahead in college, or a design career, it helps to learn the art of the quick sketch, or croquis, using a fashion figure as a template. This style of creating is meant to be fast and loose. Nothing is precious. This tactile process of creating will help you get out of your own head and fall into the flow state, where the good ideas often live.
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Portfolio Development / How to Create Drama: with Highlight and Shadow
Tuesdays August 4 - 18 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
Many students struggle with the fear of ‘messing up’ their sketches when faced with the task of adding color. Others color in their sketches only to find them looking flat and boring. The best way to create impact in your presentations is by learning how to master highlights and shadows through the application of color.
In this class students will learn:
the value scale
how to use light and shadow to affect different forms
basic color theory
rendering techniques to preserve design details
Instructor Julie Ann Brown
Developing Your Design from Sketch to Garment
Part 3 of a 3 part series (Ages 13-Adult)
Wednesdays August 5 - 26 | 3:30-5:30 pm
This course will launch from the designers sketch, tech pack, and pattern from part 1 and 2 in this series. In this hands-on course, designers will learn essential sewing and garment construction skills. Students will construct their original designs in fashion fabric utilizing professional sewing techniques. This course is ideal for those eager to transform their fashion ideas into well crafted, wearable pieces.
This class takes place one day a week for two hours for 4 weeks.
Students are required to have completed 2-3 sewing projects to have some construction knowledge before taking this course.
Instructor Christine Knobel
Learn to Sew the Noodlehead Buckthorn Backpack
Thursdays Aug 6-27 | 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
(Ages 13 - Adult)
You'll love this zippered top backpack for everyday use. They both have a front pocket for easy access to smaller items and a flat oval base. A divided interior pocket keeps everything inside organized. The backpack has adjustable straps and fits tablets, small laptops, and/or notebooks.
The Buckthorn Tote is perfect for carrying your projects for future classes!
Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Pattern: The Buckthorn Tote
Materials: pattern, fabric, interfacing, and fleece interfacing, thread, strapping, zipper and hardware
Class takes place for 2 hours a week over 4 weeks.
Homework may be assigned to ensure completion of the backpack.
Instructor Christine Knobel
This program is perfect for:
Aspiring Designers & Future Fashion Students
Whether you're applying to a high school or college fashion program, Fashion Studies will give you a strong foundation. You'll sharpen your sewing skills, strengthen your sketching and design abilities, and build confidence in pattern making—skills that will help your work stand out in any portfolio.
Fashion-Lovers Who Express Themselves Through Style
If you find yourself drawn to fashion as a form of self-expression, this program is for you. Whether you're still exploring your identity or already curating your personal aesthetic, Fashion Studies offers a space to deepen your creative voice, develop hands-on skills, and transform your ideas into wearable art.
Enthusiasts Exploring Sustainable Fashion
Maybe you've always loved clothes, but now you’re interested in where they come from, how they’re made, and how to make better choices for the planet. This program blends design and construction with an introduction to sustainability—teaching you how to make garments with intention, reduce waste, and create fashion that aligns with your values.
Creative Entrepreneurs & Independent Makers
Thinking about launching your own brand or clothing line? We’ll walk you through the essentials: pattern drafting, design development, and sewing techniques—equipping you with the practical skills you need to bring your vision to life, whether you're designing for yourself, your community, or the world.
Instructors
Jennifer Serr
Fashion Studies Program Director
If you get into the HEART of what I really do and why, you’ll find I teach my students how to be fashion designers. I teach them the skills they need to fulfill their dreams big or small. I guide them and help them build these skills which gives them CONFIDENCE. I also give my students the opportunity to learn skills they might not learn until they go to COLLEGE. This give them a “TASTE” of what THAT might be like.
Before opening The Sewing Room in 2012, I spent over 15 years working as a Technical Designer for brands Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Pottery Barn and Coyuchi. During the years that followed my technical design career, I owned and operated Jennifer Serr Couture Bridal and taught Pattern Making in the Fashion Department at California College of the Arts, in addition to building the business I have now.
It’s my true passion to share what I know with Young Designers. I understand the obsession with fashion, clothing and how it all gets made.
Julie Ann Brown
Fashion Illustration and Design
Since earning her BFA in Fashion Design at Otis, she has spent the last twenty five years creating swimwear collections in Southern California for labels such as Girlstar, bebe,Lucky Brand, Betsey Johnson, ále by Alessandra Ambrosio, Soluna and Isabella Rose. These designs have been featured in many publications including Vogue, GQ, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, and Sports Illustrated.
She has designed her life to be a constant output of creativity so that most of her time is spent making art, taking pictures, dancing, and sharing her knowledge with others. She loves to draw women and has been profoundly influenced by the works of René Gruau, Alphonse Mucha, Alberto Vargas, David Downton and Ruben Toledo.
After working with Julie Ann over the last several years, I’ve found her to be a skilled and passionate instructor. She teaches her students how to “SEE” and then layers on more with each lesson.
Christine Knobel
Fashion Sewing and Pattern Making
Christine works as a freelance designer, seamstress, and instructor in the Northern California Bay Area. She’s taught fashion and textile courses at the University of California, Davis in the Department of Design. Christine has also worked as an instructor at Arizona State University in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
While at UC Davis for her M.F.A., her thesis focused on fashion sustainability. She studied dyeing methods, textile life cycle assessments, and ultimately dove into biotextile design. Her work there led her to Make: where she's been sharing her research on kombucha textiles and cosplay.
As a fashion designer, she's worked professionally in pattern drafting, loungewear design, textile print design, and with private clients for cosplay design and construction. Her cosplay work has been featured by Marvel Comics, and seen on such sites as Vanity Fair, LA Weekly, and the Daily Mail UK. Christine has a passion for fashion, from fiber, yarns, textiles, to the rich history of the garments we wear.