Fashion Studies is a multi-faceted program for aspiring Fashion Students, from Middle School through Adult. In each semester long session, students learn the fundamentals of Fashion Design while being taught & mentored by industry professionals. Through this program, students build a strong foundation of fashion centered skills while building their portfolio(s). We have offer this program in Spring, Summer & Fall. Sign up for our emails to get the latest information the the courses we are offering.
Summer 2025
May 28th - August 30th - Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-8pm
This summer we are offering 4 separate 4-hour multi-week LAB classes that will inject a little fun and/or creativity into your sewing or fashion design practice as well as help you build a rockin’ portfolio. Early bird pricing ($100 off each class) runs through February 15th.
Fashion Portfolio Development - 6 Wednesdays 4-8pm May 28th - July 2 $900-$1000
A portfolio is a visual way to introduce yourself to a design school by showing 10-20 images of your best artwork. This course will introduce you to drawing fashion figures in a variety of art mediums, including pastel, watercolor, marker and ProCreate. Students will learn a variety of techniques to render fabrics like satin, fur, and velvet while also developing their own personal style. The course includes the 6 rules of composition that will help your work stand out among the crowd.
Fabric Manipulation - 4 Thursdays 4-8pm May 29th to June 19th $600-$700
This course will focus on the hand craft of fabric manipulation. We will be exploring gathers, tucks, and hand stitches to create beautiful three dimensional texture in cloth. Some of these techniques include controlled crushing, shirring, smocking, and tucking. In this four week course we will produce a personal library with these various techniques. No background in garment construction is necessary, but basic machine knowledge is a must (check our our machine basics class)
Fabric & Fashion Dying - 5 Thursdays 4-8pm Jul 10 to Aug 7 $800-$900 - includes materials
OMG We’re Dyeing! Welcome to fabric and fashion dyeing! In this course we will be exploring various dyeing techniques including ice dye, vat dyeing, indigo dyeing, Shibori and other resist methods. This course will be messy so please make sure to bring at least an apron or wear clothing you don’t mind getting dyed.
Urban Streetwear Design - 6 Wednesdays 4-8pm July 16 to August 20 $900-$1000
This course will focus on designing and sketching only FIVE components: jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, and sneakers for any gender. Students will gather cultural references, imagery and inspiration to translate into their own designs in their sketchbooks. Students will be challenged (i.e. ‘design a pair of jeans without a side seam) while also being asked to maintain a set of design considerations: fabric, comfort, shape, proportion, and functionality. Every student will have the opportunity to develop sketches in color for a final presentation.
General Program information for our Spring and Fall Sessions:
Curriculum:
Fashion Sketching & Illustration Techniques
Mood Board Development & Beginning Conceptual Design
Collection Development
Apparel Sewing Techniques
Garment Construction
Flat Pattern I & II
Garment Draping 1 & II
Beginning Textile identification
Results:
One-Two finished garments - per semester Fashion Sewing Students
Portfolio of Seam and Hem samples - Fashion Sewing Students
Library of 1/2 Scale pattern mockups - Flat Pattern Making Students
Portfolio of Textiles - Textile Identification Book with Swatches - Fashion Sewing/Design Students
Portfolio of Sketch and Design including Flat sketches, illustrations and mood boards. Fashion Design and Illustration Students
We Recommend:
Results are based on Semester Long Commitment - 3 (two-hour) classes per week (Sewing, Pattern Making and Illustration) but we understand this isn’t possible for every student. Students may choose to come to two-four classes per week . After accepting applications for the semester-long course we will consider adding monthly spots if there is space.
3-5 hours of sketching homework per week
Ages 10+ for Fashion Design & Ages 13 - Adult for Fashion Sewing and Pattern Making Classes
Spring 2025 Program
January 8th- May 15th 2025 (no classes February 19/20, April 9th-24th) - 15 weeks total - Classes Currently in Session
Wednesdays
Fashion Design - for Teens and Adults 6-8pm
Thursdays
Fashion Sewing for young Designers- 3:30-5:30
Flat Pattern Making 6-8pm
2025 Pricing
We highly encourage students to take at least two classes per week and advise that students take one design related class & one sewing/pattern making class. Both skills build upon each other to help students understand garment construction and to give the vocabulary behind all the concepts taught. We prioritize students who make this commitment to our program and discounts are given for multiple course registrations. Early bird discounts of $200-$400 available the first month after publishing class. Our pricing is as follows:
1 Course - $1800/Semester
2 Courses - $3500/Semester
3 Courses $4500/Semester
4 Courses $5500/Semester
This program is perfect for:
Students applying to Fashion Programs for High School & or College - Fashion Studies will prepare them with the technical abilities they will need to create original designs. Student completing our program should be able to create at a higher level, having honed their sewing skills, strengthened their drawing and design talents and developed and understanding of basic pattern making.
Students who “Identify” themselves through FASHION & Clothing - These are students who maybe haven’t found their way just yet and are trying out different things. The underlying theme however, will likely be how they express themselves through clothing - Fashion Studies can help channel that energy into a real life skills, they can use to create their own fashion, expand their focus and open their minds to a career in Apparel and Design.
Students interested in all facets of the FASHION INDUSTRY- These are individuals who have always loved fashion, but pursued other things and find that now, they are interested in expanding their knowledge to follow a dream. This is also for individuals interested in designing clothing for themselves or others.
Students wanting to start their own CLOTHING LINE OR COLLECTION - These students need technical support in pattern making, sewing and/or the design process. We will cover the fundamentals of pattern making and design and help those dreams become a reality.
The Sewing Room Alameda is my third attempt at learning fashion illustration. I’ve taken fashion illustration classes before. Once at a local community college and at an apparel design school. I have learned so much more at The Sewing Room (Alameda) than I did at both the schools put together. Julie Ann is a awesome teacher. You can tell she’s an experienced well seasoned teacher. The classes online are small so Julie Ann is able to attend to each student’s individual needs. She acknowledges her students growth and improvements and gives praise. She breaks the information down so that it’s easy to understand and retain. The classes are cohesive. The fashion illustration classes are offered online (zoom) and in person. I recommend the fashion illustration class at The Sewing Room!! -
Marie E.
See what parents say about our program
I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much Ezra is enjoying your class! It's truly the highlight of his day :) He's tried many things from skateboarding to basketball to YouTubing, but nothing really stuck. He never seemed truly happy doing those things, as if he were just doing them because all the other kids did them and he thought "that's what 10 year old boys should like to do". But he has been into fashion since birth. When he was 3 or 4 he asked for white clothes from head to toe, then he drew all over them with sharpies. He's always spent more time than any of us picking out outfits in the morning, they have to be just right. So it was so exciting when we found The Sewing Room! He's already learned so much, and gained so much confidence...which he was sorely lacking. - Tom Stone
Nyah
As a middle schooler, I tried my daughter, Nyah in activity after activity. . .softball, volleyball, dance, gymnastics none of these activities were appealing to her. I had almost given up with getting this shy 12-year old into anything and had resorted to her staying home while her peers enjoyed after school activities. It wasn’t until I tried one last attempt to get her connected, that I stumbled upon Jennifer Serr’s, sewing classes. This was the turning point for Nyah, not only did she enjoy the classes but eventually continued to pursue her love of sewing at OSA in the Fashion Design department. Now a graduate of OSA and freshman at UCLA, she continues this love of sewing and fashion as a student in UCLA’s costume design department. Thank you Jennifer for supporting Nyah with discovering her passion. - Nedra Ginwright
See what students are saying about our program
“Jennifer inspired my love of sewing and taught me how to help others improve their skills as well. She gave me the tools that I needed to be able to envision and create my designs and make them look tailored and professional. Both my sewing skills and my pattern-making skills were greatly improved during my time at The Sewing Room and I attribute that to Jennifer and her own passion for design.” - Lily
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.
