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3-Day Weekend Intensive: Make Your Own Jeans



3-Day Weekend Intensive: Make Your Own Dawn Jeans

Join us for a hands-on 3-day weekend intensive where you'll create the Dawn Jeans by Megan Nielsen—a timeless, vintage-inspired, high-waisted jean made from non-stretch denim. Choose from a tapered leg, wide leg, or straight leg design. The Dawn Jeans pattern is available in sizes 0-20, and the Dawn Curve pattern (PDF only) caters to sizes 14-30. With four style options—tapered (View A), straight (View B), wide-leg (View C), and jean shorts (View D)—you'll have plenty of creative freedom.

Weekend Overview:

  • Friday: Start with a fitting and cutting party! Beth will guide you through taking measurements and selecting the perfect size, then cutting your pattern and muslin.
  • Saturday: Focus on assembling a muslin to ensure the ideal fit, then cut your denim for Sunday’s final construction.
  • Sunday: Complete your jeans! From stitching to hardware installation, you’ll finish the weekend with a beautifully tailored pair of jeans and newfound sewing confidence.

What’s Included:

  • 15 hours of expert sewing instruction
  • Complimentary snacks and beverages all weekend long
  • A complete kit of materials, including:
    • Dawn Jeans pattern by Megan Nielsen
    • Muslin fabric
    • SF101 interfacing
    • Cotton for pocket lining
    • Pre-washed denim
    • Denim needles (pack)
    • Two spools of polyester thread (for piecing and topstitching)
    • Hardware: button, zipper, rivets, and hardware tools

Who Should Attend: This class is designed for advanced sewists. Prior sewing experience is required, including comfort with threading and operating a sewing machine independently and completing multiple garment patterns before attending.

What to Bring:

Notes:
1. Before class, we will send an email asking what style jeans you want to make, what hardware finish you prefer, and any dietary restrictions you might have.
2. If you prefer a more masculine jean cut, we would be happy to swap out the Dawn Jeans pattern for the Fulford Jeans pattern from Thread Theory.

Class Policies

When registering for classes at Needles & Bolts, you agree to the Class Policies in place. Read them here.


Additional Information

Parking:

  • Free street parking is available on Germantown Avenue, Carpenter Lane, Meehan Street, and surrounding side streets. Please note that even if parking is free, there may be an enforced time limit. You may need to walk a bit to get to the shop, please plan accordingly.

Mass Transit:

  • The SEPTA 23 bus from Market Street Station in Center City headed towards Chestnut Hill stops directly in front of Needles & Bolts.

 


Skill Level: Advanced
Skill Details: This class is designed for advanced sewists. Prior sewing experience is required, including comfort with threading and operating a sewing machine independently and completing multiple garment patterns before attending.
Materials Included: All materials included
Requirements: You will need to bring tracing paper if you want to make a tracing of your pattern.
Instructor: Beth Paolini
Instructor Bio: Beth is an accomplished seamstress, who has taught sewing classes for Mt. Airy Learning Tree. She currently works at the Philadelphia Art Museum and has been doing reproduction sewing & upholstery there since 2005. A patent instructor, she loves walking sewists through the magic of garment construction to help them build their own handmade wardrobes.
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15 hours of expert sewing instruction + Complimentary snacks and beverages all weekend + A complete kit of materials

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Included Materials


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This class cannot be purchased online. Please contact the store for more information.

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