Which Schools Offer Sewing Classes Near Chicago?
Find out which Chicago schools offer sewing classes. See requirements, and school information, and learn about the job prospects for a sewing and fashion design career in Chicago, Illinois. Schools offering Dressmaking & Design degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
Career Info for Fashion Designers and Sewers in the Chicago Area
Taking sewing courses can prepare you for a career as a fashion designer, sewer or tailor. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these jobs do not require a formal degree, but earning an associate's or bachelor's degree in fashion design or completing a certificate program in tailoring could be useful (www.bls.gov). These programs could familiarize you with business management, portfolio development and fabric selection. Other classes will teach you to sew and techniques for altering clothing to make clothes fit perfectly.
The BLS projected that the employment of fashion designers would stay completely flat with 0% growth between 2010 and 2020, as compared to a 14% average growth rate for all professionals combined. For tailors, dressmakers and custom sewers the BLS projected that employment would increase by just 2% for the same decade. As of May 2011, the mean annual salary for fashion designers in Chicago was almost $60,000, and for tailors and dressmakers it was around $31,000, the BLS reported.
Stand-Alone Courses in Chicago, IL
Columbia College Chicago
- Program Name: Fashion studies courses
- Program Length: 1 summer semester
- Tuition: $300 per credit hour (cost for high school summer institute as of summer 2012)
- School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit, roughly 11,400 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students
- Address: 618 S. Michigan Avenue, 10th floor, Chicago, IL 60605
- Phone: (312) 369-6290
These stand-alone fashion courses are for high school students and take three hours five days per week during the summer semester. You can select from one or both of them and learn about the basics of fashion design or the fashion industry in Chicago. In addition to studying trends in the industry, clothing styles and designing clothes, you'll put together a fashion show.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Program Name: Continuing education sewing and fashion courses
- Program Length: 10 weeks
- Tuition: $1,278 per credit hour (cost for the 2012-13 academic year)
- School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit, nearly 2,500 undergraduate students and roughly 800 graduate students
- Address: 37 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603
- Phone: (312) 629-6897
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's continuing education courses are available throughout the year. Courses include sewing techniques, fashion drawing, garment construction, draping clothes and embroidering. Children ages 11-13 are eligible to participate in the school's summer fashion camp, which covers sewing by machine and by hand, creating fashion drawings and sewing garments.
Undergraduate Certificate in Chicago, IL
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Program Name: Certificate in Fashion
- Program Length: Approximately 1 year
- Tuition: $1,278 per credit hour (cost for the 2012-13 academic year)
- School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit, nearly 2,500 undergraduate students and roughly 800 graduate students
- Address: 37 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603
- Phone: (312) 629-6897
To complete this certificate, you must complete ten courses that cover basic sewing techniques, designing fashionable pieces, cutting patterns and constructing clothing. Other classes include dying fabrics, creating your own designs and weaving fabric. Because of the school's downtown location, you have easy access to dozens of museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and a varied cultural setting.
Bachelor's Degree Programs Near Chicago, IL
Columbia College Chicago
- Program Name: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design
- Program Length: 4 years
- Tuition: $20,094 per year for undergraduate students (cost as of the 2011-2012 academic year)
- Requirements: Letter of recommendation, essay and submission of transcripts
- School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit, roughly 11,400 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students
- Address: 618 S. Michigan Avenue, 10th floor, Chicago, IL 60605
- Phone: (312) 369-6290
Through this degree program, you'll explore the aesthetic, technical and professional aspects of a career in fashion design. You'll learn to make your own patterns, select fabrics for your patterns and construct them so they flatter a wide variety of figures. You must also complete an internship during your junior or senior year. The school has a fashion lab, which allows you to access sewing machines, computer design software and production equipment that will allow you to add the finishing touches to your garments.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Program Name: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design
- Program Length: 4 years
- Tuition: $37,560 per year for undergraduate students (cost for the 2011-2012 academic year)
- Requirements: A letter of recommendation, a portfolio and possibly complete an interview
- School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit, nearly 2,500 undergraduate students and roughly 800 graduate students
- Address: 37 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603
- Phone: (312) 629-6897
This program starts with the basics so you'll start by creating fashion patterns and build on your skills, learning to drape garments, create patterns and construct garments. This includes working in the fashion resource center where you can use sewing machines or sew by hand to construct footwear, garments and accessories. You'll put together a portfolio that includes a series of drawings and garments. Your senior year, you'll participate in a fashion show that features your designs and the designs of your classmates.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
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