NQF 1Skills Programme
Handicraft Sewer
Learn foundational sewing.
Make basic garments and household items from ready-made patterns. Learn to sew from scratch. This is where you begin.
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Is this you?
Who the Handicraft Sewer's course is for
This course is built for complete beginners in sewing — the perfect place to start.
✓No experience needed
✓Must speak, read & write English
✓18 years and older
✓
You're starting from zero
You've never sewn, or only a little — and you want to learn solid foundations.
✓
You want to work for yourself
Not just as a hobby — from home, as a small business, or through a community or church project.
✓
You want a real, accredited foundation
Solid skills you can already earn from — and grow into our higher courses later.
Already sew with confidence? You're probably better suited to our Sewing Machine Operator or Seamstress courses — just ask.
🏢
For companies & organisationsGroup enrolments for teams, and reskilling programmes for staff facing retrenchment.
Enquire here →
For companies & organisations
Tell us what you need
Fill this in and we’ll come back with a written proposal and costing — something you can take to finance, or to your B-BBEE verifier.
Classes begin17 AugustMonday to Thursday, 8:30–4
Enrolment closes30 SeptemberOne intake only
Course lengthFive months576 hours · 72 teaching days
About you
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The people
How many people do you want to upskill?*
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Are these your employees, or unemployed people from the community?*
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Can they speak, read and write English?*
This is an entry requirement for the course, so we need to know before
we quote. If some of them can’t, tell us — we’ll work out what’s possible.
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Why now
What’s driving this?*
Tick everything that applies — it changes what goes in the proposal.
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When do you need it?*
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When does your financial year end?*
Skills budgets usually have to be spent before year end, so this tells us
what deadline we’re working to.
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Funding
Which budget would this come out of?*
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What budget has been allocated for this?*
A rough range is fine.
Is that per person, or the total for everyone?*
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Do you have a SETA-approved WSP and ATR in place?*
Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Report. If not, we can still help.
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What’s your B-BBEE classification?*
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Equipment
Would you like your people to keep their own equipment?*
We’re an authorised Brother dealer, so we can quote machines
alongside the training.
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Anything else
Anything else we should know?*
Shift patterns, literacy levels, transport, funding deadlines —
whatever matters.
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We’ll come back to you within 48 hours.
Thank you!
Thanks for your enquiry — we’ll come back to you within 48 hours.
A quick gut-check
Not sure it's for you?
You already sew garments confidently▾
You'd move too slowly here — start higher up with our Sewing Machine Operator or Seamstress courses.
You want the factory-machinist or pattern-making credential▾
Those are separate courses — and we offer them.
You want a full national qualification, not a skills programme▾
This is an accredited entry-level course — the first step, not the final one.
You're only after a casual hobby class▾
This is built around real skills and earning an income, with proper assessments at the end.
Not sure which course fits? Tell us where you're at and we'll point you to the right one.
Women’s Month special
What it costs
For Women’s Month we’ve cut the fee by 57% — because putting a real trade in a woman’s hands lifts her whole community.
🔥 Only 5 places left for this year's intake✦Enrolment closes 30 September✦✂ Classes begin 17 August✦🔥 Only 5 places left for this year's intake✦Enrolment closes 30 September✦✂ Classes begin 17 August✦🔥 Only 5 places left for this year's intake✦Enrolment closes 30 September✦✂ Classes begin 17 August✦🔥 Only 5 places left for this year's intake✦Enrolment closes 30 September✦
⏰ Special ends 31 August
57% off
The Sew & Grow route
♀ Women’s Month
R69,900Save R40,00057% off
R29,900
paid up front — everything included
Early-bird special
No enrolment fee
R29,900 · enrol by 31 August
R29,900 ÷ 576 hours of training
≈ R52 an hour
Prefer to pay it off?
R15,000 deposit, then the R24,900 balance over the next four months.
Pay up front instead and save R10,000.
What every rand covers
- Every machine & overlocker provided
- All fabric, materials & consumables
- All books, workbooks, patterns & training materials
- All assessment costs
- Full use of our facilities
- Your graduation pack
- A nationally recognised QCTO qualification — NQF Level 1, 57 credits
- QCTO & FP&M SETA accredited, internally & externally moderated
- Hands-on guidance, with your progress checked every step of the way
- Earning-ready in five months
Two ways to secure your place
Both windows draw from the same 5 seats — the sooner you commit, the less you pay.
Enrol by 31 August
The lowest price
- R29,900 — paid up front
- No enrolment fee
- Payment plans available
1–30 September
After classes have started
- R36,500 up front — or R46,500 in instalments
- That’s R35,000 / R45,000 with the R1,500 non-refundable late enrolment fee added on top
- Payment plans available
Enrolling after 17 August? We’ll send you your own dates and times to attend.
By the wayThe Early-bird special is the lowest price — enrol by 31 August.
After 30 September, enrolment closes — we are not running this programme again for 2026.
The full picture
How the course works
01Curriculum & modules+
the foundation ♥You master both sides of the craft — the hands-on skill, and the theory that makes it professional.
In practice, you'll learn to
- Select and prepare your materials, equipment and work area
- Cut and construct garments and household items from start to finish
- Present and hand over finished work to customers
- Manage your money as a self-employed sewer
The theory you'll know
- Choosing the right patterns, fabrics and notions
- Your machines, tools and equipment inside out
- Garment construction and assembly techniques
- Presenting products professionally
- Personal & business finance, ethics and time management
02What you'll make+
learn by making ♥More than 150 sewing techniques, learned and practised across 13 real projects — from your very first drawstring bag to a fully tailored men’s shirt. Behind each simple-looking piece is a full syllabus of professional skill.
Drawstring Bag — machine basics: operating the machine, using your tools, changing feet, pinning, cutting, sewing a straight line, backtacks, a drawstring casing, a narrow seam allowance, and zig-zag edge-neatening.
Fold-Over Cushion — a simple seamed item: a wide seam allowance, straight seams, turning out corners, pivoting, finger-pressing, and slip-stitching an opening closed.
Placemat — edges & finishing: cutting corners, following guidelines, the Oxford stitch, quilting, and neat edge finishing.
Wrap-Over Skirt — your first garment: body measurements, tracing patterns, fabric layout, nap, warp & weft, selvedge & grain, top-stitching, seam finishes, overlocking, pressing, single- and double-fold hems, edge-stitching, making loops, and 1- and 4-step buttonholes.
Tote Bag — a lined bag with hardware: double-thread sewing, locking stitches without backtacking, lining, contrast fabrics, a magnetic snap, press-studs, a zippered pocket, decorative top-stitching, different strap methods, and appliqués.
Shell Top — shaping to the body: interfacing and fusing (Vilene theory), block vs piece fusing, facings, overlocking curves, understitching, clipping curves, sewing a slit, gathering, how patterns relate to body shape, and open vs closed seams.
Zip Cushion — professional zips: different kinds of zips, tacking, inserting a concealed zip, aligning front to back once the zip is in, overlocking in a circle, and stitch-length theory.
Leggings — sewing stretch: sewing with stretch, using a stretch guide, testing stretch, different stretch fabrics, choosing the right needles, overlocking with stretch, the stretch stitch, zig-zags on stretch, and attaching elastic.
T-Shirt — knit garments: twin-needle sewing, making cuffs, trimming seam allowance, inserting sleeves, sewing ribbing, finding the right neckline size for stretch, and neckline finishing.
Raglan Blouse — sleeves & detail: sleeve theory, the bias, raglan sleeves, making continuous binding, flounces, ease around the body, buttonhole placement, buttons by hand and machine, different buttons and their buttonholes, and piece fusing.
Casual Pants — trousers: elasticated channels, sewing pants, laying out pants, matching seams, shortening and lengthening, patch pockets, in-seam pockets, and sewing on an industrial machine.
Piped Cushion — piping: making piping from scratch and from ready-made, how to pipe, and piping neatly around corners.
Formal Men’s Shirt — the tailored capstone: double-line top-stitching, straight top-stitching with guide lines, a button stand, different collars, a two-piece collar, inserting sleeves on non-stretch, a yoke, a pleat, a narrow hem, sleeve cuffs, a placket, buttonhole rotation and placement, and identifying menswear vs womenswear by button placement.
By the time you finish, there's very little inside a professionally-made garment you won't understand — and be able to make yourself.
03Assessment and Certification+
properly earned ♥You earn a real qualification — assessed as you work, independently checked, then certified by the QCTO. Here’s how it works.
- Assessed by doing — you pass by proving hands-on skill and actually making the pieces. Two parts: a practical assessment as you learn, then a final assessment at the end by a qualified, accredited assessor.
- Checked & moderated — your work is checked twice: internally by our accredited assessors and moderator, then externally through QCTO quality assurance. That independent check is what makes your certificate credible — an employer knows it was properly earned, not signed off in-house.
- Certified by the QCTO — once you’ve passed and been externally verified, the QCTO issues your official, nationally recognised certificate. We’re not permitted to issue it ourselves — which is exactly what keeps it credible.
A quick note: allow a little time after the course for your certificate to be published. We have to wait for the QCTO to issue it, so it’s genuinely not in our hands.
04Equipment & facility+
room to work ♥Our studio is big and professional, with room to spread out — and every student gets their own dedicated workstation.
🎒You bring
Just three things.
- No sewing experience at all — complete beginners welcome
- English literacy — you can speak, read & write it
- Yourself, and the will to show up
🎁We give you
Everything else is provided — and it’s yours.
- Every machine, overlocker & tool for class
- All your fabrics, materials & consumables
- Your books, workbooks & full-colour guides
- All patterns, in every size
- Your exams, assessments & certification
- A graduation pack to finish in style
05Your scheduleFull-Time Course+
the rhythm ♥This is a full-time course. Classes run Monday to Thursday, 8:30am–4pm, over five months — 72 teaching days of hands-on practical and theory. Day one is 17 August. There's just one intake this year, with enrolment open until 30 September.
The paper that opens doors
A real, accredited certificate
On completion, you leave with more than skills — you leave with proof: a nationally recognised, QCTO-issued Occupational Certificate.
- Issued by the QCTO — a national qualification, not an in-house certificate
- Recognised by employers right across South Africa
- Yours to keep, forever
Our latest graduates 🎓
Two easy ways forward
Ready when you are
Limited intake — only 5 spaces available
Ready to start?
Request the prospectus
Handicraft Sewer · NQF 1
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Handicraft Sewer · NQF 1
Ask us anything about the Handicraft Sewer course and we’ll get back to you.
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Women’s Month special ♥
Get a machine of your own
Everything’s provided in class — you’ll never need to bring a thing. But take a brand-new Brother machine home at a special student price, yours to keep for life. Add an overlocker and your Sewer’s Essentials kit is free.
You saveR3,700
See the student bundle →
💳 or buy now, pay later
40 years of getting this right
Why Sew & Grow
Four decades of experience
We were teaching sewing before most fashion schools existed — 40 years refining exactly how a person goes from "I can't" to "I made this."
A teacher at your shoulder
Your own workstation and machine, and an experienced teacher at your shoulder — moving at your pace, nobody left behind.
Skills that pay off
Over the years, hundreds of our students have gone on to build their own brands and businesses, land jobs in the sewing industry, and even study further.
They started right where you are
Gert-Johan Coetzee started at a sewing table in this classroom. The founder of the Tasmo boutique started here. Peter did one beginner course, started making bags, and now exports internationally. A nurse who sews scrubs for her whole ward. A grandmother who taught her entire family. That's what a real foundation makes possible.
Don't just take our word for it
The proof is in our people
From a world-famous designer to hundreds of everyday students building new lives — this is where sewing careers begin.
★From this classroom to the red carpet
Gert-Johan Coetzee
Celebrated SA fashion designer
Every great designer starts somewhere. He started right here — a complete beginner learning where the needle goes.
Before the celebrity gowns and the international runways, he built the strong sewing foundations that changed everything.
So can you.
From complete beginners to confident sewers — in their own words.
Kubra M.
★★★★★
So grateful for the amazing experience. The teachers showed me such care, patience and expertise — their passion is infectious. I'm already looking forward to continuing my journey. Thank you for creating such a wonderful, supportive community. All my love until we meet again! ♥
Jesse-Lee C.
★★★★★
I've learnt so much already. Made 4 beautiful items and gained real knowledge, plus how to read patterns. Then I started the sewing club and my skills went up! The ladies teaching are top notch. 10/10 — every pattern turns into something beautiful. Thanks team ♥
Aisha D.
★★★★★
What an experience! The staff is knowledgeable, passionate and friendly. The classroom is so spacious and there's nothing you won't find there — it's literally sewing paradise! I'm so optimistic about my future in sewing and fashion.
Nomsa K.
★★★★★
The support, guidance and expertise made the journey so enjoyable. Thank you for fostering such a welcoming environment and helping me discover the joy of sewing. I'm truly grateful — I'll definitely be back for more!
Janine H.
★★★★★
At 58 I had lost hope in people — but WOW, my faith is restored. I'm on my second course and absolutely addicted. The staff are awesome, kind, patient and caring. I can't imagine my life once I've finished.
Naledi M.
★★★★★
A safe, welcoming, wholesome space where everyone is encouraging. These classes have been very beneficial for my mental health.
★★★★★
5.0 on Google · 60+ five-star reviews
Ready to start?Request the prospectus — dates, pricing and how to enrol
You'll fit right in
Take a peek inside our school
You don't have to be perfect to be here — you just have to start. Complete beginners and advanced sewers, side by side. Whatever your level, the feeling never changes: safe to try, and proud of what you make.
At the overlocker 🧵
The finished top 👗
The first cut ✂️
First project, finished 🧤
Working at full scale 📐
▶
Ask The Students 💬▶
Never Alone 🫂The vibe+more
photos & clips
photos & clips
Still wondering?
Your questions, answered
I've never sewn before. Can I really do this?
Yes — it's built for absolute beginners. Over 10,000 students have sat where you'll sit, most with zero experience. You'll get a real, tangible win from your very first class.
Do I need matric to enrol?
No — and you don't need Grade 10 either. There's no school qualification required at all. All you need is to be comfortable speaking, reading and writing English. It's one of the most accessible accredited routes into fashion in the country.
Is there an age requirement?
You need to be 18 or older for this accredited programme — there's no upper limit at all, and we have students of every age. No school qualification is needed either; all you need is to be able to speak, read and write English. If you're under 18, our other sewing courses are open to you.
What do I need to bring or buy?
Nothing to start. We provide machines, fabrics, materials, books, patterns, assessments and your graduation pack. You may choose to buy your own machine to practise at home, but it's never required to begin.
Can I pay it off?
Yes — Option 2 is a payment plan:
- Month 1R15,000
- Month 2R7,500
- Month 3R6,000
- Month 4R5,700
- Month 6R5,700
When does it start, and how long is the special?
Classes begin 17 August. Enrol by 31 August for the R29,900 early-bird price (R39,900 in instalments). From 1–30 September the price is R36,500 up front (R35,000 + R1,500 late fee) or R46,500 in instalments (R45,000 + R1,500). Enrolment closes 30 September. If you enrol after classes have begun, we’ll send you your own dates and times to attend.
How do I get started? What’s the application process?
Here’s the process, start to finish:
- Apply online — click the application form button on this page and fill it in.
- If we accept you, we’ll send you your enrolment link.
- Fill in the enrolment form online.
- Choose your payment plan — once your payment comes through, you’re officially enrolled and ready to start!
Is the certificate real and recognised?
Absolutely — a QCTO-issued, nationally recognised Occupational Certificate, internally and externally moderated, accredited by QCTO & FP&M SETA.
Is this a full-time or part-time course?
It’s a full-time course — a structured, accredited programme. The August intake runs Monday to Thursday, 8:30am–4pm. The September intake times may differ depending on class size.
What if I want more flexible times?
No problem — we can point you towards our specialised courses that offer more flexible times. Take a look at our Adult Beginner Programme.
You'll fit right in