Find Your Sewing Community
Sewing can be a quiet independent hobby, a great way to connect with other like minded sewist or both. Austin has a vibrant sewing community. This page focuses mostly on finding your garment sewing community. We’ll review some communities that meet regularly then also briefly cover some one-off places where you might make your own connections.
Three great communities in Austin are That’s Sew Austin, We Sew Austin and the American Sewing Guild Austin Chapter. They’re all very welcoming places, but serve slightly different purposes. In addition to these, you can take sewing courses at The Contemporary Austin, AllBrands, and Austin Community College. Attending a sewing retreat or sewing cruise is the ultimate way to really get to know your fellow sewists.
That’s Sew Austin
That’s Sew Austin is where I currently teach. From their website: “That’s Sew Austin is an appointment only sew-cial club house where makers of all skill levels can learn, connect, and bring their ideas to life. We offer one-on-one classes, studio time, and community events designed to inspire and support your sewing journey. Whether you're a beginner, a cosplay enthusiast, or an experienced sewist, this home away from home provides the tools, guidance, and community to help you succeed.” That’s Sew Austin is a great place to
Get started sewing without a large investment of time, space or equipment.
Learn to sew in a supportive environment.
Improve your sewing and design skills with guidance from sewing professionals who have a deep and broad technical background.
Find, meet and collaborate with others who have similar interests.
We Sew Austin
We Sew Austin is a 5-star (1000+ reviews) very active Meetup with regular meetings in all parts of town. I’m one of the organizers of this group as well. From their page: “Wesew Austin meets sewists where they’re at: in-person meetings around Austin, Texas, or on virtual sessions where folks from US, Canada, and around the world join in!
Our group welcomes all skill levels; we believe that complete beginners and seasoned veterans can learn from and inspire each other. Although most members dig sewing garments and accessories, our interests vary, and we’d love to hear how you’re crafting home dec, stuffies, embroidery, quilts and more.
At our meetings, sewing sessions, retreats, and parties, we gather to share sewing projects, discuss patterns and fabrics, learn new skills and make new friends. Let's put the SEW in sewlidarity!“
We Sew Austin is a great place to
Meet new friends by attending regular in person meetups in your area or virtual meetups.
Discuss sewing projects, patterns, fabrics, techniques and more in a show and tell environment.
Learn about weekend sewing retreats sponsored by the members.
Showcase your work in Frocktails, the annual fashion show sponsored by the group.
American Sewing Guild Austin Chapter
American Sewing Guild Austin Chapter is part of the national organization. From their website: “We are the Austin Chapter of the American Sewing Guild and have members from New Braunfels to Waco. Our chapter is a group of sewing enthusiasts of all skill levels—from beginner to expert—who are passionate about the fiber arts in all of its forms.
We meet on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 1:00 - 3:00pm Central Time. The monthly meetings provide our membership with interesting programs, workshops, community service projects, challenges and show and tell opportunities. We bring in talented speakers from around the country! Because of this, we have both virtual and in-person meetings depending on the presentation.“
Since I’m a new member of American Sewing Guild, I am just learning what’s great about the organization, but from their website member benefits include:
Travel with sewing friends - Sew Much Fun tours visit places like Hong Kong, Paris, Toronto, NYC and the Pacific Northwest.
An annual conference that offers an array of renowned national sewing educators, a Members' Fashion Show, exhibits and vendors.
Opportunities to learn to teach sewing.
Free monthly lessons offered by members to help those learning to sew.
The Contemporary Austin
Suzie Gallehugh and I currently teach garment sewing courses at The Contemporary Austin. These tend to be six or seven week courses that meet once a week for 2-3 hours. Taking these courses is a great way to improve your sewing skills and make new friends in the class. The courses I teach can be found on the Services page, such as T-Shirt Studio and The Perfect Pair: Tailored Pants. Suzie has taught courses like Sewing Basics and Beyond.
AllBrands Austin, TX & Lafayette, lA
AllBrands is a sewing machine, notions and fabric store that also offers classes and sewing socials. The Austin store regularly has workshops covering techniques and guiding you through commercial patterns. I teach a day long workshop Bespoke T-Shirts where students create a t-shirt using a pattern drafted to their measurements here in Austin, and in Lafayette, LA. These workshops are a great low commitment way to learn some sewing skills/techniques and meet other students.
Austin Community College
Our local community college offers courses leading to a certificate or degree in fashion design. It’s possible to take individual courses separate from the degree program. I haven’t taught any of these courses nor do I have any firsthand knowledge about them, but I expect that taking a course would help you meet other students and faculty who have connections to the sewing community.
Sewing Retreats & Cruises
One of the best ways to really get to know fellow sewists is to attend a retreat or cruise. You’ll share meals together, share sewing tips and work on garments together over several days or a weekend. To be notified about upcoming cruises and retreats, fill out an interest form: retreat or cruise.