NEW Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – VSC Will Respond to All of Them

At Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC), we receive over a hundred questions each week, and we attempt to answer all of them.  For complicated questions, or if you want to know the cost and program duration of any specific Fashion Design Long Program, we strongly encourage you to contact us through email at https://sewingclassesvancouver.ca/contact/ to arrange a meeting in-person with one of our instructors.  We would be happy to spend time with you to answer all of your questions at our fashion design facility. Since we have so many lessons to teach throughout the day, we will not be able to answer all of your questions over the telephone.  Please contact us through our email for an in-person consultation.

Please carefully read and review all of the relevant information on our website before you contact us, so you can make a well-informed decision.  Otherwise, you are wasting your own time by asking the same questions that we have repeatedly answered on our website, blogs, and Facebook page.  We believe that we are much more open and transparent than any other fashion design school or sewing studio.

From time to time, we do have clients, who had requested an in-person consultation appointment far in advance, not show up, without emailing or calling us, on the day of the scheduled appointment, effectively ghosting us.  This is not acceptable and unprofessional.  If someone treats us that way, we will not work with that person again.  Our time is just as precious as your time.

And, finally, we do have people ask us for industry contacts without enrolling in one of our programs. Unfortunately, our industry and supplier contacts are reserved only for our paying clients.  We have spent many years and a lot of time and money building our network of contacts all over the world, and we simply cannot provide that information to anyone if they are not a paying client of ours.  In addition, please do not ask for a discount on any of our programs because, if you are looking for an inexpensive, lower quality program and you don’t care about what and how you learn, we are not the right fit for you.  At VSC you get exactly what you pay for, which is a high-quality education and practical life skills training.

QUESTION: Is Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) a school?

Answer: NO.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) is NOT a school, college, or university.  We take it as a compliment when someone compares us to a fashion institution, but we are NOT a school.  We cannot accept international students or student loans, and we cannot process your student visa or government grant.  We are a private fashion design facility, and we exist to help to train people to become professional fashion designers so they can work and make a living in the apparel industry, without wasting 1 to 4 years in school.  We have helped many designers start their own businesses and do their production in Southeast Asia at a fraction of the usual cost.  Google Maps decided to list us under the Schools category without our consent, and there is nothing we can do about that; it is what it is.

QUESTION: Can I pay online or over the phone for any of the programs?

Answer: No, you cannot pay online or over the phone. You must pay in-person at our fashion design studio when you register in-person. We do not accept credit card payment OR e-transfer over the phone for security reasons.

QUESTION: Can I drop-in at Vancouver Sewing Classes and watch your lessons for free?

Answer: No, VSC does not allow drop-ins, and we do not allow anybody to watch our lessons without paying.

QUESTION: Does VSC allow walk-ins/drop-ins?

Answer: No, VSC does not accept walk-ins or drop-ins; for all enquiries, registrations and bookings, you must make an appointment with us first.  You can send an email to us at https://sewingclassesvancouver.ca/contact/ OR call us at (604) 879-2100, to book or schedule your appointment so you can register and pay in-person. We are open, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, 7 days a week, from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays.

QUESTION: How do I book online for the classes or register in-person to pay?

Answer: Firstly, you need to email us at [email protected] OR you can call us at (604) 879-2100, to set-up an in-person appointment at our fashion design studio.  You must register and pay in-person at our fashion design studio for the program that you have chosen to enrol in.  Once you pay for the program in-person, you can then book the lesson whenever you want.  Unfortunately, you cannot book ANY lesson online without paying first (pre-paid program) in-person.  After you pay for the program, you can book your lesson in-person at the time of your registration OR you can call us at (604) 879-2100 OR you can email us and make a request at https://sewingclassesvancouver.ca/contact/.

Please note this: There are ONLY THREE spots available for registration each month.  “Spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis.”  All programs start the first week of every month and registration dates start from the 15th to the 20th of each month.  However, you can register and pay in-person EARLIER and BEFORE the registration period (the 15^th-20^th of each month), if you want to book and reserve your space ahead of everyone else.

QUESTION: Can I register online or over the phone, and if I register in-person how long will it take?

Answer: No, you cannot register online or over the phone.  You must register and pay at our fashion design studio ONLY in-person.  You can call us first at (604)879-2100 OR you can email us at [email protected] to set-up your appointment for your in-person registration and pay for the program.  The in-person registration will only take about five minutes of your time at our fashion design studio.  When you register in-person, you can pay by cash, credit card (Visa or Mastercard), debit, cheque, or bank draft.  If you are paying by credit card (Visa or Mastercard), we will have to charge you an additional 3% on top of the total bill because Visa and Mastercard Merchant is billing and collecting from us the 3% commission, all of which it gets to keep.  If you are paying by cheque or bank draft, please make sure that you make the cheque payable to “Vancouver Sewing Classes”.

Please note this: There are ONLY THREE spots available for registration each month.  “Spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis.”  All programs start the first week of every month and registration dates start from the 15th to the 20th of each month.  However, you can register and pay in-person EARLIER and BEFORE the registration period (the 15^th-20^th of each month), if you want to book and reserve your space ahead of everyone else.

QUESTION: What are VSC hours for all the classes?

Answer:  Our lessons schedule is usually from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, and 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  We are open, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, 7 days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays.  If you are unable to make it to your lesson for whatever reason, you must inform us by e-mail at least 48 hours (two days) in advance; otherwise, you will lose that prepaid class credit.

QUESTION: Does VSC offer any discount on any of the programs?

Answer: NO.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does not provide or offer discounts on any of our programs.  If you are looking for a discounted or inexpensive program, we are not the right fit for you.  VSC teaches ONLY one-on-one, and we offer a very flexible schedule, so our clients can have the perfect balance of work, study and play.  We give away Free Bonus Gifts, worth up to $17,000, so our clients can become successful sewers/fashion designers in their chosen field.  Furthermore, we customize and tailor all of the programs for each of our clients, individually, so they can learn at their own pace and more effectively.  We spend countless hours preparing each client’s lessons, individually, so they can have more time to focus and learn new life technical skills.  Many fashion design institutions and sewing studios will force their clients to prepare their own lessons and, as a result, their clients will not have time left to learn any sewing or pattern drafting.  In the end, you will learn far less or nothing at all.  You will end up wasting your own time, money, and resources.  At VSC, we treat our clients like VIPs.  We only provide quality education, training, and industry contacts to our clients.  This is what you are paying for – “quality service”, which you will not receive anywhere else.  Our motto has always been, “your success is our success”.  We always deliver excellent results for our clients!

QUESTION: Does Vancouver Sewing Classes send out weekly email promotions and notices?

Answer: NO.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does not and will not send out weekly junk emails and promotions to our clients.  We do not harass and stalk our clients, like so many fashion schools and sewing studios.  Many fashion schools and sewing studios are desperate, so they harass their clients by sending them a whole barrage of junk emails to get them to enroll in their programs.  At VSC, we will never stoop that low to chase and pursue our clients in that manner.  If you contact us, we will respond to all of your emails; however, if you don’t respond to our email message after we respond to yours, we will not contact you again.  At VSC, we believe that, when a client approaches us, they want to learn technical life skills from our fashion instructors, who have vast experience working in the fashion industry with a strong proven track record of success and an impressive repertoire.  No client will want to learn from someone who just graduated from a fashion institution, or does not have any experience doing clothing production in North America and Southeast Asia, or does not have experience operating a successful fashion business or starting a fashion line.

QUESTION: Does Vancouver Sewing Classes deliver weekly emails to their paying clients to remind them of their upcoming lessons?

Answer: Yes.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does send out brief emails to remind our paying clients about their upcoming lessons on a weekly basis.  We know our clients live a hectic life, which is why we send them a weekly courtesy email to remind them of their upcoming lesson with the scheduled date and time, and a list of what to bring to class, as well as what is being taught in each lesson.  At VSC, we keep our clients well informed.

QUESTION: Does Vancouver Sewing Classes provide free complimentary snacks and drinks for each lesson?

Answer: Yes.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does provide plenty of free snacks and drinks for our clients in every lesson.  At VSC, we treat our clients like VIPs.

QUESTION: Can I record the entire lesson on my iPhone at Vancouver Sewing Classes?

Answer: Yes.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does provide three tripods for our clients to record their entire lesson.  We strongly encourage our clients to record all of their lessons on their iPhone or other device so, this way, they do not need to make any notes during the lesson.  These recordings are very helpful when our clients are doing their homework and assignments at home.  Unfortunately, no fashion school or sewing studio allows you to do this.  We recommend that all clients bring their own phone charger and make sure that they have enough memory on their iPhone or other device to record each three-hour lesson.

QUESTION: Does VSC charge any extra fee if my lesson goes 20-30 minutes overtime?

Answer: NO.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does not charge overtime if you are enrolled in any of our programs.  We are not greedy and petty like other sewing studios and fashion schools.  Many sewing studios and design schools will charge you an extra fee if your lesson goes over time.  In fact, these sewing studios and fashion schools will charge and gouge you for everything and anything.

QUESTION: Does VSC provide FREE textbooks for any of the Short Programs and the Fashion Design Long Programs?

Answer: Yes.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) will provide free up to 100 current and coloured digital fashion textbooks, when our clients enrol in any of the Short and the Fashion Design Long Programs.  We only provide the most current and up-to-date textbooks.

QUESTION: Does VSC give away FREE industrial sewing machines, dress forms and equipment for all its Fashion Design Long Programs?

Answer: Yes.  Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) does give away up to $17,000 in FREE BONUS GIFTS, such as brand-new industrial sewing machines, designer dressmaker forms, ironing boards and irons, complete sewing kits, complete drafting kits, and so on, when the clients sign-up for any of the Fashion Design Long Programs.  The FREE bonus gifts will be shipped and delivered directly to the client’s home/studio front door.

QUESTION: What are the FREE Bonus Gifts when I sign up for the Fashion Design Long Programs?

Answer: Depending on the Fashion Design Long Program selection our client chooses, we are giving away up to $17,000 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS!  The bigger the program you choose, the more bonus gifts you will receive, such as: a *FREE NEW Juki Industrial Sewing Machine, a NEW Juki Industrial Serger, a NEW Italian-Made Battistella or Reliable Iron Board, a NEW Italian-Made Battistella or Reliable Industrial Iron, a NEW Juki MO644D Portable Serger, a NEW Juki MCS-1500 Coverstitch Sewing Machine, a NEW Singer Domestic Sewing Machine, a NEW Designer’s Dress Form with Legs, NEW Sewing Feet Attachments for an Industrial or Domestic Sewing Machine, NEW Professional Drafting and Sewing Kits PLUS many other industrial sewing machines!

QUESTION: Does Vancouver Sewing Classes (VSC) give away FREE Bonus Gifts for ALL of their programs, no matter how big or how small the programs are?

Answer: YES! Depending on the Mini, Short or Long Program selection our client chooses, we are giving away up to $17,000 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS! The bigger the program you choose, the more bonus gifts you will receive. We do give away FREE BONUS GIFTS all the time, no matter how big or how small the programs are.  You get to keep and own brand-new sewing machines (both domestic and/or industrial), designer dressmaker dress forms, sewing tools, drafting tools, fabrics, notions, trimmings, laces, beads, ironing boards, industrial irons with boilers, threads, art supplies, and so.  You get to keep and own them 100%.  We have given away over $850,000 in FREE BONUS GIFTS so far, and we will continue to do so to support our clients in achieving success in the fashion industry!  In fact, we are the ONLY organization in the world that is doing this!  We are very proud of this huge accomplishment!

QUESTION: Will VSC provide a discount if I do not want the FREE brand-new sewing machine?

Answer: No, VSC does not provide any discounts or price reductions if you don’t want the FREE brand-new sewing machine to keep and own.  We offer FREE brand-new sewing machines because our instructional programs and sewing lessons are structurally based on these FREE brand-new sewing machines not the client’s sewing machine.  In order to obtain consistent results, we encourage our clients to use our FREE brand-new sewing machine, instead of their own sewing machine.  Because every sewing machine has a different stitch length dial feature and different tension dial settings, it can create quite a bit of confusion for the client if they use their own sewing machine.

QUESTION: Will I get to keep the FREE brand-new sewing machine for the short program?

Answer: YES, you get to keep all of it 100%, and you do not need to return it, ever.

QUESTION: Do I have to return the FREE brand-new sewing machine and the sewing kit when I complete the short or long program?

Answer: No, you do not need to return anything at the end of the short or long program. You get to keep everything 100%.

QUESTION: Do I need to bring back the FREE brand-new sewing machine for every class/lesson?

Answer: No, you do not need to bring back your own sewing machine to every class.  We have many sewing machines in our fashion design studio already, which means you do not need to bring back your own sewing machine, or your sewing kit tools to every lesson.

QUESTION: Does VSC give away a FREE brand-new Singer sewing machine when I sign up for the Professional Sewing Techniques Short Program?

Answer: Yes, you will receive a FREE brand-new Singer sewing machine and a FREE sewing tool kit to keep!

QUESTION: Does VSC offer a special payment plan or installment payments?

Answer: Yes, depending on the size of the program that our client chooses, we do provide a special payment plan or installment payments for any of the Fashion Design Long Programs.  Please enquire in-person about this.

QUESTION: Once I have paid for the program, how many classes can I book for each week?

Answer: Once you have paid for your program, you can book from one to four lessons per week.  There is plenty of homework to do for each of your lessons, so you may not want to over book yourself; otherwise, you will not be able to complete all of your assignments or homework on time.

QUESTION: Is there a lot of homework if I enrol in the short program or the Fashion Design Long Program?

Answer: Yes, you will receive plenty of homework, either for the Short Program or the Fashion Design Long Program.  On average, the Short Program homework is usually 1 to 3 hours of homework per lesson, while the Fashion Design Long Program is usually 3 to 6 hours of homework per lesson, depending on your learning ability and capacity.

QUESTION: Does VSC only teach “one-on-one” and in-person?

Answer: Yes, VSC only teaches “one-on-one” in-person.  VSC does NOT teach online OR virtually OR any group lessons.

QUESTION: Does VSC teach young kids under 10 years old?

Answer: NO, VSC does not teach kids under 15 years old, simply because they are too young and VSC is not the right fit for them.  Kids who are in this age bracket usually have very short attention spans, which makes it extremely challenging to teach them for three continuous hours because they are not able to stay focused for that long.

QUESTION: Does VSC teach technical garment and Tech Pack?

Answer: Yes, and yes.  We have over 150 programs for you to choose from and we can also customize any program that is not listed on our web site to fit your budget and needs.