The New York Sewing Center

Do you need to save money on clothes? Are you someone who loves fashion and has maxed out your credit card enough on designer wear? Or are you an actor/​burlesque performer/​cabaret singer/​classical musician who can’t afford the stage wear you’d like? Well, you can dress the way you want without breaking the bank! You can learn in a few easy lessons from The New York Sewing Center how to design and sew your own everyday or evening wear or your stage costumes. Whether you are a complete beginner who wants to explore a new hobby, someone who’d like to make clothes for your family and friends, or have your sights set on becoming the next hot NYC fashionista — The New York Sewing Center will get you started and keep you learning — and keep you having fun. I started taking sewing lessons with Kristine Banasik in the fall of 2013 and can’t say enough great things about her teaching, her enthusiasm and her passion for helping others find their way to sewing and designing clothes.

I decided to try a private sewing lesson so that I could have a more efficient learning experience. It turned out to be a great idea, in no small part because of Kristine at The New York Sewing Center. I’ve taken quite a few sewing lessons but Kristine is by far the best and I hope to be able to continue lessons with her forever! She is a truly sweet and wonderful person, not to mention patient! One of the great things about her as an instructor is that she has excellent intuition about how much to help you. She will do as much or as little as you want. I know a lot of clients hire her to downright make things for them (I even have her do some ‘making’ alongside me in order to get things done quicker sometimes). There are times when I am so new (and I know painfully SLOW to her) at certain tasks but I’m never made to feel self-​conscious about it. She is so patient and knows just when to step in with instructions or to offer assistance. Maybe the best thing about sewing lessons is that you can avoid learning a lot of things «the hard way.» If you do the math, that alone is such a time-​saver that I think it makes paying for lessons well worth it! One unique thing about Kristine is that she actually loves pattern-​making, which is a major key to good sewing. I don’t know anyone else who loves making patterns (another sign of her amazing patience I think!). But it is so important and fundamental. Having an instructor who actually loves it, makes a HUGE difference. One of the best things I’ve learned from her is how to copy clothes, which is all about making patterns. I’ve taken favorite dresses and pants and skirts and copied all kinds of things. My favorite thing is that I can go to her with any fabric and any idea (from my head or pictures) and she will teach me how to make it. With her, I’ve gone from beginner to making myself outfits for black tie weddings. People are, and even I am, amazed at what I’ve accomplished with her. I can’t get enough! And I cannot recommend The New York Sewing Center more. I promise you will be happy with whatever you do there.

I have been taking private lessons with Kristine for a few months now and it is been such an incredible experience. She has helped my fulfill my dream of learning to sew and continually makes the lessons challenging, engaging, and extremely fun. Kristine is personable which makes the one-​on-​one sewing experience that much better. What I love most is that she is supportive of ANYTHING you want to make so start assembling that list!

I’ve been sewing with Kristine for over 2 years. She is so skilled and knowledgeable about all things sewing. She is also a wonderful teacher. I look forward to our sessions every week.

An excellent place to learn the basics, and you’ll be shocked at how much you learn in a short amount of time. Both the Sewing Machine Basics Workshop and the Sewing 101 classes are educational, comprehensive and pretty darn fun! Highly recommended for the intimidated beginner.