E.W.S. Fashion Design Academy

I have attended EWS ACADEMY for several years and have been so intrigued in the many techniques of how to assemble pockets into a garment and taught the skills of pattern making. Individual attention and encouragement from Mr. Stiles is a great asset in accomplishing your particular project. I finished many projects from designing a skirt, pants, a shirt, a jacket and what I am working on now designing a dress. What is surprisingly, I wear everything I sew! Thank you Mr. Stiles for awakening my creativity and my love for sewing!

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! VERY AFFORDABLE!
ERIC W. STILES PEDIGREE IMPRESSED ME!
I started with EWS in October of 2010. Still going strong! I have have completed ³⁄₄ of the curriculum. I have learned how to draft patterns, how to fit, how to drape, needle skills. When I first called to get info, I wanted to know how the class room was set up and the teaching style. I asked Mr. Stiles if I had to wait for a beginner to learn how to thread the bobbin. To my delight, the teaching style was based on the individual person. I had been taught by a tailor & was sewing for 40 years prior to meeting Mr. Stiles, but I needed refresher course and found the world in his class.
Class rooms were never overcrowded and everyone worked on different projects according to their skill sets. When I started, there were classmates who started a couple of years before. Being in the classroom gives you more! I enjoy listing to the experiences of the teacher and my classmates. I am currently in Draping and soon to
start the men’s overcoat.

I really WANTED to like this place. I really did. When I found out that there was a place close by where I could take beginning sewing lessons, I was ecstatic. I was going to go up to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, but it would have been about an hour drive. I’m sorely disappointed that I didn’t just start there; instead, I lost a couple hundred of dollars and learned absolutely NOTHING.
For background, I do have a bit of sewing experience and can make garments, but I wanted help in learning sizing adjustments and zippers. EWS promised that each student goes at their own pace. HA. I think by the time I would have actually GOTTEN to do zippers, I would have forgotten everything else I know!
The first lesson was talking and lines. Literally. He spent about 45 minutes talking about how much money you could make in the fashion industry, gave us a list of supplies needed, and then we drew lines. We weren’t told what the lines were, but were forced to draw them in groups of 3. If one person screwed up, then the whole pattern was tossed and you had to start over. The next 2.5hr lesson was the same exact thing; apparently we were «pattern drafting». I actually asked the other people in the class if this was beginning sewing! Because for a sewing class, there sure wasn’t any sewing going on!
The third class I was finally allowed to touch a sewing machine. Gasp! But even though I knew how to use one, I was force to sew lines. Just lines. Over and over again. I quickly finished my exercises and was allowed to leave early. For a class that claimed to cater to those of all levels, I sure didn’t learn anything in time I was there!
Being completely dissatisfied, I wrote an email to the instructor outlining my disappointment. I was told that his system of learning was «correct» and one couldn’t learn how to sew without pattern drafting in his system. I tried to compromise with him by asking if I could have a private session and learn what I needed to in exchange for the lessons I had already paid for, but he refused. Instead, he sat on the phone and gave me another 30 minutes of life lessons. Wow, life lessons really install zippers!
Don’t waste your time with EWS. It’ll be MONTHS (and tons of money!) before you learn anything useful, and you can learn everything in a much more concise manner from Vogue Fabrics or the internet and some books. I learned more in a 2 hour Vogue seminar for $ 40 on zippers than I did for the couple hundred I lost with EWS. As for sizing, I learned via trial and error, which was STILL cheaper than those classes. Thank goodness I already loved sewing; if this had been my first experience, I would have been turned off to it forever.

I just took a free sample of his his online version class. I was underwhelmed he spent the bulk of his time telling people how to measure, I came away thinking if this is how he teaches I would need some uppers to keep me awake!