FASHION ACADEMY | Summer Sewing Camp | Learn to Sew | Ages 8-12

Week-long summer sewing camp in Conway Mill, Belfast. Learn to sew on a machine and create your own clothes and accessories in a real studio

This summer, step into the world of sewing and fashion. For one exciting week, girls experience what it feels like to work like a young designer — in a real studio surrounded by sewing machines, fabrics, mannequins and creativity.

Designed especially for ages 8–12, this hands-on camp teaches how to sew on a machine while creating a range of fashion projects to take home and feel proud of. Projects come to life each day, stitch by stitch — with progress that feels exciting, grown up and completely different from school.

Whether brand new to sewing or already enjoying making their own pieces, confidence builds daily throughout the week — leaving each child ready to continue sewing on a machine at home.

Set inside the MaryRose McGrath Design Studio, this popular small-group camp offers a truely unique experience — a week in the life of a young fashion designer, filled with creativity, fun and new friendships.

💗 Choose your week:
Week 1: Monday 27th – Friday 31st July
Week 2: Monday 3rd – Friday 7th August
Week 3: Monday 10th – Friday 14th August

Times: 9am – 12pm daily
Ages: 8–12 (8 year olds must be entering Primary 5)
Designed for: Girls
Location: MaryRose McGrath Design Studio, Conway Mill, Belfast

Price: £149 for 5 days
(Materials & equipment included. Skirt fabric to be provided.)

Spaces: Limited to 10 per week — these camps typically fill quickly

What happens during the week?

💛 Day 1 – Learn to sew on a machine
A confident, exciting start. Learn how to thread and sew on a machine properly, and try out many types of fancy stitches and techniques.

💗 Day 2 – Designer Bow scrunchie
Create a designer bow scrunchie while sewing slowly & safely, building confidence and skills on the machine.

💜 Day 3 – Makeup or Skincare bag
Sew a cute makeup or skincare bag — learning how to embellish your design, pin and sew seams and neat finishes.

💙 Day 4 – Fashion sketching & start your skirt
Learn how fashion designers sketch their ideas, then begin creating your own summer skirt using your chosen fabric.

💚 Day 5 – Finish your skirt
Complete your summer skirt and see your garment and accessories come together — ending the week with an exciting range of fashion projects you’ve made from start to finish.

💗 Creative projects & skills taught:

✨ Machine sewing skills
Learn how to use a sewing machine properly — from threading, sewing accurately, learning how to sew seams and how to use fancy stitches & different techniques in your designs

✨ Wearable projects
Create a designer bow scrunchie, a cute makeup or skincare bag and your own summer skirt — unique designs to wear, use and feel proud of.

✨ Fashion sketching
Learn how to sketch clothes like a designer and bring your fashion ideas to life on paper.

✨ Confidence through creating
Build real confidence through making — seeing ideas come to life and finishing the week with original designs.

💗 Why this camp is different from the rest:

✨ Taught by a fashion designer
Led by MaryRose McGrath, who has designed womenswear in London for brands including M&S, Designers at Debenhams and House of Fraser — sharing the same techniques used in real design work.

✨ Inside a real fashion design studio
Not a classroom, but a working studio in Conway Mill, Belfast — filled with mannequins, machines, fabrics, colour & sparkle.

✨ Projects with style
From a summer skirt, bow scrunchie and a makeup or skincare bag, each piece is designed to feel like real fashion — wearable and on-trend.

💗 Be a fashion designer at your own workstation:
Each child has their own dedicated fashion workstation, complete with a sewing machine and all the tools needed to create their designs. It gives them the space to sew, sketch and create independently — just like a real designer.

💗 What’s included — £149 for the week:

✨ Materials & trims provided
Everything needed for the projects is included — fabrics, zips, thread, trims and more. (Skirt fabric to be provided – details provided on booking.)

✨ One-to-one tuition throughout
Small group teaching with individual support when needed, so each child progresses confidently at their own pace.

✨ Professional equipment
Use of studio sewing machines and tools — everything required to design, sketch, sew and create.

✨ Finished designs to take home
All designs made during the week are taken home after camp — ready to show off this summer.

💗 Why girls love this camp
This camp sells out each year, with many girls returning again and again. There’s something exciting about sewing in a real fashion studio, and creating their own projects from start to finish.

Parents often tell us their daughters talk about camp long after it’s finished — and continue their new love of sewing at home.

💗 Location

The camp takes place at MaryRose McGrath Design Studio, Conway Mill.

MaryRose McGrath Design

Conway Mill

5-7 Conway Street

Belfast

BT13 2DE

Conway Mill is located just off the Falls Road in West Belfast and is a well-known creative hub, home to designers and artists. The studio is a bright, welcoming, inspirational space where girls get to experience creating inside a real working fashion design environment.

💗 How To Book a Space in Camp

Spaces are limited, with only 10 per week, and some weeks sell out quickly. You can secure a place in one of the following ways:

Option 1 – Book online via Eventbrite

Reserve your child’s place instantly through Eventbrite (Eventbrite booking fees apply)

Option 2 – Book directly with the studio

To book through the studio, email info@maryrosemcgrath.com with your child’s name and age. We will be in touch to arrange your place (no booking fee).

✨ Parent / Guardian Registration

A parent or guardian must attend briefly on day one to complete a registration form. This includes emergency contact information and any relevant medical details to ensure your childs safety during camp.

✨What to Bring

Please send your child with a small drink and snack for break time each day.

For safety reasons, we operate a strict no nuts or nut products policy in the studio.

✨Arrival & Collection

The entrance to Conway Mill is through the main gates into the car park. Enter via the black mill doors – the studio is located on the second floor of the new mill building, and reception will direct you on arrival.

Children must be accompanied to the studio and collected from the studio each day – this is mandatory. Due to the Mill’s strict child safety policy, children must not be dropped off at reception or permitted to make their way to the studio alone under any circumstances.

Parents or guardians are required to escort their child to and from the studio.

✨ Want To Get in Touch?

For any questions about the camp, please email info@maryrosemcgrath.com and we’ll be happy to help.

✨ Frequently Asked Questions:

See all frequently asked questions in the section below.

Terms & conditions of booking:

• Non-attendance: Due to the small group size and limited spaces, refunds, credits or transfers to another camp are not available if a child does not attend camp, or misses any individual day for any reason including: illness, isolation, holidays, transport issues, weather, personal or unexpected cIrcumstances.
• Transfer of Place: If your child is unable to attend, you may transfer the full 5-day place to another girl . Name changes must be requested by email no later than two working days before camp starts (weekends not included). Requests received after this deadline can not be accomodated. emails are not monitored on weekends. Social media messages are not accepted .
• Week Transfer Policy: It may be possible to swap weeks if space is available. A rebooking admin fee of £15 per child will apply. Please email info@maryrosemcgrath.com to request a week transfer.

• Whole week booking (no splitting of spaces): It is not possible to split the week between several children – one child attends all classes.
• Health & Illness Policy: Children who are unwell must not attend camp. This includes fever, vomiting, diarrhorea or any contagious illness. If a child has had the above symptoms within the 48 hours before camp, they must not attend and may only return once 48 hours have passed without symptoms. Children who arrive visibly unwell will not be admitted. If a child becomes unwell during camp, a parent or guardian must collect them immediately. No refunds or credits are available for absence due to illness.
• Registration & Emergency Information: A parent or guardian must attend on day one to complete and sign the registration form. Emergency contact details and all relevant medical information must be provided before the child can remain in class.
• Child Safety Policy: Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to the studio at drop-off and collected from the studio each day. Children are not permitted to enter or leave the Mill or make their way to the studio unaccompanied. If a child is dropped off without an adult, or instructed to wait alone at reception after class, the booking may be cancelled and the place forfeited without refund.
• Late Collection: Camp finishes promptly at 12pm. Parents/guardians are expected to arrive on time for collection. A grace period of 5 minutes is allowed. After 12.05pm, a late collection fee of £1 per minute will apply. Late fees will be issued on parents arrival or by email payment link on the same day and must be settled before the next class. Future attendance may be refused until any outstanding late fees are cleared.
• Bookings Made in Error: please ensure all booking details are correct before completing your purchase, including age eligibility and camp dates. Bookings made in error are non refundable.
• Camp Cancellation: In the unlikely event that camp must be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, parents/guardians will be notified as soon as possible. A full refund, transfer to a future camp or studio credit will be offered. MaryRose McGrath Design is not liable for any additional costs or expenses incurred as a result of cancellation.