Sewing puts individuals in the driver’s seat of fashion, allowing them to customize ensembles with lace, sequins, and extra armholes. Get the elbowroom you need with today’s Groupon: for $22 you get a seat in any class in the Begin to Sew series at Charlotte Sewing Studio in Port Charlotte (a $45 value). This cost does not include supplies.

Charlotte Sewing Studio’s friendly staff tutors the needle-challenged in the art of clothing construction. Avoid the shame of sporting threads that are so last century with one of the Begin to Sew series’ three classes, which each meet for three-hour sessions for three weeks. Fashionistas flummoxed by the foot pedal should sign up for Class One, which orients attendees to the basics of the sewing machine, demystifies the secrets of straight stitches and seam allowances, and sends students packing with something to show for themselves in the form of a lined tote bag. Needlesmiths who have sewn a seam or two can skip ahead to Class Two, where sew pros will translate the foreign language of patterns and oversee spinning bobbins as students create a pair of insomnia-eradicating sleep pants. Class 3 helps seamsters strengthen skills while creating their choice of project, choosing between a sleep shirt and pillowcase, a simple skirt, or a dress sans sleeves. Call studio for available class times.

Students in possession of a working sewing machine should bring it to class, while those without can use the entry-level machines supplied by Charlotte Sewing Company.