Embroider a NYC souvenir in Midtown: Fashion Factory class

Make your own embroidered souvenir inside a real NYC garment factory

A two-hour embroidery class at Fashion Dongen, a working factory in Midtown on Broadway where you learn industrial machine embroidery from Samanta, then personalize a tote bag or t-shirt with embroidered templates and color combinations of your choice. The class includes your finished garment to take home. Children are welcome from age 7. The space is wheelchair accessible.

The experience

You walk into a working garment factory blocks from Times Square: the kind of place most visitors never find. Fashion Dongen sits inside a Midtown building that now houses clothing manufacturers and an embroidery workshop, and that is where the two hours unfold. Samanta teaches you how industrial embroidery machines work, walking you through the steps of how theater costumes and everyday clothing get their embellishments. It is not a demonstration: you see the process, understand the craft, and then move to your own project.

You select either a tote bag or a t-shirt as your base, then choose from embroidered templates and pick your color combinations. Samanta guides you through personalizing the design, which template, which colors, how the final piece comes together. The machine does the embroidery, but the choices are yours. By the end of the two hours, you have a finished garment with your customization, ready to pack.

The class runs in English or Spanish. Children from age 7 can join. The factory is wheelchair accessible, and public transportation stops nearby. You do not operate the machines yourself (the focus is on understanding the craft and designing your piece), but you are standing in the workspace where professionals make the real thing.

What’s included

• Your choice of a tote bag or t-shirt to customize.
• instruction in industrial embroidery techniques from Samanta.
• selection of embroidered templates and color combinations.
• your finished, embroidered garment to take home.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 14 Jan 2027

Book up to8h before

AgesAdult (16 to 69 years) · Senior (70 and older) · Youth (7 to 15 years) · Under 7: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Samanta Cortes

Is this one for you?Two hours is short enough to fit into a free afternoon or a morning before other plans, but long enough to move from watching the machines work to designing and finishing your own piece: no rush, no filler.

Traveler reviews

4.61★★★★★★★★★★

18 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 15 years). Children under 7 can't be included in the booking.

What exactly do I make during the two hours?

You customize either a tote bag or a t-shirt by selecting an embroidered template and choosing your color combinations, then Samanta helps you personalize the design. The embroidery machine completes the work, and you take home the finished garment.

Is this a hands-on class where I use the embroidery machines?

No, you learn how the industrial machines work and see the process in action, but Samanta operates the equipment. Your role is choosing the design, the template, and the colors for your souvenir.

Where exactly is Fashion Dongen located?

The factory is in Midtown on Broadway, just blocks away from Times Square, inside a building that houses clothing manufacturers and the embroidery workshop.

Is the factory accessible if I use a wheelchair?

Yes, all areas and surfaces at Fashion Dongen are wheelchair accessible, and public transportation options are available nearby.