NEW COURSES, WORKSHOPS 

 AND PRICES – 2012

See calendar on Home page
for dates & times

Private tuition – £25 per hour; Semi Private from – £15 per person per hour, also available by arrangement. *Workshops recommended for people wanting to come to the Sewing Club Sessions or hire the workstations, but is not essential if you have used a machine before.

GIFT VOUCHERS NOW AVAILABLE TOO! See booking page for detailed information.

*SEWING MACHINE’ BASICS:

3 hour session, materials included – £35

This workshop is aimed at people who have never used a sewing machine before or who are perhaps feeling a bit daunted at getting going again. By the end of this workshop your confidence will be restored! You will be happily threading up, winding bobbins, changing needles, sewing different types of fabrics and simple seams. Basic pressing will also be covered. You will also be making a useful tote bag to hold the folder containing the many samples you will have created to take home that you can then use as reference for all your future projects.

MORE MACHINES’:

3 hour session, materials included – £35

This workshop will take you beyond the basic sewing functions of the sewing machine so that you can become familiar with the overlocker and cover stitch and embellishing machines, it will also take you through a selection of sewing machine feet, attachments and their various uses for that professional finish.

START TO FINISH: Six week course

Wednesday’s 6pm – 8.30 – £149 . Materials not included. See calendar for start dates.

Starting with a commercial pattern for a simple top or skirt using your own choice of fabric you will be shown how to alter and adapt the pattern for a perfect fit before you cut it out. In the following weeks you will be shown how to put you garment together with all the techniques needed to achieve a professional finish. You’ll then be able to use these skills to apply the techniques learned to all your future projects.

ELEVEN PLUS: Workshops for young sewers

£25 per half day session

There will be sessions on some Saturday mornings and during school holidays for sewers in this age group to come together and pass their Sewing Machine Driving Test earning a certificate to prove it! Creativity will be unleashed as they learn how to make items for themselves and as gifts for friends and family.

GET CRAFTY:

Sessions individually priced according to topic and duration, see calendar for more information.

There are a huge number of different topics that come under this heading from rag rug making, quilting, patchwork, knitting, crochet, tatting, cross stitch, beading, all hand sewing and embroidering techniques and more besides. If you’ve something you’ve been itching to try your hand at do get in touch, you may not be the only one so I can match sessions to demand.

MAKE YOUR OWN:

Half day 3 hours - £25, Full day 10 – 4pm £50 . materials not included.

If you are already able to sew, but have a half finished project sticking to your fingers and want someone to guide you through a new project, remodel a favourite garment or be shown methods that will help with the tricky bits that are stopping you from finishing your project, then this workshop is for you. Get back on track and be inspired, each person has a different area that they want to learn about whether it’s dressmaking, soft furnishings or craft techniques. This is the workshop where you will find what you are looking for.

These workshops are limited to four people maximum due to the varied nature of the content. Efforts will be made where possible to match people wanting similar topics to the same workshop session.

EVENING CLASS – £25* Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s 6pm – 8.30pm starting in May.

Pre booking is essential for these classes which will be tailored to suit your individual skill level and chosen project from beginer to advanced.

These evenings give you the opportunity to learn the skills that will make your sewing successfull every time whatever your project, from cushion making to dressmaking or simply learning how to alter garments for a proffessional fit and finish using the rage of machines available. All for just £25 per person. *Discounts available for small groups wishing to come together on the same evening.

The topics below and others by request, will be covered on the Make your own workshops, Evening Classes (*NEW!) and included where appropriate on other workshops. Where possible on Sewing Club sessions, a mini masterclass / demo on one of these topics will be given. Other times to concentrate on one specific topic can be arranged by contacting me.

DRESSMAKING:

GETTING STARTED:

Get started in dressmaking using a simple skirt or sleeveless top pattern you will discover how to prepare your fabric and pattern pieces, what to do about nap, matching designs, pattern lays and cutting out ready to start making up your project. Suitable for people new to sewing.

SEAMS:  

Includes all types of seams – straight, curved, piped etc, making samples on many different fabrics. All aspects of pressing will be covered in this workshop.

ZIPS & CLOSURES:

This includes plain, open ended, concealed zips and fly placement, buttons and buttonholes. Samples will be made using machine and hand sewing methods.

POCKETS:

Samples of many different types of pocket will be made for your reference folder. You will learn how to place pockets and chose the right type of pocket to use on your own garments.

HEMMING & FINISHING:   

Learn how to make hem’s level and make samples of the hemming technique suitable for a variety of different fabrics. Machine and hand sewing methods will be explained for all “edges” including cuffs, necklines etc.

ALTERING & REMODELING:

Bring new life to items from your wardrobe or discover how to recycle them into something for the home.

SOFT FURNISHINGS:

THE CUSHION:

Ideal for beginners, this workshop covers measuring, pattern matching, nap etc. Please bring half a meter of fabric and matching thread with you. All other materials will be provided.

BASIC CURTAINS:

In this workshop you will learn how to measure and calculate fabrics taking patterns and nap into consideration. The various methods of curtain construction and header styles will be explored through making samples to take home with you for future reference.

THE ROMAN BLIND:

Take home a sample blind to use for reference when making blinds for your home. Everything you need to know about measuring, constructing and hanging your blind.

CRAFTING WITH MACHINES’:

Machine Quilting, Machine Appliqué, Patchwork, Machine Embroidery.

FULL DAY COURSES:

DRESSMAKING: Dates arranged for these days by request and to match demand.

The Dressmaking Foundations course may be taken on its own but is essential before taking DR1 & DR2)

Dressmaking Foundations: Full 7 hr day – £75

Understanding Patterns: What’s in the envelope? What do all the charts and symbols mean? In this class you will learn how to choose the pattern
that’s right for you, discover how to select a fabric that will work and how to take correct measurements so you will gain a total understanding of how your measurements relate to the commercial pattern and practice pattern adaptations.

Dressmaking 1 & 2: (Two days intensive – £150)

DR1 follows on from dressmaking foundations. In this class you will go through the adaptations specific to your own measurements to prepare a master pattern to fit you using the tissue pattern fitting method.

DR 2 follows on from the foundation day and
dressmaking day 1. Taking your paper pattern and making two calico toil’s – a sleeveless top and fitted skirt which
will be finished with facings, lining and zips. You will also have a folder to remind you of all the stages and a master pattern to use to simply adapt any commercial pattern to you.

SEWING CLUB: also become known as “Drop in’s”

These sessions include as much coffee, tea and biscuits as you need to keep your creativity fuelled!

These sessions are not taught but help will be on hand if needed. They are regular “get together” sessions when groups of friends and like-minded people can come and work on their own projects, putting the skills learned on the workshops to good use. Up to 6 people can book in at a time to use all the facilities available at The Sewing Room. There is the space to spread out and feed on the creative atmosphere. The bottomless
cups of tea, coffee and biscuits are always available.

If you want to arrange a party (one off session for birthday / hen nights etc.) with something stronger as refreshment then you’ll need to bring your own & I’ll provide the glasses!

See the calendar on the Home page for dates and times of the regular sessions. There will be morning and afternoon sessions to choose from through the week so there is bound to be a time to suit you. No need to stick to the same day or time each week either, just as long as I have enough notice of when people want to come and there is enough room and not fully booked.

 OPEN HOURS are posted on the HOME PAGE and the calender

ONE TO ONE TUITION: by arrangement – £25 per hour

SEMI PRIVATE LESSONS (2 people): by arrangement – £15 per hour per person

SMALL GROUPS (3 or more people): by arrangement – £10 per hour per person

Please note, I am not a retail operation so the hours available for general workstation hire
will vary and alternative times can also be arranged by contacting me.