Professional tuition in the Art of Machine Sewing

As the nights draw in and the Christmas lights go on outside, I’m looking for new and interesting decorative ideas for the home.  It may be a festive fabric wreath or some mini bunting for the kitchen.  I have a growing stash of festive fabric I go and seek out in my attic every year, but there’s always something extra I need to purchase whether it be a reel of ribbon or an imaginative printed fabric that will bring all my design ideas together and then I can make my hanging tree decorations, spruce trees decorated with buttons or doves in flight with sequinned wings; Christmas is always a good excuse to lay on the “bling”!   Lettering and typefaces in ornamentation  are very popular in interior design at the moment and as I’m no carpenter, I create my own version as huge padded letters spelling “Love, peace & joy” and I can appliqué messages “festive cheer” and “goodwill to all” on aprons, tea cosies and anything else that I will use during the holidays.

It’s also the ideal time to think of a theme to your décor, whether it be glamorous gold and silvers, traditional cosy red and greens or avant garde peacock blues and purples, there is so much choice! I usually add something new to my home decorations every year (whilst retiring the old and worn ones!) and so I do have a mish-mash of styles and I love it! 

Have fun this Christmas, deck the halls with boughs of holly and anything else your creative hands can get hold of! And don’t forget to encourage the children to do their fair share and we can lighten up our homes even if it’s cold and grey outside, happy holidays!

Happy Sewing, 

Angela x

p.s.  Don’t forget my patchwork & Christmas bunting workshops!

Do we all know what swishing is?  Well basically swishing means clothes swapping, no money is exchanged, you donate a garment, everyone donates and then the exciting bit is rifling through the rails literally choosing some gorgeous item of clothing for free!  The Sewing Club is going to be involved in a charity Swishing Party on Sunday 6^th November at Borough Green village hall.  Pre-booking is necessary via karenfenn3@gmail.com and you can find more details on the swishing event page on my website.  I’ll be giving advice on the day on altering clothes to fit, re-inventing and customising them.  You may have seen Twiggy’s Frock Exchange on the BBC a few years back, well that’ll be me, busying myself at my sewing machine trying to help you ladies achieve the perfect look.  They’ll also be an image consultant assisting on the day too!

In December I’m running 2 half-day workshops, an introduction to patchwork and Christmas bunting.  Lots of people have been asking me for help with the mysteries of patchwork! well here’s the workshop! But there’s no mystery to patchwork, the key is two-fold, firstly to choose beautiful coordinated fabrics of the same weight and secondly to execute all the cutting and sewing accurately.  Patchwork is also so practical using up all your scraps of material and sometimes if you just need an extra excuse to buy an additional few metres to bring together your existing fabrics in a harmonising design, it’s just got to be done!

I hope to see you at the Swish or at one of my workshops,

Happy Sewing, 

Angela x

p.s. Quote of the month, “Sewing: A creative mess is better than tidy idleness.”  ~Author Unknown.

We’re all getting in the swing of things now that the new academic year has started.  The majority of my students from last term have returned but I’ve managed to squeeze in a few new students eager to get to grips with their sewing machines.

I teach a few girls who are studying the GCSE in Textile design and as I have a degree in the subject I feel quite qualified to assist their studies!  I’ve enjoyed helping them with the development of their ideas and also teaching them the techniques to accomplish them.  This has led me this term to introduce into the lessons my special sewing machine foot attachment to do free embroidery and the girls can’t wait to get their hands on it and have a go.  It basically enables you to “draw” with the needle and create either linear designs like your name for example or build up the layers, as you would with paint, to create rich and elaborate patterns.  Embroidery sewing machines often come with the one or two fonts of the alphabet allowing you to monogram everything around you in your home or on your clothing but once this is done what else can you do with the facility?  I find that with the free embroidery technique, the final result is much more personal, like your handwriting and gives a much more unique and homespun feel which is so on trend.

As the longer nights draw in and if you’re in need of an inspirational boost, you could visit the wonderful  knitting and stitching show 6^th – 9^th October at Alexandra Palace.   It is a huge exhibition showcasing stunning textile creations as well as encouraging you to try something new with their comprehensive workshops and of course there are lots of specialist suppliers where you can certainly bag a bargain and get all the equipment you should ever need.  I may see you there!

Happy Sewing, 

Angela x

p.s. Quote of the month, “I often think that I don’t really know anything, and then, when I think about my work, and my sewing, and about my blankets, I know what I’m doing: I can cut out a sentence in felt in five minutes; it would take most people that amount of time just to cut out one letter.” Tracey Emin. 

My earliest memory of sewing was in fact at primary school where there was an abundance of felt in gorgeous colours and I could make lots of toys and hand-puppets and give them long flowing manes or hair!  Nowadays felt is so expensive but it is still a great fabric to learn to sew with as it doesn’t fray or stretch and is easy to push a needle through.

Just over 4 years ago I started my sewing club in Kings Hill mainly because my children were growing up and couldn’t be dragged around the craft fairs anymore where I was running my homeware stands.  The club has grown from strength to strength and I now teach about 30 students each week in group and private classes.  As the academic year comes to an end I can look back at all the inspiration I have witnessed and eureka moments when things sink in, whether it be during the process of constructing a garment or the moment when a student has finished their project and they are so proud of their achievements.

Here’s a taster of what we’ve got up to in the last months: skeleton print blouse, gathered skirt, i-spy cushions (for long car journeys), butterfly shaped cushion, tropical beach appliquéd cushion, pyjama bottoms, strawberry pincushion, appliquéd bird wall hanging for a newborn, shabby chic denim shoulder bag, doll clothes and many toys including a horse, dinosaur and fleecy monsters.

On the children’s courses they follow a curriculum to gain their certificates but soon get to dictate what they’d like to do as long as they are learning a new technique or have a bright idea.  My adult students bring their ideas to me and get inspiration from each other and I can help them realise their potential.  In my experience we all learn in different ways and at a different pace, I let my adult students find their own method of working and style and I guide them along the way!

I hope you all have a relaxing summer break and manage to squeeze in a bit of creativity whether it be with the children or a sneaky hour when they seem to be playing quietly!  Making things really does feed the soul…

Happy Sewing, 

Angela x

p.s. Quote of the month, “The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary.” 

Find out more about The Sewing Club at www.thesewingclub.co.uk or follow us on facebook  www.facebook.com/TheSewingClub Tel: 01732 873521

The Kings Hill Directory July 2011 edition 

Hello fellow creatives!

We’re in the final stretch before the children break up for the holidays when we won’t have any time to ourselves so seize the opportunity now to use any spare time to make that special top you bought your material for, way back in the sales and get those cushions made and plumped up to brighten up your living room!

Lots of my students ask my advice on what sewing machine to purchase so here I’ve outlined a few pointers to make sewing a pleasure:

Always choose a reputable name and be careful buying online because they can get damaged in transit and it makes servicing more difficult. 

Decide if you need a lightweight one you can lift easily and put away when not in use or a heavy weight one which can stay put and get through all thicknesses of fabric.  A hard cover is useful to keep it safe as is a nice long warranty.

As regards stitches most machines come with at least a choice of 3 running stitches and 3 zigzag stitches and a buttonhole stitch.  Do think carefully if you will need any of the extra stitches, because once you’ve covered your child’s bedroom with all the Disney characters you can muster and monogrammed everything in the home with your fancy embroidery stitches, what do you do then?!

Other features which make it a joy to sew is the speed slider which means you can control the speed of your machine in addition to the foot pedal, a stop/go button which may be easier at times than using the foot pedal and a needle up/down button which enables you to choose how the machine will stop, either in your fabric or up in the air.  It’s difficult to control this yourself with the foot pedal alone and it invariably stops the opposite to what you want!

A top loading bobbin allows you to see your bobbin thread going down but if there is any tangling of thread it is easier to sort out a bottom loading bobbin set in a bobbin case because you can take everything out by hand and tidy things up.

Sewing machines usually come with an assortment of attachments, less these days than they used to however a zipper foot, roller foot and blind stitch hemming foot are always useful along with lots of empty bobbins and a seam ripper.

Well I hope that’s helpful, if you have any feedback on what shops give a good customer service in your opinion, let me know and I’ll pass this information onto my students.

Happy Sewing, 

Angela x

p.s. Quote of the month, “The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary.” 

Find out more about The Sewing Club at www.thesewingclub.co.uk or follow us on facebook  www.facebook.com/TheSewingClub Tel: 01732 873521

The Kings Hill Directory June 2011 edition 

Here at The Sewing Club we have been busy enjoying the lovely weather as well as the bank holidays giving us the extra time to spend on crafting!

The change of weather has meant a change in wardrobe and last years’ clothes coming out of the closet are in desperate need of some revamping and recycling by changing buttons, hemlines and trims.

 The garden hasn’t been left out either and my ladies and I are busy making beautiful cushion pads with piping for chairs and benches.  Cushions in the shops tend to be very expensive and quite dull but you can bring a modern , up-to-date touch to your garden furniture with just a few metres of fabric, either make them envelope style or prolong their life with a zip and you can use both sides!  I’ve made bench pads out of oilcloth which although a stiff material isn’t too tricky to handle and you only really need a special foot if you’re finishing with some top-stitching.  Re-upholstering deck chairs is simple but effective (only straight-line sewing involved) and throw in a nautical themed appliqué floor cushion and you’ve got your summer look sorted!

I’ve been working on a gorgeous fiery red linen A-line skirt kit recently which will join my range of “see it, sew it” kits on my website.

Kits are always a good introduction to sewing and also make good gifts.  However the quality of instruction does vary and often my students come to me with problems just trying to work out the pattern instructions.  This is one of my bug-bears; incomprehensible instructions!

 The “see it, sew it” kits by The Sewing Club consist of at least 70 close-up colour photographs (not illustrations) following the making of a project. All angles are covered even about which way you should position your project in your machine ready to sew. 

In my children’s classes, some have finished reaching their intermediate (part 2) level and the photograph shows their drawstring bags and zipped pencil cases with appliqué designs and perfect buttonholes.  Also photographed is proud student (8yrs) showing her final piece to get her intermediate (part 1) certificate.  To attain the certificate they must conclude with a waistcoat complete with lining, darts and buttonholes, it’s a great achievement for such a young age!

 Happy Sewing, 

Angela x

p.s. Quote of the month, “The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary.” 

Find out more about The Sewing Club at www.thesewingclub.co.uk or follow us on facebook  www.facebook.com/TheSewingClub Tel: 01732 873521