The Repair & Alteration Workshops
Learn to repair, alter and extend the life of your clothes in these inspiring and encouraging workshops.
Learn to repair, alter and extend the life of your clothes in these inspiring and encouraging workshops.
Bring along your own clothes in need of repair and alterations to these one-off workshops. You can start by hand sewing a simple hole in a side seam and finish using exciting textile techniques such as free machine embroidery to not only repair but breathe new life into your clothes.
The workshops are suitable for all levels but please bring a variety of garments with you and start with items less 'special' so you can be free to explore (and make mistakes) before progressing onto more treasured pieces. Once you start to understand the principles you can explore a variety of creative ways to repair and adapt your more precious and sentimental garments.
The workshop sessions will begin with demonstrations before students go ahead and work on their own repairs and alterations with tutor support.
The workshops are suitable for all levels but please bring a variety of garments with you and start with items less 'special' so you can be free to explore (and make mistakes) before progressing onto more treasured pieces. Once you start to understand the principles you can explore a variety of creative ways to repair and adapt your more precious and sentimental garments.
The workshop sessions will begin with demonstrations before students go ahead and work on their own repairs and alterations with tutor support.
The Repair & Alteration Workshops - Seams, Hems and Holes
Seams split worn or too big?
Hem worn, come undone, too short or too long?
Garments with little holes or big tears?
Come along to the studio to repair and alter seams and hems by hand and machine and fix those holes and tears. The class will start with demonstrations of hand and machine techniques based on the projects you bring in as students.
During the workshop you can complete a range of alterations and or repairs including:
This workshop is suitable for all levels but please bring a variety of garments with you and start with items less 'special' so you can be free to explore (and make mistakes) before progressing onto more treasured pieces.
Next workshop dates:
Wednesday 28th October
6.00 - 8.30 p.m
Cost £42
Maximum of 4 Students per class
Seams split worn or too big?
Hem worn, come undone, too short or too long?
Garments with little holes or big tears?
Come along to the studio to repair and alter seams and hems by hand and machine and fix those holes and tears. The class will start with demonstrations of hand and machine techniques based on the projects you bring in as students.
During the workshop you can complete a range of alterations and or repairs including:
- Repair and reinforce split seams.
- Take in a garment along a seam line or insert pleats darts to reduce the size to fit.
- Let out/ make a garment larger if seam allowance is wide enough or add pieces if appropriate for the design - making larger isn't always as easy as making something smaller but we can maybe work out some inventive ways to do so!
- You can shorten hems, put on a false hem to repair a worn hem or lengthen if viable as well as fix hems that may have come undone.
- Patch and fix those pesky little holes or larger tears.
This workshop is suitable for all levels but please bring a variety of garments with you and start with items less 'special' so you can be free to explore (and make mistakes) before progressing onto more treasured pieces.
Next workshop dates:
Wednesday 28th October
6.00 - 8.30 p.m
Cost £42
Maximum of 4 Students per class
Appliqué & Free Machine Embrodiery
Worn a hole, burnt a hole with the iron or just want to liven up a tired or boring garment?
Use appliqué and free machine embroidery to repair and upcycle your clothing.
Appliqué is a method of fusing and stitching fabric pieces, often in different colours or textures, to a background fabric. It can effectively be used to cover up a hole in a garment or add an interesting feature to a tired and bored item of clothing and is often used to upcycle items of clothing and accessories. It's also a great way to use fabric scraps and/or other textile items that would otherwise be destined for a bin.
Free machine embroidery/darning can be used solve similar issues as appliqué and works well in combination with it. It is a technique where the sewing machine's needle is used like a pen or pencil to draw directly onto fabric. By lowering the feed dog (or using a cover plate), the fabric can be moved in any direction under the needle, allowing for creative, freehand designs or simply used as a method of machine darning. Where a hole is to be covered you can back with another fabric before stitching or use vanishing muslin (that washes away) as a base to stitch.
Following the demonstrations of applique and free machine embroidery/darning you can use the remaining part of the session to explore using these creative methods to repair and upcycle your own garments.
Sewing machines, equipment fabric for appliqué and and haberdashery are provided. Please bring a variety of garments to practise on suitable for your ability. Nothing too precious to start!
Fabric for appliqué is provided but you are welcome to bring your own or other materials if you wish - these could be small scraps/offcuts or a garment that is beyond repair.
This workshop is suitable for all levels but please bring a variety of garments with you and start with items less 'special' so you can be free to explore (and make mistakes) before progressing onto more treasured pieces.
Next workshop dates:
Saturday 19th December
10.30 a.m - 1.15 p.m
Cost: £45 per session
Maximum of 4 Students per class
Worn a hole, burnt a hole with the iron or just want to liven up a tired or boring garment?
Use appliqué and free machine embroidery to repair and upcycle your clothing.
Appliqué is a method of fusing and stitching fabric pieces, often in different colours or textures, to a background fabric. It can effectively be used to cover up a hole in a garment or add an interesting feature to a tired and bored item of clothing and is often used to upcycle items of clothing and accessories. It's also a great way to use fabric scraps and/or other textile items that would otherwise be destined for a bin.
Free machine embroidery/darning can be used solve similar issues as appliqué and works well in combination with it. It is a technique where the sewing machine's needle is used like a pen or pencil to draw directly onto fabric. By lowering the feed dog (or using a cover plate), the fabric can be moved in any direction under the needle, allowing for creative, freehand designs or simply used as a method of machine darning. Where a hole is to be covered you can back with another fabric before stitching or use vanishing muslin (that washes away) as a base to stitch.
Following the demonstrations of applique and free machine embroidery/darning you can use the remaining part of the session to explore using these creative methods to repair and upcycle your own garments.
Sewing machines, equipment fabric for appliqué and and haberdashery are provided. Please bring a variety of garments to practise on suitable for your ability. Nothing too precious to start!
Fabric for appliqué is provided but you are welcome to bring your own or other materials if you wish - these could be small scraps/offcuts or a garment that is beyond repair.
This workshop is suitable for all levels but please bring a variety of garments with you and start with items less 'special' so you can be free to explore (and make mistakes) before progressing onto more treasured pieces.
Next workshop dates:
Saturday 19th December
10.30 a.m - 1.15 p.m
Cost: £45 per session
Maximum of 4 Students per class