137 Courses

Temari Ball Making Workshop Beautiful, luxurious, and heartfelt. Temari are cherished gifts, symbolizing friendship and loyalty. The making of temari balls is a Japanese craft that originated in China and came to Japan around the 7th century A.D. Traditionally, temari were given as gifts symbolizing deep friendship and loyalty and evolved from a fairly basic form into exquisite works of art. Historically, temari were constructed from the remnants of old kimonos. As time passed, traditional temari became an art, with the functional stitching becoming more decorative and detailed, until the balls displayed intricate embroidery. This workshop is suitable for beginners and will introduce you to the art of the temari, using a basic herringbone stitch to create a traditional design. Your tutor will guide you through the making process. Using an array of colourful threads and a carefully designed pattern, you will create your very own temari ball. The workshop will run from 10.00am until 4.00pm. All the materials and tools will be supplied, including a workshop apron for you to wear during your day. There will be a pause for a ploughman-style lunch partway through the day, which is also provided. Additional ball-bases will be available to purchase on the day, should you wish to go on and make more temari gifts for your friends. This is a wonderful opportunity to create something beautiful, to gift or to treasure. Places on this workshop are limited to 8. Sunday 30th March 2025 10.00am - 4.00pm £80.00 (includes lunch and materials) Birlingham, Worcestershire

This course is not suitable for total beginners. To attend this course, you must already have some experience with industrial machines and be able to operate and set up a walking foot independently, or have attended our MODULE 3 – INDUSTRIAL MACHINE TRAINING. UNDERSTANDING THE CONSTRUCTION AND SEWING OF LEATHER GOODS: GUSSETS, FEATURES AND COMPONENTS This is the forth module of a series designed to provide thorough, professional training in leatherworking, leather sewing, bag and accessory making. Each module has been carefully designed to equip individuals with key skills for starting a career in this sector, broadening their industry knowledge, or embarking on their own journey with solid foundational skills. Through this lesson, you will learn how to construct, sew, and finish some of the most challenging parts of leather goods making, such as straps, handles, zips, pockets, and more. By working on various shapes and structures, you will gain insights into the technical aspects of leatherworking, including preparation, marking, cutting, gluing, reinforcing, skiving, and more. At the end of the lesson, you will have experienced a wide range of techniques, worked with numerous tools, used leatherworking sewing machines, and produced samples to take home with you. By the end of the lesson, you will have: – Received an introduction to leather preparation, pattern placement, and leather marking – Received an overview of leather cutting, gluing, reinforcing and skiving – Learned how to sew and finish zips on leather – Learned how to cut, assemble, and sew simple straps and handles – Gained knowledge on incorporating two types of lining in your project – Learned how to assemble and sew simple gussets – Learned how to construct simple and zipped pockets Included in the course: You will receive useful paper handouts containing: – A list of tools and materials used during the lesson(s), with descriptions and usage instructions – A list of recommended suppliers for leather and fittings, both in London and online – A glossary containing information about leather goods components Find all modules here: https://the-london-leather-workshop.cademy.co.uk/

Are you looking for a sewing machine workshop nearby? Want to learn the fundamentals? Then visit the sewing machine workshop in London and enjoy the joy of stitching! This session will teach you everything from threading your machine and winding up the small bobbin to trying out different stitches and embroidering with your machine. This course is ideal for beginners who want to learn in an enjoyable and casual setting. Sign up today and let's start stitching!

A dressmaking day at Stitching Kitchen making the Tulip dress with Emma Smith

Please get in touch regarding renting my workshop with details of requirementsThanks Cancellation policy Easy - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts

A two day sewing workshop for intermediate dressmakers to create a tiered shirt dress which has a couple of different style options. Full help is on hand to understand the pattern, cut out and assemble your dress. Bring your own machine or borrow one from Stitching Kitchen.

If you want to bag-make with genuine leather but are nervous of trying it, this weekend is ideal for you. It will give you the confidence to make your own leather bags at home and you’ll make some fab friends along the way! VERY IMPORTANT! Before booking, please check that your machine can cope with sewing at least 6 layers of faux leather or vinyl. Flat sewing is fine – if the machine can do that, we can manage lumps and bumps! **This retreat is a little different from many others in that making a bag isn’t the point of the weekend, although you will indeed make one. The focus is on learning new transferable techniques and skills that you will be able to use on so many bags you make in the future. We have our own ‘Retreat Suite’ of rooms, including a spacious, light and airy sewing room which is equipped with a display screen so everyone can easily see demonstrations from a working viewpoint. We also have our own bathroom and kitchen facilities. If you wish, you are free to continue work after dinner and until as late (or early!) as you like. You will need to bring your own sewing machine, fabric scissors and any other favourite sewing tools, but everything else is provided. We’ll have a good selection of fabrics, vinyls and leather for you to browse and purchase if you wish, at retreat-only prices.  Come and join us in the exclusive Facebook group Bag Makers Retreat at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bagmakersretreat/ for all the latest retreat info, chat, gossip and more, plus a chance to meet other like-minded folks.  If you have dietary requirements, please tell me before you book, so I can be sure we can meet your needs. All meal main courses are included in the retreat fee, as are Saturday and Sunday lunches and breakfasts. Starters, desserts and drinks with meals are not included but the meals are so huge you probably won’t want starters and desserts anyway!! Tea and coffee is available whenever you need, but you do have to make it yourself!  If you’d like to stay an extra night or two, maybe to arrive on Thursday or leave on Monday if you have a long drive, let me know and I’ll check availability with our host. If you’d prefer to travel by train, we are happy to ferry you to and from the station, just ask. Please aim to arrive no later than 2pm as we have a lot of pattern cutting and fabric choosing to get through on Friday! Friday The fun starts here as you arrive at your weekend home-from-home – a beautifully refurbished, 4-star 18th century coaching inn with all the comforts you would expect. You’ll have time to settle into your own delightfully comfortable en-suite room which has all the anticipated little luxuries, before an introductory get-together with me and your companions in the sewing room at 2pm. You’ll be given your own copy of the bag pattern, which is very beginner- and strong domestic machine-friendly (see note in bold at the top of the page), but which will incorporate a lot of features and techniques that are also in much more complex designs, making this an excellent springboard to any leather or other bag you want to make. Then you can wallow in the plentiful stash of leathers and fabrics to choose from. All the leather, fabrics, interfacing, stabiliser, threads and bag hardware you need are supplied. As soon as you’re ready, you can start preparing and cutting out your pattern and some of the bag pieces so we can hit the ground running in the morning. After a superbly-cooked and substantial evening meal at around 6pm or so, you are welcome to continue working in the sewing room or to simply relax and chat there before bed. Saturday After an excellent breakfast, we can really start work learning some new skills and beginning work on construction. You’ll work at your own pace from around 9am with no pressure – I want your weekend to be fun and not stressful! We will walk through the techniques together and I will be there the whole time to answer questions and troubleshoot any tricky bits. You’ll also have the chance to try sewing with faux leather , if you haven’t already, and we’ll explore ways and techniques to use and apply rivets.  Refreshments are freely available all day and you can take a break whenever you wish. A light lunch (with homemade cake!!) is also provided and we’ll have a short break in the middle of the day. The rest of the day will be similar to Friday – sewing, dinner at 6ish and more sewing if you wish to before bed. Do feel free to have a walk or just sit outside for a breather if the weather is kind. Sunday How can it be Sunday already?? Breakfast over, we’ll get back to work. You will need to allow a few minutes to pack and check out of your room, as it has to be made ready for Monday’s guests. Apart from that, it’s uninterrupted sewing (with refreshments and lunch breaks!) until your bag is finished. We’ll be heading off for a lightish lunch at 12.30pm or so. We have the sewing room for the rest of the day. If you don’t quite get done, there’s absolutely no need to worry as you’ll easily be able to complete your bag at home. If you finish earlier feel free to head home whenever you’re ready. Amongst loads of other hints and tips, you’ll learn – Choosing and handling leather How to make professional quality rolled handles Creating and applying custom bag feet How to create a zipped pocket the pro way How to use edge paint and get a professional finish with it Sewing the bag together and topstitching Reducing bulk with leather A sneaky way of getting your bag right-sides-out without ugly seams! An easy way to add a zipper pull without tools Working with different types of rivet machine and loads more. You’ll have an exclusive pattern, created just for the Retreats, which includes comprehensive mini-tutorials and full instructions. And I hope you have a lot of fun and make new friends while you learn!!  I never abandon my students at the end of the course so if you get stuck on anything at home, you are welcome to give me a shout on Messenger and we’ll sort out your problem together. The not-so-small print Book your place using the simple booking system below – just click on your choice of dates and go from there. The full price is £465.00. The deposit of £65 is non-refundable if you cancel but can, however, be credited towards a future retreat booked within the next 6 months. It is completely refundable if I or the venue cancel. The booking page only shows the Friday, but the course is running until Sunday. The balance of £400.00 is payable by approx 6 weeks before the retreat date and payment instructions will be sent to you in good time. Cancellations 4 weeks or less before the retreat date can only be refunded if someone on the waiting list can come instead. If you book, pay and attend without pre-checking that your machine can sew the required thicknesses, as detailed in the note at the top of the page, I’m afraid no refunds will be given if it proves that your machine can’t cope during the Retreat. I may have a machine available to lend, but can’t promise one. *Don’t worry that your booking confirmation may be headed Unicorn Studios – it’s just the site that I’ve run my booking system from for years… it’s not a scam!! *