54 WWW.GATHERED.HOW/SIMPLYSEWINGMY SEWING
WORLD
By Stitch Sisters
Nikki and Rachel are the best friends
and sewing, fashion, and craft
enthusiasts behind The Stitch Sisters.
B
ack in 2014 we had the idea of opening up our
homes in the Cotswold countryside to people
who wanted to learn to sew. We had been so
inspired by the brand new Great British Sewing
Bee and we wanted to share our passion with as
many people as possible. Sodbury Sewing
School started with a single 'Learn to Sew' class, but we
were soon running up to eight classes a week, teaching
everything from quilting to dressmaking. We both
turned our dining rooms into dedicated sewing studios
and over the next five years were lucky enough to
teach thousands of people how to sew.
As self-taught home sewists, we both appreciate
that learning to sew is so much more than just
learning a skill. People have lots of reasons for taking
up the hobby; whether it’s for practical reasons, for
self-care or just for fun. Nothing beats that feeling
when you look at something and think “I could make
that,” or someone asks you where you got something
and you get to proudly proclaim “I made it!” We have
always felt privileged to see first-hand how that sense
of pride develops in those we teach.MOVING TO ONLINE CLASSES
Whilst running our classes we were simultaneously
vlogging as The Stitch Sisters on YouTube. This
opened up a whole new world for us and allowed
us to connect with sewists all around the world. We
realised that our teaching didn’t need to be restricted
by how many people we could squeeze into a small
studio and so, last year, we decided to take our sewing
classes online. We created a brand new e-learning
platform as The Stitch Sisters and have 16 different
classes available. We offer everything from a basic
‘Learn to Sew’ course through to more advanced
techniques such as ‘Companion to Shirtmaking’ or our
popular ‘Definitive Guide to Bust Adjustments.’BENEFITS OF E LEARNING
Nowadays everyone’s first solution to any problem
is to head straight to YouTube and find a video that
can teach you what you need. Online classes take that
one step further, giving you a deeper understanding
of your subject and a virtual classroom experience inNothing beats that
feeling when
you look at something and think
“I could make that”
Online courses allow The Stitch Sisters
to connect with sewists all over the world
There are currently 16
different Stitch Sister classes
available online, including
Learn to Sew and Definitive
Guide to Bust Adjustments