Style at Home

Give it a go...SEWINGWORKSHOPWhether you’re a novice witha needle and thread or apro with a sewing machine,Sew Pretty offers a rangeof courses for all levels. The Wimbledon-based studio is the ideal place to developyour skills. Cassie from the Style at Hometeam, embarked on a four-week softfurnishings course. Here’s how she got on.``````Week 1LEARNING THE BASICSAfter introducing ourselves, our lovelytutor, Rachel, didn’t waste any time gettingstarted. We were taught how to wind thebobbin and thread the sewing machine,and spent about 30 minutes going overthe dos and don’ts of machine work. Afterthis, we were given time to get a feel forit all, then we practised different stitches,the basic technique for hemming, andstitching in both curved and straight lines.``````Week 2ZIP CUSHION COVEROn the second week, we put our skills tothe test and made our own cushion coversusing a fabric of our choice. Led by SewPretty’s founder, Katya, we were taken``````through the process, from measuring andcutting the material to fixing the zip intoplace, and given one-to-one help as wewent. This is a great project to try if you’restill building up your confidence.``````Week 3PLEATED CURTAINSThis week, we took on a bigger projectand made a lined curtain sample. We weretaught how to calculate drops and widths,apply headings and gather up the fabricfor a professional finish. After each session,you’re emailed a set of instructions to keep.``````Week 4ROMAN BLINDSThe group arrived to the final session a littleapprehensive, but ready to tackle the mostchallenging project yet. Building on theskills we’d learnt, we were shown how tomeasure fabric for a Roman blind, and thenused the sewing machine to stitch it alltogether and include channels for the rods.We then fixed the cords in place and wereshown how to rig the blind professionally.This month, our Deputy Homes EditorCassie gets to grips with sewingMeet othercrafters andshare tips``````‘I HAD AN AMAZING TIMEON THE COURSE AND CAN’T^WRTT``````WAIT TO PUT MY NEWFOUNDSKILLS TO THE TEST’^``````The homelygarden studioprovides a calmenvironment``````Cassie tacklesher first project``````3 COURSESTO TRY...Enrol onto one of theseother classes in the UK``````SCHOOL OF SEWING,LEICESTERSHIREJoin the one-day sewing course(10am-4pm), £100, includingmaterials, schoolofsewing.co.uk``````THE SEWING SPACE, KENTHave a go at a small project witha three-hour session on how tomake a cosmetics bag, £20, plusmaterials, thesewingspace.co.uk``````EXETER SEWING MACHINECOMPANY, DEVONTry the two-day patchwork andquilting course, £75, excludingfabrics, exetersewing.co.uk82 |SEPTEMBER 2016 housetohome.co.uk/styleathomeDo it WORKSHOPSWFOR MORE INFORMATIONTo book your place on an upcoming course at Sew Pretty,visit sewpretty.me.uk or call 07714 252660. The four-weekSoft Furnishings workshop costs £180 (4 x 3-hour classes).