At Crafty Sew&So we pride ourselves on delivering top quality workshops delivered by our knowledgable, friendly and enthusiastic tutors! 

Sarah is the founder and partner of Crafty Sew & So and designer of My Handmade Wardrobe Patterns. She has many years of sewing and design industry experience and is passionate about encouraging learning by sharing her skills with others.

"I love sewing because… of sooo many reasons! It connects me with my mum who originally gave me the sewing bug, and other wonderfully creative people whose talents, imagination and skill never cease to amaze me! It is empowering, I can make whatever I want when I want and be as creative as I like! It allows me to do something I love every day for a living and share my passion with others to help them feel great about themselves and what they can achieve!"

Sarah’s Top 5 Sewing tips: 

1. When pinning fabrics, especially around curves, place the pins perpendicular (at a right angle) to the edge of the fabric and with the heads sticking out. This will control the fabric more and the pins will be easier to remove as you sew.

2. When cutting out a pattern, roughly cut all the pieces before cutting the correct size. A pile of pieces is much easier to work with than a giant sheet of paper! 

3. If you cut a neat line your sewing will be neater as you will use the cut edge to align your seam allowances. Taking your time with cutting and prepping your fabrics for sewing will save you time and confusion at the sewing stage and make it much more enjoyable. And don’t forget to always mark your notches!

4. Take regular breaks... A constant supply of tea and biscuits is essential for happy sewing! 

5. Check the finished garment measurements to see how much ease for fit and movement has been added to a pattern at different points. Hold a tape measure around yourself using these measurements to get an idea of how the garment will fit. If making a stretchy garment the pattern may include negative ease so use elastic to test how these measurements feel on your body. 

Sarah will be on Maternity leave from May 2019 handing over the workshops studio to the expert hands of our wonderful tutors - get to know all our tutors here.