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

Introducing our dressmaking team, here to guide you from your first make to your latest masterpiece!  

Sheila has been sewing as long as she can remember, starting with a child's sewing machine that only did chain stitch.  She used to work with homeless people and won over one particular client by offering to make her a dress.  More recently she's become more adventurous, trying new fabrics and techniques. Sheila teaches our techniques classes including 4 seams and a buttonhole.

"I love Sewing because... I enjoy the process - sometimes it feels like a practical kind of mindfulness"

Sheila’s Top 5 Sewing tips:

1. Always read the pattern all the way through before you stitch anything – make notes and research any tricky techniques

2. Think about what kind of seams you will use before you start to sew

3. Understand the styles that suit you, or your model, rather than what is popular or in fashion

4. Change your sewing needle machine regularly – preferably at the start of each new sewing project

5. Some fabrics may do much better with a different type of machine foot – take a look at tour machine manual for advice

Emma Smith: 

“I’ve always sewn for as long as I can remember. My mum used to make our clothes when we were little and I started making dresses for my dolls using scraps.”

Emma studied Fashion and Textiles at University and designed childrenswear for 8 years in the 1990’s.

After a career change and a sewing gap for a few years ( I took up watercolour painting) she returned to sewing in the mid 2000’s, and has not stopped since!

She likes to challenge herself and takes classes regularly including to make a fully tailored winter coat, jeans (at Crafty Sew & So) and lots of other crafts (including silversmithing, patchwork & quilting, embroidery, hat making & screen printing)

“I’m very excited to be joining the team at Crafty Sew and So to share my knowledge and encourage others to learn about sewing and dressmaking.”

My top 5 sewing tips:

• Read the instructions, and then read them again!
• Check your notion list to make sure you have everything before starting
• Have a good sharp pair of fabric scissors
• Wash your fabric before cutting into it
• Drink lots of tea

We hope you'll love sewing and learning new skills with our fabulous tutors! They are all looking forward to meeting you soon!