I am a fan of everything over on the Sew Over It website... the patterns, the fabric, the vlog. They also have two sewing cafes in London where they run classes from for sewists, as well as sell fabrics and haberdashery items. I've been eager to try a number of classes and finally found one I could go to; the Poppy Playsuit. This is an intermediate skill level pattern, and the class I took was run on one day in the Islington branch (10am-5pm). It cost £99, reduced by 10% by signing up for the newsletter.
Admin
Signing up for the course was easy, and confirmation emails
that came through contained all the information I needed to arrive ready and
prepared for the day. I did email to ask a question and this was answered
promptly.
Venue
The venue itself is in easy distance of both rail and tube.
You enter primarily into the fabric store section, which is stocked with lots
of lovely fabrics and accessories that can be purchased on the day. If you
haven’t brought fabric with you this can be purchased on the day too. The class
area has enormous tables, with plenty of equipment. There were eight of us on
the day that I went and there was plenty of room for all of us with three
overlockers and three irons between us. Everyone had enough space to cut out
their patterns, and keep a cup of tea on the go. Refreshments including tea,
coffee, water biscuits and cake are all on hand to help yourself to as you sew.
Most of the group ate lunch in the workroom, but there are pubs nearby you can
go to if you are coming as a pair or group and fancy a break.
Our instructor, Alice, was helpful and knowledgeable. She
managed to correct our errors, answer questions and give advice to everyone.
More than one of us needed some stitches unpicked at some time and she made us
feel comfortable enough to approach and ask for help without feeling silly. I
needed a lot of help with fitting my garment and she made this straightforward
enough for me to understand. Alice set a calm and relaxed feel to the day –
there was no need to rush and everything we needed to know was explained
clearly (and repeatedly in my case when it came to using overlockers). Everyone
could move through the garment at their own pace and be guided on what to do
next when they needed to know it.
Pattern
I was really excited about the Poppy Playsuit pattern and
came away with the pattern and instructions to make the garment again at home.
It comes in two variations: trousers and shorts. I elected the trousers length
for the class as I anticipated that this would have more fitting issues that I
would need help with than the shorts version. Seeing as this was the first version of this pattern that I was making I also chose a relatively basic fabric to bring along along so that I wouldn't be heartbroken with any major errors. I like wearing rayon so had a look around and found some in black for £3.99 per metre from Minerva Crafts (it was delivered really quickly too by the way!).
There are only six pattern pieces and the playsuit uses kimono sleeves so it is quite a straightforward sew. That said....
There are only six pattern pieces and the playsuit uses kimono sleeves so it is quite a straightforward sew. That said....
I did have fitting issues with the trousers as it turned
out, due to my 5ft stature. Unfortunately I had sewn the top and bottom
together and encased my elastic (including overlocking) before I tried it on
and discovered that I needed to lose about 4 cm from the top of the trousers.
Alice helped me to unpick all this stitching and figure out where I needed to
cut down to as well. This put me back a fair bit so I had to finish mine at
home. About half the group managed to finish theirs in time, and some were
still sewing when I left at 5pm to get my train (but close to finishing). I then spent a long time on the next day working out my altered turn ups and hand stitching the leg and arm cuffs. I think I probably sewed a lot more than I was meant to but I like to have cuffs secured really well so I was very careful with my slipstitching.
I like the keyhole back opening. I did think about using a button instead of a hook and eye fastening but thought I should stick to the pattern instructions for my first attempt. I am also tinkering with the idea of sewing ribbons in instead and having a tie back feature for future projects. I'm undecided about the neckline. At times I think it's perfect but at others I wonder if it sits too low on me. Also, the facing needs a bit of persuasion to sit where it's meant to when the playsuit goes on (I've yet to see how it manages with a good wear out), but this isn't a major issue so far.
As you can see from my photos I am wearing mine with a belt. This isn't to hide the elastic channel, as I think this looks fine (having seen everyone else's finished makes too). It's to dress it up a bit. Having chosen a solid black for the whole garment it looked a bit bland, and overly casual for me (my husband used the word pyjamas at first). I had made this to wear with heels, thinking of balmy summer evenings, so added a rose gold belt to add a touch of glamour. It does make a big difference so is something to think about when choosing fabrics. I don't think it would be as much of an issue with the shorts version though.
I like the keyhole back opening. I did think about using a button instead of a hook and eye fastening but thought I should stick to the pattern instructions for my first attempt. I am also tinkering with the idea of sewing ribbons in instead and having a tie back feature for future projects. I'm undecided about the neckline. At times I think it's perfect but at others I wonder if it sits too low on me. Also, the facing needs a bit of persuasion to sit where it's meant to when the playsuit goes on (I've yet to see how it manages with a good wear out), but this isn't a major issue so far.
As you can see from my photos I am wearing mine with a belt. This isn't to hide the elastic channel, as I think this looks fine (having seen everyone else's finished makes too). It's to dress it up a bit. Having chosen a solid black for the whole garment it looked a bit bland, and overly casual for me (my husband used the word pyjamas at first). I had made this to wear with heels, thinking of balmy summer evenings, so added a rose gold belt to add a touch of glamour. It does make a big difference so is something to think about when choosing fabrics. I don't think it would be as much of an issue with the shorts version though.
Thoughts
It was quite an intense day of sewing! I’m glad I attended
the class as I would have found it difficult to complete some of the steps (and
fitting) without some more guidance. This was also the first time I have used
an overlocker, and that is something I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to try
on my own.
The best thing really is that it's an opportunity to sit and sew with other people for a change. It was really nice to be able to sit and chat with other sewists, sharing experiences from other classes, patterns and sewing bee news. Everyone in our group was very helpful and supportive, giving advice and an extra pair of hands when needed.
If I had been wiser in anticipating fitting problems I may have finished the playsuit before the end of the session which would have been very satisfying – one of our group wore hers home! I would definitely recommend looking at the classes on offer - if you see a pattern you like the look of it is worth attending the class, but do consider that all the patterns are destined (at some point) to be available to purchase on their own (I think, I'm sure Lisa mentioned it on her vlog). Even with a 10% discount it is a considered cost. I really enjoyed my day and would definitely sign up for a more complicated garment that I haven’t made before that required new skills.
Have you been to any sewing classes lately? Leave a comment to let the rest of us know what you made and what you thought of it!
The best thing really is that it's an opportunity to sit and sew with other people for a change. It was really nice to be able to sit and chat with other sewists, sharing experiences from other classes, patterns and sewing bee news. Everyone in our group was very helpful and supportive, giving advice and an extra pair of hands when needed.
If I had been wiser in anticipating fitting problems I may have finished the playsuit before the end of the session which would have been very satisfying – one of our group wore hers home! I would definitely recommend looking at the classes on offer - if you see a pattern you like the look of it is worth attending the class, but do consider that all the patterns are destined (at some point) to be available to purchase on their own (I think, I'm sure Lisa mentioned it on her vlog). Even with a 10% discount it is a considered cost. I really enjoyed my day and would definitely sign up for a more complicated garment that I haven’t made before that required new skills.
Have you been to any sewing classes lately? Leave a comment to let the rest of us know what you made and what you thought of it!
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