The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2 is back on our screens; 2.7 million viewers is evidence enough that making and mending your own is having a bit of a UK revival. If you fancy your chances of competing in various challenges from hand stitching to customisation as WI teacher May Martin and Savile Row tailor Patrick Grant assess your efforts then apply now. Sadly for me the closest I’ve come to a sewing machine is salvaging my grandma’s old Singer as an antique addition to my home interior. On essex Road in N1 the revival started in 2008 at Ray Stitch and has cultivated a broad range of fans from avid sewers, crafters and dressmakers to people wanting to teach their kids new skills. Women who used to make their own but got caught up in the ready made trend, stylists photographers, even guys making a dresses for their girlfriends and clothes for their kids (we’ll have one of those to go please). If you don't want to brush up your skills on live tele I don't blame you. The best thing to do would be to join one of Ray Stitch’s evening or daytime individual sessions. You can block book a course of six on which you will cover a wide range of skills and create a different project every week.
Enjoy a a coffee and a busy morning stitching in the lovely workshop with a small group. In addition to the basic machine skills outlined above you will learn how to lay and cut out maximum 6. patterns, work with interlinings, wadding and stuffing, insert a zip, make a casing and many other invaluable sewing tips from our lovely, experienced teachers. Click here to see a full list of classes. Happy haberdashery.
