Over the weekend I attended my first adult sewing class, hosted here in Brighton by the wonderful team at Sew Fabulous. I’m going to be honest – I was a bit nervous going into it. I did one year of ‘sewing’ at school when I was 13 and I was just horrible on a sewing machine. However, in the spirit of taking better care for my clothes, I decided it was time to try again! Here’s how I got on…
Everyone Should Take A Sewing Class…
My principle motivation for booking in on an adult sewing class was to learn how to repair my own clothes. Currently, I take my clothes for alterations at my local tailor. While these repairs are worth every penny, it would be nice to have the skills to do some simple fixes at home. Sure, I can sew on a button, but hemming a skirt or pair of trousers would be neat!
There’s a multitude of reasons to book a sewing class, including:
- Learning how to repair your own clothes
- Saving money from buying new clothes, or paying for alterations
- Keeping your clothes in use for longer
- Understanding the complexities of garment making
- Learning how to make your own clothes (eventually!)
Why I Chose To Learn Sewing With Sew Fabulous
I’m based in Brighton, and despite helping to put on Brighton’s first ever Sustainable Fashion Week last year, I was actually surprised at how few options there are for adult sewing classes in Brighton.
Sew Fabulous is a sewing studio based in London Road Market, that has been providing sewing classes to children and adults since 2014. They operate as a Community Interest Company (CIC), meaning they are actively working to provide their classes in an inclusive, accessible, and affordable way.
The class I booked – Absolute Beginners – is just £36 for a 2.5 hour class. This is the cheapest I’ve found from the handful of providers in the area, and in turn, Sew Fabulous provides an additional 10% discount if you subscribe to their newsletter. You can also contact the team if you are on a low income and they may be able to accommodate you for less than the ticket price.
That being said, I think £36 is an absolute bargain! If you’re looking to spend a fun Saturday morning learning a new skill, this is the class for you.
What I Learned On The Absolute Beginners Class
I arrived at Sew Fabulous on Saturday morning, and found the studio already prepared for us. The studio is small, and classes consist of a maximum of six students (when using sewing machines, and up to eight for hand sewing). Each student gets a desk and their own sewing machine. The teacher – in my case, Susie Deadman – also had a desk, where we would watch her demonstrate and return to our own stations to learn hands-on.
Susie was a brilliant teacher. From the beginning, she indicated that different people learn in different ways, so she provided us with Instruction Booklets, while taking us through each task step-by-step. She said she preferred to learn by doing, so would also give us time to learn each step on our own, and repeat as much as needed.
We started by learning how to set up a sewing machine, with all of us working on Janome Sewist 725S sewing machines. From there, we learned how to wind a bobbin, and then thread a sewing machine so it was ready to use. For some reason, this was the most daunting part for me – I remembered how many steps their were from school, and how irritating it would be to get the thread tangled. But Susie made it easy!
Once set up, we got to grips with sewing on calico offcuts. (Sew Fabulous works predominantly with off-cuts and dead-stock fabrics to be sustainable). I got to do some freehand sewing, learn how to do a 1cm border, and also change the settings to do a zigzag stitch.
Finally, we were tasked with making our very own pin cushions! I really enjoyed this task, making something small and special that would come with me on the rest of my sewing journey. Sure, it was a little bit wonky, but I’m an Absolute Beginner!
My Overall Rating: 10/10
I don’t think I could have had a better time on the Absolute Beginners sewing class at Sew Fabulous! I came away feeling confident on how to set up a sewing machine, and some basic techniques. The class with welcoming, fun, and creative, while also sharing some insights into why sewing is such a great skill to learn. Susie was a great teacher, being both very knowledgeable while also teaching each step simply and easily. I also had a delicious cup of coffee and biscuit while I was there!
I’m now looking to book onto a more rigorous course – likely the 4 Week Sewing Course – and will also make use of their donation-based drop-in repair sessions on Friday afternoons.
