Patchwork Crossbody Bag

Artisan Stitch is running a one-day workshop on Friday 4 December, where you'll make a patchwork crossbody bag from denim and tweed. It's a full day's session, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, held at their studio in St Margaret's House on London Road.

The whole point of the class is to combine two fabrics that don't usually sit together — sturdy denim and textured tweed — and stitch them into a modern, sustainable bag you can actually use. Because it's a one-day thing, you'll walk in with a few scraps of fabric and walk out with a finished piece, rather than spending weeks on it at home.

It's run by Jen Skedd, who's been heading up Artisan Stitch since it opened in the East Lothian village of Cockenzie back in 2015. She's a degree-trained textile designer with an HND in Stitched Textiles and Fashion from Edinburgh College and a Textile Design BA (Hons) from Heriot-Watt University in Galashiels, the former Scottish College of Textiles. In her final year, she sold knitwear designs to Valentino, and she still exhibits with the Embroiderers Guild and Group Twelve Textile Artists. She's a lifelong sewist, so you're in safe hands.

Artisan Stitch describes itself as Scotland's leading sewing school, and the workshops they run cover everything from beginners to improvers. They teach machine sewing, overlockers, free-motion embroidery, appliqué and soft furnishings, and many of their sessions include all the materials you'll need. This one is £90.00, and you'll find it at Studio 6.03A St Margaret's House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE.