Refresher Sewing Class

Artisan Stitch is running a Refresher Sewing Class at St Margaret's House on Friday 11 December, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. It's a one-day workshop designed for lapsed sewists or those who've picked things up from YouTube and want to fill in the gaps. The session revisits the essential techniques that underpin the studio's dressmaking courses, so it's as much about getting the basics right as it is about getting back into the swing of things.

Over the course of the day, you'll work through the practicals that make a real difference to how a garment turns out: threading and winding bobbins, machine tension, and sewing neat, accurate seams. You'll cover different seam types, taking up hems, neatening raw edges, and the trimming and pressing that separates a home-made look from a professional finish. There's also edgestitching, topstitching, sewing in a zip, and making buttonholes on a machine. You'll make samples as you go and take home notes to refer back to later.

Jen Skedd leads the class, and she's got over 40 years of sewing experience and more than 20 in a training role. Artisan Stitch itself started in 2015 in the coastal village of Cockenzie, East Lothian, before moving to Edinburgh. It's billed as Scotland's leading sewing school and is one of only two providers recommended by Queen Margaret University. The studio picked up UK Enterprise Awards for Best Sewing Classes in 2020 and Best Private Sewing Education & Tuition in 2021, and a Scotland Prestige award five years in a row.

One thing to keep in mind: this is the final time the course is being offered, and it won't be repeated. It runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Studio 6.03A, St Margaret's House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE, and costs £80 for adults aged 16 and over.