Learn to use a Sewing Machine Course Review
Atelier, Stroud
Even though I do a lot of sewing and absolutely love it, I definitely have some stumbling blocks when it comes to finessing my sewing machine techniques. I realised that I hadn’t really had any “training” since school(!!) which is rather a long time ago. I definitely struggle with ensuring that I had the right tension on my sewing machine, and have a few of those OH MY GOODNESS I JUST WANT TO THROW MY SEWING MACHINE OUT OF THE WINDOW moments, when I cannot for the life of me figure out what the problem is.
I live in Cheltenham, and was researching craft courses in Gloucestershire and came across Atelier. Located in Stroud - a great hub of creativity - I thought I would give the Learn to use a Sewing Machine workshop a go. It’s 3 hours on an evening, from 7-10pm which is perfect timing for me.
Where: Atelier, Stroud
Cost: £20-25
Ability: Beginner
The work in progress
Learning: Sewing machine 101 - the basics to put you in great stead for future sewing; plus you learn to make a sewing bag which is a great skill that you can replicate going forward.
Kath, who runs Atelier, is fabulous! She is so attentive and helpful, and was a bit concerned that the course would be too basic for me. Whilst I think it would be perfect for an absolute beginner, and even though the basics of a sewing machine tutorial wasn’t as relevant to me, it was a great evening! I learnt a lot of great tips that will help my sewing going forward. The sewing bag that I made is definitely a great skill that I will replicate and be selling on my Etsy shop going forward!
Plus, for me, I got to meet some great people and making the sewing bag really sparked my creativity. How often do we go and dedicate 3 hours of our lives to making something new? Rarely. And, for me, making those connections with people and spending time in a beautiful studio space made me really excited and inspired for the future :) Atelier also have a club that you can join so that you can use the creative space and meet similar creative folk - perfect.
A few top tips:
The AMAZING Merchant & Mills Sewing Book
Salvage: is the name for the edge of the fabric where it is “self-finished” or woven so it doesn’t fray
Always keep you threads positioned out of the back of the sewing machine (furthest away from where you sit) so that they don’t bunch up (this is so obvious but a HUGE learning for me!)
Also, ensure that your thread stays within the small metal ring that sits near the needle; again, this helps to stop it bunching up
Merchant and Mills - a great sewing company which produced the book that I have recently purchased which has loooooads of great sewing tips, patterns and ideas!
