Sewing Dates for 2018 with Bridget Goodhead

All Bridget’s workshops are packed full of information and tips to perfect your sewing skills and come with a detailed and colourful folder that you can refer back to.

Sewing Machine Basics workshop 

Saturday 10th February 2018, 10am – 4pm, £65

Create your own practical scissor holder and get to grips with using your machine.

Along the way you will learn the basic skills to help you understand your machine and create your sewing projects, including:

– Equipment
– Basic machine maintenance including machine needles!
– Machine driving test!
– Threading; tension
– Machine plate markings and needle positions
– Decorative stitches
– Seams and neatening
– Curves and corners – reducing bulk
– Machine feet – blind hemming; zipper and buttonholes

Book here for Sewing Machine Basics

Second 2018 date: Saturday 16th June

Dressmaking Weekender:

Using a Commercial pattern and Basic Dressmaking

Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th March, 10am – 5pm,

plus a 1 to 1 follow up session with Bridget, £150

Over the weekend you will learn how to make your own clothes from cutting out your pattern to all the techniques for sewing together your chosen garment.

 Day 1 is all about using a commercial pattern:

This is a comprehensive course that will introduce you to the mysteries of using a commercial pattern. Aimed at beginners, you will learn about basic equipment; how to take body measurements; pattern preparation and simple adjustments. We will look at pattern markings and then how to lay on a pattern, with reference to one way patterns; nap fabrics and plaids. You will then prepare your pattern, lay it on and cut it out.

On Day 2 you’ll practise your Basic Dressmaking skills:

This is a course designed to introduce beginners to dressmaking skills. During the day you will learn how to stay and ease stitch; how to sew and neaten plain seams, French seams and flat seams. We will look at different methods of disposing of fullness and you will learn how to insert semi-concealed and concealed zips. We will go on to machining curves and reducing bulk; under stitching and top stitching. The final exercises will be buttons and buttonholes!

Follow up 1 to 1 session with Bridget

Organise this session with Bridget so that you can get 1 to 1 support, recap on anything you’ve forgotten and/or get support in finishing your garment.

Bring along your pattern; fabric, your machine and basic sewing equipment (scissors; pins; tape measure; needles). If you are a beginner to dressmaking, Bridget would recommend a skirt as a good starting point!

For more information or to book follow the link here Dressmaking Weekend

Advanced Overlocking

Saturday 14th April 10am – 4pm, £75

Are you afraid of your overlocker? There’s so much more that you can do with these great machines; join Bridget to find out more about.

This course will introduce you to the many different uses your overlocker has!

We will look at cutting widths; stitch lengths and differential feed! We will be learning how to gather using the overlocker; 3 and 4 thread overlocking; and how speciality threads can enhance projects. We will learn how to sew rolled hems and do pin tucks, as well as learning how to turn corners (outside and in) and how to overlock curves.

During the day, you will put skills learned into practise by producing a useful ‘waste chip bin’ for your overlocker or general sewing use!

For more information or to book, click the link here

Introduction to Free Motion Quilting

Saturday 12th May, 10 – 4, £65.00

Introducing Bridget, our Sewing Tutor

“My name is Bridget Goodhead and I’m a retired teacher. For many years I taught Design Technology and for 15 years, also taught nightschool, where the ladies did a variety of needlecrafts from dressmaking to machine knitting, embroidery and macrame (to name a few!). Since retiring I’ve been able to indulge my lifelong hobby of sewing. I have three machines – an overlocker, an embroidery/sewing machine and a small, portable basic sewing machine. I particularly enjoy crafts at the moment, from machine embroidery to quilting. I produce a variety of things – bags, machine lace items, personalised cards, Christmas stockings, gift bags, small quilts – the list goes on!  My embroidery machine is very technical and I enjoy the challenge of developing designs and exploring its potential! I’m really looking forward to meeting people with an interest in sewing and hopefully, increasing their knowledge and confidence when using their machines.”

Sewing Social

We had a great ‘Sewing Social’ Morning; some lovely ladies popped in to chat with Bridget and find out about the courses we were running. There was much interest in the overlocker workshop … Ooooo.. a rolled hem! I for one would love to learn more about how I can use this machine more!

This year we’ve lots of exciting workshops coming up, including silversmithing, felting, recycling, sewing, Eco Dyeing with Joelle Harris and Raku Firing with Andy Mason

For more details on our courses go to our workshops tab

Thanks for your interest in our workshops!

Please get in touch if you’re interested but can’t make the dates shown or tell me what sort of things you’d like to do. It’s good to know what people are interested in doing so that we can put on more of what you like! Anna