One-day Event // 9:30am-5:30pm // Cost: £60 (includes £20 fabric gift voucher + £15 pattern + lunch & refreshments)
In 2015 The Stitchery had our first ever Sewing Bee. This was an incredibly fun day for all and a wonderful celebration of the sewing community that has grown out of The Stitchery in the past few years. If you did already see the promo video we made of last year's Bee, you can watch it here.
Participants will be given 6-hours to construct a garment from a Intermediate level pattern. At the end of the 5-hours, their garments will be judged by two of the Stitchery's resident instructors: Cassandra Belanger (Stitchery Founder) and Susie Haigh (Designer). After which there will be an open session for the participants to receive constructive feedback on their sewing.
FIRST PRIZE
A Janome 9300DX Overlocker
SECOND PRIZE
A Janome 525S sewing machine
THIRD PRIZE
£50 Stitchery Gift voucher + 2 dressmaking patterns
As with the BBC version, the pattern used for the day will remain a secret until the event begins. But note that it will be a separate and not a full dress (just in case the 5-hour deadline sounded daunting!). The garments will be judged on the quality of construction and the individual interpretation of the sewing pattern instructions. Anyone who wishes to participate in the day must already have garment sewing experience. The following basic skills are a requirement.
- Basic sewing machine skills - e.g. confidence with threading machine, winding bobbin. The studio has Janome CXL301 machines. If you've never used this machine before, there shall be a brief overview at the start of the day.
- Basic experience of garment construction - Including inserting a zipper and pockets
- Standard seams, seam finishes (including zig zag and overlock stitches). Note that the use of an overlocker is offered but not required.
BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee has been an inspiration to many to dust off their sewing machine and get making again.
To add to the excitement of this day, we've also teamed up with Glasgow based online fabric shop Splendid Stitch, who will kindly be giving each of our contestants £20 to spend on fabrics. Haberdashery will be provided by The Stitchery.
First Prize for the day is a Janome 9300DX Overlocker, worth £259. Second prize is a Janome Sewist 525S worth £249. And whoever comes in Third will receive a £50 Stitchery gift voucher, plus a choice of 2 dressmaking patterns from our stock.
Booking Your Place
To book your place on the Sewing Bee, you can use our online booking system. You can pay by Paypal or any major credit/debit card. (Note that the booking system uses PayPal to process payments, but a PayPal account is not required. Simply select to pay by credit/debit card without registering at the PayPal page).
What Next?
Once you've booked, you'll receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite. This will contain information on purchasing your fabrics for the Sewing Bee. We'll also be in touch nearer the competition date with some more info.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
A £10 admin fee will be retained in the event of a refund. A refund for this event will only be available if cancellations are made 14 days prior to the event or earlier. If a cancellation is made after this cut-off date, then a refund will only be issued if a replacement participant can be found.