Sewing courses & keepsakes · Southsea
Five-week sewing courses in Southsea for groups of no more than five — and memory bears made from the clothes of someone you love. Never threaded a machine, or just need reminding what you learned at school? Come to me and I'll build your confidence.
Two ways in
Two hours a week for five weeks. You'll work on a proper project each session and take it home the same day — no half-finished things in a bag under the stairs. Groups of five at most, so nobody gets left behind.
When someone you love is gone, their clothes are still here. A favourite shirt, a soft old cardigan, a school uniform, a football top. I turn them into a bear you can hold on to — one, or one for every grandchild.
The five-week course
A fun way to recall old skills or learn new ones — and to chill and relax for a couple of hours a week in good company.
£50 for the full five weeks
That's £10 a week
Five projects, each one chosen to teach a particular skill.
Hello
Some people come to me because they want to make their own things. Some because a zip has gone and nobody ever showed them how. Some because a couple of hours a week with the machine running and the kettle on is the best part of the week. All of them are welcome.
I'm not precious about it. There is no such thing as a daft question here, and there is very little you can do to a piece of fabric that can't be unpicked and done again. What I really teach is confidence — the sewing tends to follow.
Courses run from my workroom in Southsea. Alongside them I make keepsakes to order — memory bears and cushions from a loved one's clothes — and run teddy workshops where you build your own bear from start to finish.
Keepsakes
Send me the clothes and tell me a bit about the person. A work uniform, a favourite shirt, a football top, a baby's first outfit — anything with the right feel and enough fabric in it.
Every bear is cut so the parts that matter end up where you'll see them: the embroidered badge on the chest, the collar, the pocket, the bit of print they always wore. No two come out the same, because no two people are.
£30 a bear. If you'd like one for each of the grandchildren, say so at the start and I'll plan the cutting so there's enough to go round.
Made to order
Everything here is made one at a time. Ask about colours, fabrics and sizes — most of it can be made to suit.
Keepsake
A shirt they always wore, turned into a cushion — collar, cuffs, buttons and all.
Made to order
Lined, sturdy and properly zipped. Good for makeup, knitting or the school run.
Made to order
Quilted holders so you can lift a hot bowl straight out of the microwave.
For sewers
Pockets for your unpicker, scissors and clips, right where you need them.
Made to order
Pieced from strips, quilted and bound. Choose your colours.
Workshop
Come and make your own bear from start to finish, in one sitting.
The work
Tap any picture to see it bigger.
What people say
“Quick turnaround, amazing price and made with so much care.”Kelly Green
On the memory bears Wendy made from her late mother-in-law's clothes, one for each of the grandchildren.
“Extremely knowledgeable and very good at teaching.”Chloe Hadley
On the sewing lessons.
Get in touch
Tell me what you'd like to make, or what you'd like to learn, and I'll let you know when the next course starts. If it's a memory bear or a cushion, let me know roughly what clothes you have and how many you're after — there's no rush and no obligation.