The Sewing Doctor

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Morpeth
The Sewing Doctor

Sewing & Pattern Drafting Class
in Rothbury,Northumberland
Classes Suitable for beginners to experie

I teach sewing & pattern drafting in Rothbury Northumberland, I can also teach via Skype. I also work as a freelance garment technologist and help people develop products from initial idea / conception, through to final production samples. Please get in touch if you'd like anymore information or to book.

09/04/2024

Barbie has decided that the weather is so shocking, there is nothing else to do but practice button & gem hand sewing.

Wish me luck 😄

06/12/2023

Creative morning teaching the youngest to be free with design & explore ideas, whilst building confidence with scissor skills on fabric.

Squeals of happiness at being given her own fabric scissors ✂️

👌

02/12/2023

Recent sewing project with my talented home ed teenager making a weekend bag, over 2 x 3hr sessions.

Totally amazed at how my student approached this product, how she sewed it with so much precision and attention to detail, and only found one small part of the process tricky (easing in the 2 end pieces).

Now she has a weekend bag to use and a pattern & skills to be able to repeat the process and make another bag, or a slightly different version.

She has pockets on the 2 main outer panels - front/back, and 2 end pockets. On the inside she created big space pockets for small garments, make up etc and a double pocket perfect for her phone.

Wish I had been this talented at her age tool me another 2yrs to start in design.

14/11/2023

The other day my home ed student learned how to make scented heat pillows. These are very straightforward and can be square, rectangle etc and are filled with pulses or rice.

We chose 2 sizes of rectangle patterns to use so she could replicate the product for xmas pressies. We also added in some dried white lavender to give it a subtle scent and it was fab.

Lovely simple & quick product to make.

We then spent time learning techniques for putting in a concealed zip (invisible zip - my favourite kind of finish) and discussed the importance of using fusible to strengthen the fabric beforehand. We just cut a simple skirt mock up garment as an example.

As always my student blew me away with skill and the speed of putting in the zip. I showed her a good tip for enclosing it neatly at the base and we mocked up a waistband too. Then I showed her how to secure the waistband with a sinker stitch, where you stitch into the seam (so it's hidden at the front) and she aced that too !

Just for fun we challenged mum (who is incredible at sewing) to do the same method and then compared their stitching ☺️

12/10/2023

Lavender heat pillow children's sewing workshop
Monday 16th October 2023, 4-5pm £6
Pre-booking is essential in order to secure the hall booking and order supplies for the event.
Please contact me if you would like to book a place for your child

05/10/2023

How cute is this teeny tint patchwork quiet by the talented designer at The Phoenix Green Store.

You can buy it here
https://www.facebook.com/100057383846510/posts/808268081095979/?sfnsn=scwspmo

18/09/2023

I am looking at offering a sewing class for children after school, on a Monday or Friday every fortnight, in either Rothbury or Thropton, or both - depending on interest.

Can you send me a pm if you / your child are interested in this class, thank you

29/08/2023

Sorry I haven't posted any pics of workshops or anything for ages, so much admin to catch up on once school starts back.

For now I'm attaching some pics of a cushion I made for a friend to hopefully bring some comfort in the loss of her wonderful mum. Hard to tell here but I embroiderd some areas of their clothing.

For me the hardest thing about losing someone is not getting to talk to them / hear their voice and not being able to hold them.

15/07/2023

The Green Dress Challenge 💚

My design student is so incredible at everything I Challenge her to design or create. For this lesson we took inspiration from the Great Floral Challenge & techniques I use when working with floral arrangements- I never use floral foam as it is bad for the designer and the environment- I prefer to use chicken wire as a frame or a cucumber.

I sent the brief ahead of the session and examples of green fashion designers, she was asked her to design a basic dress that we would then create with foliage & flowers from my garden. She was also tasked to go around her stunning garden and see what she could design with. We were designing for an installation to be exhibited.

Today's session was more experimental so my youngest was allowed to come along and be inspired about a career in design and learning how to work in a more unique design style- something my student would be tasked with at college. The nature of this process allows the student to be as creative as possible whilst trying to work out and solve many problems.

There are so many plants used in clothing and product design now so it's important to know that our best base fabrics (cotton, bamboo etc...are from nature). This task can be stretched into other lessons by studying indigenous cultures where they make all their clothing from the materials they have to hand and work in the most beautiful detail.

I think we can all agree that the assymetric dress my student created is incredible 😍
This young lady has so much potential and it is such a privilege to teach her each time.

I love my job !! I love working with young people and inspiring them to follow their passions. Listening to my daughter constantly say 'I'm so excited I get to go to work with you today and see designs' made my heart feel very content. These wonderful people are the designers of the future and I'm so excited for both their futures.

We even got a tour of the secret garden 🧡

30/06/2023

Brought the middle child up a salt foot bath for his injured toes, suggested he change out of uniform into something comfy.

Oh mum, I think I may have a small hole in my pj's and school trousers

Small hole 🤔

I had to do a sombrero flick and heard my trousers go 🙃 (the kid whose toes aren't meant to be doing anything) I couldn't just stand there when the ball came to me 🙄

Anyone that knows me -
a) I don't have time to do alterations,
b) I hate doing alterations

The pj's will have to become scrap fabric for the youngest designer but I'll try to repair the school trs, reluctantly...
..is it summer holidays yet 🥴

Mothers of boys, this phase lasts from 2-20yrs of age 🤣

27/06/2023

Apologies to everyone waiting for updates on tuition and workshops.

I'm still trying to sort out so much for my mother in law on the flood damage at her house. Hubby has been flying away lots. Middle child had 2 very damaged toes from a football incident and was back and forth for x'rays, doctors etc...the youngest has been reluctant to go to nursery.

I am currently in a strange mix of fawlty towers and one flew over the cookoos nest and cannot wait to get back to designing and teaching.

I will hopefully come up for air mid way through next week.

Thank you for your patience xx

07/06/2023

A recent pattern class with my home educated student, focusing on toiling the basic bodice block, on a tailor's dummy.

First we measured her own measurements and wrote down the key ones needed for the bodice block construction. We talked through the process of putting those measurements into the block size chart and how we would create the flat pattern (a skill that she happens to be incredible at drafting flat patterns). We also checked the tailor's dummy was accurately set up for her measurements.

We then cut some calico (medium weight) and I demonstrated how to place the fabric on the dummy, and how to get rid of excess fabric to form the darts.

Next it was my student's turn to apply the practical skills she had just learnt, as usual she did it with so much skill, speed and ease - outstanding!

I have witnessed so many people over the years struggle with toiling on the human form and yet she did it with such ease. I am in awe of her talent and it bodes well for her future.

The final part was fitting the toile garment / bodice block on her and it fitted like an absolute dream.

Next lesson is transferring the fabric toile to a flat pattern form. Then the third lesson in the series will be doing the flat pattern and toile, comparing fit.

In really studying the basics and intermediate levels of garment construction you equip the student not just for passing qualifications later in life with ease, but these teach her key life skills she can use to make anything she wants to wear.

She had some spare time in our 3hr session so revisited a trouser pattern she had drafted as she wanted to create a more baggy lower rise, for a very relaxed fit trouser. Once the pattern was amended she sewed a quick toile to fit. With a small adjustment on the waist it is perfect.

Lastly I want to shout out for her talent & creativity. In between our lessons, and following on with confidence from her hoodie class, she made 2 hoodies for her and a friend, each having the other half of a hoodie 🤩 how cute.

I think this girl deserves an overlooker of her own soon 😉 hint hint Santa

Ps. These photos are so late as fb has been playing up for weeks

Address

Morpeth

Telephone

+447917866523

Website

http://www.pimleydavison.co.uk/

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