Maternity-Leaving Self-Employment

(the fabulous children's Geranium dress pattern is the last class I'm scheduled to teach at The Village Haberdashery on 25th June. image source: Made By Rae)

A few years back one of the topics I occasionally wrote about was self-employment, both specifically about mine which is in the field of sewing, and a bit more generally. A number of people that I've taught over the last four-ish years have found the idea of making money from your passion to be an interesting one, so I felt the reality of that was a topic worth discussing on this blog whilst I outlined how I made my income. I haven't written specifically about sewing-related self-employment for ages, mainly because my situation hasn't changed very much in the last two years. However, I'm currently staring down the barrel of my second maternity leave, so lots of thoughts, feelings and questions have come up for me that I'd like to air here.

For the last two and a half years, I've been the primary caregiver for our daughter Dolores. She has yet to attend nursery or any other form of childcare so it's a pretty full on task. I've also been bringing in a part-time income, the majority of this has been through teaching sewing and dressmaking classes at the weekends (when her dad can take care of her). I also make a small amount from blogging, sample making, blog sponsorship and sewing pattern sales, which I work on after Dolores has gone to bed and during her naps times. There's been times that all of these activities have left me really busy, and times when it's been less so and I've been able to do more sewing for myself and stuff. The most tiring aspect has been the travelling to and from classes, especially the ones that take place in London. On bad weekends, the journey can take up to four hours each way. When I haven't had a good nights sleep, and now that I'm pregnant again, it can really take it out of me for a couple of days after. So because of that, I'm really looking forward to my maternity leave to avoid the travelling part (although I know that there is a whole different world of tiredness just round the corner!). But on the other hand, I'm really lamenting having to step away from my working life.

(the beautiful and inspiring sewing space at MIY Workshop. 

image source: MIY Workshop/Wendy Ward)

As far as I can figure out from my internal enquiries, there's a couple of reasons for this. Partly it's because I've managed to get myself some really great gigs, which has mainly been through working hard at what I do to get good at it. I genuinely LOVE the four companies I currently teach at (Tilly and the Buttons, The Village Haberdashery, MIY Workshop and Fabric Godmother), and getting to help people improve their sewing skills and confidence is a really lovely way to spend time, however tiring projecting a super-positive energy whilst being on your feet all day can be. Plus, getting great feedback from my students about how much they've enjoyed a class and how much more confident they now feel with sewing is so rewarding, and it just feels great to be good at something! There are MANY days that have been spent 'mumming' where I just don't feel like I'm doing a very good job. I'm not sure how my general self-esteem will be effected when I can't intersperse those days with the odd one spent teaching someone to successfully insert an invisible zip or get their head round bias binding. (By the way, you can see what remaining classes I'm scheduled to teach on my Sewing Classes page.) I spoke very frankly about motherhood and the ways in which sewing offers some relief and escape towards the end of this Seamwork magazine article, and some of what I talked about needing sewing for could also be said for my paid employment.

You may be thinking, 'But this is your second child, you've been through this before, right? Why are you freaking out?'. I guess there are two main differences this time round. Firstly, I have a much clearer idea of how absorbing and exhausting life with a tiny baby is; I know how little time will be left over for any kind of work or creative endeavour when you're the primary caregiver. I was very naive about that when I first entered motherhood. Secondly, on top of the whole tiny baby situation, this time I'll have a lively toddler to care for and entertain as well, which will surely leave me with even less time and energy to direct towards anything else I might like to pursue. Thinking I could still achieve quite a bit, on top of keeping a little baby alive and happy, lead me to come unstuck last time and definitely contributed to me experiencing post-natal depression. Therefore, I'm trying to be as realistic as possible about the stresses and strains coming my way over the next year or two.  

(your last chance to let me help you to sew with jersey will be at the Fabric Godmother HQ in Hove on 17th July! image source: Fabric Godmother)

So I don't really know what the future holds for my self-employment after my maternity leave. I don't know exactly how different life will be with two tiny children rather than one, and I don't know exactly how Pat's employment will change over the next couple of years either. His situation will have a major effect on both my availability to work and how much my financial input will be needed. But I know that I will need to do some kind of work, however infrequent, for my sanity if nothing else once the mini-dude is old enough to eat solids and breast-feeding calms down.

What I guess I need to remember is that their infancy only lasts a relatively short time, although when you're in the trenches it feels like an age! They'll be at school in the blink of an eye, and I'll be wondering where this period went. At that point I will have more time to concentrate on creative ways to earn money. But I know I'm not the only woman to have felt a bit uneasy about an approaching maternity leave, and what that will mean for your sense of self. Likewise, being somewhat lost in motherhood, no matter how much you love your kids and how carefully they were planned, is not a unique experience either. If anyone else felt a bit weird about this stage of life, it'd be great to hear how you dealt with it.

SEWMANCE Festival: Come and Play!

Friends! I'm so excited, the first ever Brighton sewing festival, SEWMANCE, will be taking place in just two weeks time! Since I moved away from Brighton two years ago, all manner of awesome sewing-related socials, meet-ups and events seem to now be taking place. And a good many of those, including SEWMANCE, are the brain-children of a lovely lady called Stacie Madden (@brightonsewingbee on IG). I've had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with her at a couple of the Fabric Godmother open days, and she invited me to give a little talk at the monthly Brighton Sewing Bee back in January. She really is a force of nature to put together as much as she does whilst also being mum to a gorgeous little three-year-old dude. SEWMANCE will be taking place Saturday 18th June at The Tempest Inn, Brighton, between 11am-6pm. What can we expect at this inaugural sewing festival then?

Stacie has lined up lots of free talks from interesting sewing-related peops, the first of which starts at 12pm and the last at 4pm. All day there will be stalls run by awesome companies including Fabric Godmother and Coco Wawa Crafts where you will be able to buy lots of gorgeous fabric, sewing patterns and other crafty stuff. The Brighton Sewing Bee will be debuting their mini documentary 'Sewing Stories' at 4.45pm, PLUS there will be crafty workshops that you can participate in. These will include learning to make a wrist pin cushion, sewing a monogrammed hankie, making a simple make up case with zip anddddddd you can enjoy an introduction to commercial sewing patterns with yours truly!

I will be running the workshop to help beginner sewers/sewists become a confident dressmakers. So if you have nailed using a sewing machine but sewing patterns scare or confuse you, this hour-long workshop could be well worth the £12. The session covers:

• How to find your size 
• What to do if your measurements span two or more dress sizes 
• Making simple changes if you are taller/shorter  
• Selecting appropriate fabric for your pattern 
• Positioning the pattern pieces onto the fabric 
• What all the symbols mean and what to do about them 
• Transferring the markings onto the fabric

Tickets for my little workshop have just gone on sale here and there's a limit of just 10 places, so if you are interested, don't delay!!!

I hope to see you at SEWMANCE if you can make it! 

Teach All The Classes!

(Tilly and the Button HQ's breathtakingly lovely workspace features a distractingly impressive view of the London skyline)

So I've finally created a 'Sewing Classes' page. Anyone who's interested can now easily see what sewing and dressmaking classes I'll be teaching in the near future, rather than having to head to the individual websites of the places I teach at to see what's up.

(It's arguably the perfect shift dress pattern, want to make one at The Village Haberdashery?)

I teach at four location: two in London (Tilly and the Buttons HQ and The Village Haberdashery) and two in East Sussex (MIY Workshop and Fabric Godmother). I've only listed the classes that aren't sold out at time of writing, and I'll try to update the page regularly to add newly scheduled classes and remove the ones that are either sold out of have been and gone. Each class listing on the page includes a link to where you can find more info, including how you can book up.

(everyone's bust creating awesomeness at MIY Workshop)

I love each of these establishments, they each have a very different feel. The Village Haberdashery and Fabric Godmother include the benefit of being able to gaze at (and buy from) two of the finest selections of fabric in the UK. Whilst Tilly and the Buttons HQ and MIY Workshop are genuinely two of the most creatively inspiring spaces I've had the pleasure to hang out in.

(Come and sew a Grainline Scout Woven Tee with me at Fabric Godmother!) 

So if you happen to live in the south east of the UK and are looking to learn how to sew, or to improve your existing skills (or you want to see what I get up to whilst Pat and Dolores drink too much coffee and apple juice respectively and hang out at the park), then please check out my new 'Sewing Classes' page! And in case you are interested in booking a class taught by me, please know that I make excellent tea and coffee. Fact.

New Classes at MIY Workshop, Brighton

About a month ago, we had a couple of friends come to visit from Spain, and one of them gave Pat and me a tarot reading. Now, I'm not at all new-agey, but I freaking loves me some tarot. If done by someone who knows what they are doing (or at least can pretend that they do), then it is a lot of fun. And my mate Lee really knows what he's doing, plus he is selfless enough to help his friends delve into their problems for hours on end. On this occasion, we wanted to know what is going on with us, work-wise. There's uncertainty in our future as Pat's current job is coming to an end in a few weeks, with nothing else currently on the horizon. I won't bore you with the whole spread, but I have to say that Lee predicted that my work opportunities will be expanding, and in the direction of Brighton (I have no idea which specific card means 'more work in Brighton'!).

(image source: Wendy Ward via Makery blog)

I shit you not, less than a week later I was helping out at the Fabric Godmother's awesome open day (massive hello's to everyone I met or caught up with there) and got the chance to chat with Wendy Ward, who asked if I would like to teach at her MIY Workshop (which is in Brighton)! A briefly backstory and explanation: I was lucky enough to meet Wendy two years ago when she kindly accepted our request to talk at the Craftaganza Live talks (now defunct), which were a spin off of my semi-regular craft market, Brighton Craftaganza (resting, but not defunct). Wendy is an insanely talented pattern cutter, designer, writer and teacher who sells her own patterns and sewing related products, AND wrote a beautiful, recently released sewing book. She recently contributed not one but TWO incredible refashions as part of Portia/Makery blog's The Refashioners 2015 challenge (see above). Good work, Tarot.

(image source: MIY Workshop)

I'm so excited to be teaching at the MIY Workshop for so many reasons. Wendy is a really cool lady who I hope to learn from, and her workshop space (see above) looks lovely and super inspiring. She seems to have a bunch of loyal, regular students who attend her classes (many of whom have been asking for Saturday classes, which is what I'll be teaching) and I can't wait to meet some of them. These classes are for anyone interested in doing some sewing, no matter what their existing skill level. Students work on whatever projects they fancy at their own pace, and I'll be there to assist in any way I can. Initially, I'll be teaching there on 19th September and 24th October, and if those book up well, then every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month going forwards. If you would like to know more or to book a class, please visit here for Wendy's contact information. Please don't hesitate! Or the tarot will be proved a liar, and Lee will have to find a new hobby.

To clarify, I will be teaching at the MIY Workshop in addition to my other fabulous teaching gigs: Tilly and the Buttons HQ and The Village Haberdashery. I bloody love my job!

Happy Me-Made-May'15!: Village Haberdashery Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

Happy Me-Made-May'15!!!!! I hope you stepped out of the door this morning in your fabulous handmade garment/s feeling super proud of yourself! Like last year, round these parts I'm going to be celebrating this year's Me-Made-May with weekly giveaways for participants of the challenge to enter. There's a nice range of sewing/garment-creating related gear up for grabs, and this first week's is a real corker.  

North London based shop-of-dreams, The Village Haberdashery, are offering up a £50 voucher for one lucky participant (to be chosen at random) to spend on their online shop. The Village Haberdashery post internationally, so this giveaway is open to ALL Me-Made-Mayers. 

The Village Haberdashery are sponsors of this blog, plus I also teach sewing classes there from time to time. Therefore I am lucky enough to have spent a lot of time in the presence of their seriously impressive inventory. I can tell you that they stock a frightening quantity of the most awesome quilting cottons known to (wo)man, and have a rapidly growing range of gorgeous garment fabrics, both woven and knit. They also stock stunning yarns (check me out not calling it 'wool'!), a great selection of notions and every freaking independent printed sewing pattern ever released (don't quote me on that last bit, but it certainly seems that way when you're standing in front of them all).  

So let me further whet your whistle with what you could spend the fiddy-quid on. Well, as I say there a squillion amazing quilting cotton designs like the two Cotton + Steel options pictured above. The lime green above is called Mochi and is currently available in sky blue here. The blue floral fabric on the right is a lovely border print called Mustang which you can see better here. Both these dresses are made using the fabulous Made by Rae Geranium dress pattern which you can also buy from The Village Haberdashery, AND make with me in a class in London on 6th June. 

Or, if you're more into wearing knit garments, you could use the spends on some luscious organic interlock. I can personally vouch that this stuff is seriously soft and cosy. The pattern used for the garment pictured above is the Christine Haynes Marianne dress pattern (would you be surprised to learn that you can also buy that pattern from VH?!) AND you can make one with me in a class on 20th June. 

Here's one more suggestion on what you could spend the voucher on. Some epically awesome printed organic needle corduroy designed by that multi-talented Made By Rae for Cloud9 Fabrics. Both the fabric collection and this specific print design are called Small World. See all the designs the VH stock in this collection here. I'm a lucky lady as I have 1 metre in my sticky mitts that the VH kindly gave me which I'll hopefully turn into something great that will be blogged about soon.  

So, the giveaway. You are not required to do anything in order to be in the running to win this £50 voucher, but I would very much recommend signing up to their newsletter. Also, I have started following their beautiful feed on Instagram (@vhaberdashery) and suggest you do too if you like be visually teased by beautiful fabric and projects on a regular basis!

Please remember that the giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-may only. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post which includes your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to get the voucher to you. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Leave your comment by midnight GMT Friday 8th May 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day. 

Happy May lovelies!!!

1940s Tea Dress Pattern Giveaway!!!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED**

To celebrate their first sewalong for their new sewing pattern range, 'Sew Over It' is offering readers of this blog the opportunity to score themselves a 1940s Tea Dress sewing pattern (pictured above). This dress style is a gorgeous, updated version of a vintage look that I guarantee looks amazing in both printed and solid fabrics. In fact, this pattern is close to my heart as it is one of the classes that I have taught at 'Sew Over It's' bricks and mortar shop/sewing school in South London, plus I helped develop the instructions for this pattern. Check out Lisa's delightful peaches and cream silk version pictured below, plus you can see my black version of this pattern here.

How to Enter:

There are three copies of this pattern up for grabs. This giveaway/competition is open internationally and with no cost to yourselves. All you have to do is help 'Sew Over It' decide which of their in-the-flesh classes they should release as a sewing pattern next. So head over to the classes page of their website and decide which garment you'd most like to be made available as a pattern and leave a comment in the comment box of this post. Along with your answer, please leave a way for me to contact you if you are successful (i.e. if I can't find your email address within two clicks of my mouse, leave your email address in the body of the comment). Email addresses will not be used for anything other than contacting you if you win this giveaway.

Make sure you have commented by midnight GMT on Wednesday 12th February to enter. The following day I will use a random number generator to select three winners for the three copies of the 1940s Tea Dress sewing pattern and contact them to get their postal addresses to forward on to Sew Over It so they can send out the prize.

Good luck lovelies!

Self-Employment Update: Six Months in...

Umm, where did six whole months go?! There I was last August, ploughing head-first into a schedule-less void of panic, then by November I'd scrabbled together a group of activities that I could collectively call 'work' and was vaguely financially keeping me afloat. Now I'm six months into self-employment and it feels like a good time to have another review and check the lay of the land. I was slightly reticent to continue posting about this subject as it feels a little self-indulgent and somewhat off-topic from sewing, sustainably or style, but the last self-employment update post received so many lovely comments from people who found it interesting and/or they could relate to my experiences so I've decided I'm going to continue to do so. If you want to pass on this one, come back on Monday when I'll be writing about something else, no doubt!

So what am I doing these days:

Teaching

This activity has gone to the top of the list this time because the amount of classes I'm teaching has increased a lot since November and therefore it has become a more significant activity financially:

• I have been teaching quite a few sewing and pattern cutting classes at Sew Over It in Clapham, South London as well as helping them prep and test patterns and instructions (for example the new Tulip Skirt class, pictured above). It's such a nice place to work. Everyone I've come into contact with through that place, both staff members and customers, I've found to range from 'really nice' to 'freakin' awesome'! As you may have noticed in the right-hand side column of this blog, they are now one of my sponsors. This is a reflection of how supportive the owner Lisa is of her staff. However, that's not to say that it is easy-peasy work, obviously it differs from class to class but I put A LOT of energy into those classes. Helping six or seven people through a complex garment project all day, keeping momentum and positivity and dealing with sporadic technical difficulties whilst not letting anyone fall behind definitely feels a bit like keeping plates spinning whilst on stage (I'd imagine)! 
• I also have a monthly 'Rework Your Wardrobe' class which takes place at Super+Super HQ in Brighton. These classes are really fun and it's wonderful to see some previously unwearable garments brought back to life. It's great to share the skills, techniques and approaches that a lot of us who have been sewing/refashioning for yonks may have started to take for granted. I also have another 'Intro to Commercial Sewing Patterns' class coming up at Super+Super. Amy and Claire who own and run this lovely space are very open to trying new classes and workshops, so I may rig up some others before the year is out. I love the freedom I have working with Super+Super, but the downside of teaching classes there is that I have to do quite a bit of organising and promoting. I'm totally spoilt by Sew Over It, where I just need to turn up and not worry about getting bums on seats!

Brighton Craftaganza

My baby contemporary craft market is a baby no more! It is now in its third year. How quickly they grow... Since becoming self-employed, I've definitely been able to devote more brain-space to how I want it to develop and grow. Interestingly, when I very first became self-employed I really tried to put a rocket under it and even researched options for making it monthly rather than quarterly, but I kept hitting brick walls. A few months on I think that was totally for the best and I now feel its strength lies in being less frequent and therefore a more special 'event'. I may have misinterpreted feedback, but it appears to be getting a rep as one of the better, more interesting craft/handmade fairs/markets in the UK. Hurrah for that! 

• My main Craftaganza tasks are still organising the actual events themselves. This year we are doing more events than previous years, so as soon as one market has taken place, I have perhaps a few weeks before I need to start it up all over again. Each event takes about three months of fairly intense part-time work, even though to the lay-man who doesn't know me, it may look like all I do is rock on up to the actual event and put some tables out and tell Pat where to hang the bunting! If only they knew... I'm not entirely sure Craftaganza is financially worth all the time and effort I put into it, but I do think we are doing good things for the local and perhaps national handmade/craft scene and by spreading the word that handmade is more special and valuable than mass-produced (which I guess is kind of what I try to do in regards to clothing with my other activities). 
• I'm still firmly involved in co-promoting and co-hosting our new Craftaganza Live free creative meet-ups. These are monthly events to provide opportunities for local creative types, very often designer-makers, to meet, have a drink and a chat. Each event starts with a talk by a member or members of the crafty/handmade scene about their work, business and inspiration. Last month's speaker was the amazing Eleanor Callaghan, designer of Etsy and Pinterest favourite label 'Dig for Victory' (one of her beautiful creations is pictured below). She's just opened a bricks-and-mortar shop and her whole story was totally fascinating. Tonight's Craftaganza Live will be featuring, umm, me! I'll be talking about my experience of starting up and running a craft market and hopefully imparting some helpful hints to sellers/potential sellers. Wish me luck, I'm really nervous!!!

Sewing and Blogging

The fact that I spend a fair bit of time sewing and blogging probably won't come as a surprise to you! But the reason that I'm adding it to my list of activities these days is because (in the very best sense) I now take blogging more seriously and no longer feel it's an indulgence to spend hours taking/editing photos and writing blog posts. My husband Pat helped me realise that I should be considering it one of my main activities, rather than just a hobby, because this blog is my calling card of sorts. It speaks entirely of my passions, skills and interests and has opened lots of doors for me. For example, I probably wouldn't be teaching at Sew Over It if I didn't have a blog that got me an invite to Lisa's book launch and a chance to put to her the possibility of teaching at her sewing cafe. Also, as mentioned above, I now have a small number of selected sewing-related sponsors that bring in an (albeit tiny) income.  

Mystery Projects

I apologise for the guarded nature of this section, but it is currently too soon to disclose the details of a couple of exciting projects I've got on the go. Maybe they won't pan out, maybe they will. Maybe they will flop, maybe they will be game-changing. All I can currently say is that both are taking a fair bit of my time and brain-space. 

One notable absence and lessons learnt...

If you have been paying close attention, you may have noticed that hat-making or any kind of sewing-for-money is no longer on this list of activities. I shall explain... The run up to Christmas was totally stressful. I know it is for most people, but I felt properly snowed under (excuse the pun) with organising the Christmas Brighton Craftaganza market, organising and teaching classes, rigging up some 'Sales For People Who Hate Selling' talks, making stock for some craft fairs I took part in, co-organising and promoting 'Miniclick-aganza' which was a combined photography and craft Christmas party (don't ask, surprisingly it was carnage!) and doing extra shifts at the hat-making job. I knew it was going to be a stressful time, which always has detrimental effects to my sleep, but I thought I saw an end in sight.

I took a couple of weeks off over Christmas to visit friends and family, although I was still sleeping very little. I thought that things would start to balance out in the new year, but they didn't. I had to immediately start organising the Spring Brighton Craftaganza, and the number of classes I was scheduled to teach amped up. For some reason, orders kept flying in at the hat-making business so things didn't let up there. I was struggling to spend time doing the things I love (like sewing and blogging) and I was becoming a physical mess. I actually have a draft of half a blog post saved I tried to write at that time (it was written at 3am or something when I was going through a phase of insomnia). It's such a pathetic mess of garbled thoughts, it helped me realise something had to give. 

I think if you are self-employed or freelance, there is a compulsion to 'make hay whilse the sunshines' and push yourself to do as much work/take on as many projects as you possibly can for fear that there will be a dry period just round the corner and you'll be thankful you made as much money as you could when you had the chance. Although dropping one of my income streams was going to make things tricky financially-speaking, I had to take one thing off the pile of activities if I was to get some sleep and leave some brain space for the other things I want to achieve this year (including the mystery projects). So I chose the hat-making as the thing to let go. It wasn't an easy decision to make because my boss is really lovely. But I kind of got to the point where it wasn't much of a challenge anymore and as the one thing that wasn't self-directed, I didn't feel as invested in it. Plus it involves working longer hours for less money than teaching does!

So apologies if this post has gone on a bit long! I'm going to publish a kind of 'Part 2' to this post next Wednesday that will be more directly useful if you are thinking about becoming self-employed/free-lance yourself. Not that I'm any kind of expert, or have even done a particularly good job of being self-employed in the last six months, but I think sharing my experience and some extra info may be beneficial to others.   

Refashion with 'So, Zo': Rework Your Wardrobe Session

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the people reading post this will not be interested in taking this class, because you probably already have mad-skillz in this area. But nevertheless, I want to share with you my new Rework Your Wardrobe session/class which will take place in Brighton on Sunday 3rd February because, A) you may know someone who it would appeal to, and B) some peops have expressed an interest in hearing about my self-employed shenanigans and this class is part of that. 

This Rework your Wardrobe session encourages attendees to bring their unloved, unworn, broken or ill-fitting clothes to the session and learn skills and techniques that will bring them back into wardrobe rotation!

The beginning of the New Year can often feel frustrating and miserable. You've spent far too much money over the festive period, plus if you're in the Northern Hemisphere you've got months of grey and chilly weather ahead until Spring shows it's face. You would really like some new clothes in your wardrobe for an injection of new style for the new year, but financially it's just not happening! This session, however, could help you rework and refresh things you already have to bring some much needed fun into your clothing selection. 

Reworking your existing clothes, rather than chucking them away and buying new things, saves you money and has a much smaller environmental impact. Plus, this session can teach new sewing skills and approaches that can be used again and again in the future. We can also rescue charity shop and vintage finds! 

The Rework Your Wardrobe session is simple: you just need to bring a bag full of garments to fix, fit or rework, we provide all the equipment you will need. However, if your garment had a broken zip, you will need to bring a replacement that I can help you insert.

We will start the session by taking a look at what everyone has brought and having a brief chat about each garment to establish what needs to be done to bring them back to life.

I will then assist you to fix/fit//rework as many garments as possible within the session. 

The skills, techniques and approaches you will learn will obviously depend on what your garments require, but they may include:

• Hemming trousers and skirts
• Fixing rips, tears and holes
• Reshaping for a more flattering fit
• Inserting a new zip
• Shortening hems or sleeves for a new look
• Plus many others!

All skill levels are welcome. Previous sewing machine experience is helpful but not essential. 

This session takes place at Super+Super HQ, in Central Brighton, UK. It runs from 10.30 to 13.30 on Sunday 3rd February 2013 and costs £26. If you have any questions and require more specific information, please feel free to email me at: sozoblog (at) gmail (dot) com.

If you would like to book a ticket to attend, you can do so very easily below. If you know anyone who this session may appeal to, please send them the link! Thanks lovely peops.

Online Ticketing for Rework Your Wardrobe powered by Eventbrite

Self-Employment Update

As you may already know, a bunch of months ago, I rather suddenly became self-employed. Some of my super-sweet readers have expressed an interest in hearing how life as a self-employed person is panning out. So here is a little update of where I find myself several months into it...

Brighton Craftaganza

This aspect of my self-employedness is currently at the forefront of my mind because our next craft and handmade market is looming close and I am eye-ball deep in the organising and promotion stages. My activities include:

• Writing and scheduling posts for the Brighton Craftaganza blog, in particular there are lots of 'Meet the Seller' interview posts at the moment to give visitors and other sellers an opportunity to learn more about the people who will be selling their work at the event.
• Co-promoting and co-hosting our new Craftaganza Live free creative meet-ups. These are monthly events (we just did our second) to provide opportunities for local creative types, very often designer-makers, to meet, have a drink and a chat. Each event starts with a talk by a member or members of the crafty/handmade scene about their work, business and inspiration. Past speakers have been Amy and Claire from Super+Super HQ and TheBigForest. 
• Pat and I have also created a workshop called 'Sales for People Who Hate Selling' which we have presented for a room full of designer-makers interested in improving their face-to-face sales technique in time for the festive selling period. The first date sold out of tickets super-quick so we lined up another which takes place this week. 

Teaching

You may well have seen before on this blog my announcements for the 'Introduction to Commercial Sewing Patterns' class and Vest Making sessions that I've been teaching at Super+Super HQ. Both have been going well, but some more attendees wouldn't hurt! I just freakin' LOVE teaching sewing and pattern related stuff. I get to talk to lovely people for a few hours at a time about the subject I am most interested in and get paid (a bit). In the New Year I plan to expand the range of classes I teach in Brighton at S+S, including a clothing alteration and mending class which there has been call for recently I've found. 

I have also begun assisting with a pattern cutting class at Sew Over It in London. In the New Year I will be teaching that Intro to Pattern Cutting class solo, alongside a 40s Tea Dress class (pictured above) and a Trouser Making class. It's pretty fabulous working at Sew Over It. It's a beautiful space with all the equipment you could possibly need, and cake in abundance. 

Hat-Making

The local sewing machine repair man Richard (who shared a heap of his knowledge in this post) who knows everyone in Sussex with a sewing machine, domestic or industrial, phoned me up shortly after the TRAIDremade studio closed down saying he knew a woman who was looking for a part-time machinist. When I became self-employed my income dropped to basically zilch so I contacted her with haste. 'That woman' was hatter Jill Corbett, I went for a trial and now I work for her between one and three days a week. 

Generally, I make her pork-pie (pictured above), fedora (AKA Snatch) or trilby styles in leather, canvas or moleskin using mental-looking industrial machines. It's been a real education learning how the pieces go together. I'm still getting used to making the leather ones: thick, tough leather really doesn't want to become a 3D shape! All her hats are made to order for specific customers across the globe. 

Random fact: milliners create hats for women, hatters create hats for men.

Making Stuff to Sell

This is quite a small category of activity because I'm not taking it super-seriously. Basically, I've been making lots more of the recycled wool mittens I made last Winter to sell at a couple of craft fairs on the lead-up to Christmas. I'll be sharing a stall with my mate Kirstin at this event and I'll be present (and hopefully festively tipsy) at this festive selling soiree at Super+Super HQ.

To be honest, I get a bit jealous of the sellers at all the craft fairs I visit and organise. Plus, having been thinking lots about selling due to the 'Sales for Peops...' event Pat and I have been working on, I thought I'd give selling a whirl this festive season. I won't, however, have a stall at my own event. I've learnt that at Brighton Craftaganza I need to be getting people inside the venue and checking all the sellers are ok (and eating sausage rolls), which doesn't fit well with trying to man your own stall and concentrating on making sales. I'm really excited to be the other side of the table and putting into practice the techniques I feel I've learnt. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, and if I don't sell many, I'm all set for Christmas presents to give!!! 

Conclusion:

Being self-employed is wonderful but really hard work. I kind of imagined it would be both those things of course, but until I was actually living it, it is impossible to actually visualise how my new life will be. I thought I worked a lot when I had a full-time job and organised Brighton Craftaganza, blogged, sewed and made patterns on the side. But now I find myself working even longer hours; there is no cut-off between 'work' and 'being at home', especially after the acquisition of an iPhone, even though I have a desk space where I theoretically can walk away from. It's confusing knowing what task I should be concentrating on and when with no-one else to ask. Plus, taking time to plan for the future, even just a couple of weeks ahead, can kind of get forgotten. I'm trying to improve in these areas though. 

When I announced my self-employedness, lots of people left comments of their own experiences of redundancy and/or setting up on their own and their financial concerns. I can totally relate to many of these now. I'm making very little money right now, but I have two things I am very grateful for: 1) I live in a country that (currently, just about) has a welfare state that provided Pat and I with some housing benefit assistance that helped us out when we needed it most, and 2) Pat's recent book has been doing well, and he received a royalty cheque that meant we can keep a roof over our heads and food on the table for the foreseeable future. PHEW.

So, thanks masses to everyone who wished me well when I wrote about all this stuff previously. I'll get back to blogging about pretty dresses and refashioned T-shirts soon, promise!

Sew with 'So, Zo': October @ Super+Super HQ!

I am excited to announce that, starting in October, I will be teaching sewing and sewing-related classes at Super+Super HQ in Brighton. Now I know that most of the lovely readers of my blog are either already highly skilled sewers and/or don't live near South-East England, but on the off-chance that some of you might be interested, here's what I'll be teaching and when:

Class: Vest/Camisole/Singlet Making Session

This session will take you through the process of making your own vest from jersey fabric or unwanted T-shirts. Using my multi-sized vest pattern, we will go slowly through the steps from pattern preparation and cutting out the pieces, to construction using a sewing machine and overlocker/serger (no previous overlocker/serger experience necessary). By the end of this class, not only will you have a wearable, useful garment of your very own, but you will also have been provided with the skills and pattern you'll need to make hundreds more vests in the future.  

Will need to bring: 1 metre of jersey and/or some large unwanted T-shirts. Everything else will be available at the class.

Recommended for: All skill levels are welcome, but must have used a sewing machine before and feel relatively confident doing so. This class is ideal for someone interested in sewing with jersey fabric but isn't sure where/how to begin.

When: Friday 12th October, 7.00pm - 9.30pm

Cost: £26 

More info and where to book: http://vestmakingclass.eventbrite.co.uk/

Class: Introduction to Commercial Sewing Patterns

This session will designed to demystify and explain how to use commercial sewing patterns. This is a discussion and demonstration based class, not a practical 'doing' one. Topics covered will include:

• What to do if your measurements span two or more sizes on the pattern
• What to do if you are taller or shorter than the pattern has been designed for
• What the differences between vintage and modern patterns are
• How to select appropriate fabric for your pattern
• What all the symbols on the pattern mean and what to do about them

And lots more. The perfect class for a Sunday morning with a tea or coffee in hand. 

Will need to bring: Nothing accept a notebook and pen if you wish to make extra notes.

Recommended for: This class is perfect for someone who has already taken a beginners sewing class or generally feels ok using a sewing machine, and now wants to amp their skills to become a confident dress-maker.

When: Sunday 21st October, 10.30am - 1.00pm

Cost: £24.50

More info and where to book: http://introtosewingpatterns.eventbrite.co.uk/

These classes will be repeated in November, I'll post about them after the October classes have taken place and the November classes are ready to be booked. If you know anyone who may be interested in taking these classes, please send them the links!!! Thanks in advance.

Sew Good with Zo!

It's probably impossible not to notice, particularly if you live in a city, the recent proliferation of sewing schools, studios and classes popping up all over the shop. This is reflecting the rise in interest in recapturing the crafts of our foremothers; to obtain hands-on skills in an increasingly virtual world AND to create and maintain our own clothing, freeing us from the exhaustive quantity of often poor quality mass-manufactured garments that have been produced though questionable means.

Personally, I'm very much heartened and excited by this increase in sewing schools, studios, classes and courses. For a beginner, this new range of choice of how and where to learn serves to facilitate the seeds of a new hobby, if not way of life. Plus, the amount of classes springing up means the teachers are becoming more innovative with the selection available. Therefore, some more advanced courses and single-skill sessions are popping up for the benefit of those who have a bit more sewing experience and don't need to learn how to thread their machines.

Even though there are lots more sewing classes and schools popping up, the world is far from saturated. Not until EVERYONE knows how to maintain their clothes will there be enough, in my book! So, today I'm going to tell you about a new sewing studio that's just opened up in London. This one is unique in two main senses: #1, it is run by a charity, so your class fee will not only go to running the course and studio, but will profit development projects in the Third World, and #2, I'm going to be teaching there!!!

Yes Siree, TRAID (the charity I work for) has launched the Sew Good Studio, 'A permanent creative workshop offering sustainable fashion courses teaching sewing and up-cycling skills'. The Sew Good Studio is housed above the TRAID charity shop in Kilburn, North West London and was set up the to fulfil demand for the taster sessions Lyla, Head of Education, had been running with her assistants to teach participants basic sewing skills to mend, revamp and adjust their wardrobes. Back in February, I headed up to London to help out at one of those sessions, and as cool as it was, it was evident that a permanent set up, rather than shifting sewing machines and boxes to set up temporary work stations in charity shops outside of opening hours, would improve what could be offered to the public.

It makes a lot of sense for a textile recycling charity like TRAID to offer sewing courses, because their entire focus is already on sustainability, reducing textile waste and re-purposing clothing. And the selection of classes to be held at the Sew Good studio is as impressive as the rest of the private sewing schools, including how to make a quilted laptop bag and how to make a panelled jumper dress. As with most non-for-profit organisations, everybody at TRAID has several job roles, are pretty overloaded and have to work within very limited budgets. Therefore, advertising the classes fell behind somewhat, but you can see the full listing for April here.

And me? What will I be teaching? My session is rather grandly titled 'The TRAIDremade Masterclass: Rework Your Wardrobe'. I'll be helping people bring life back into their unworn and unloved clothing by teaching a variety of skills to mend, alter, re-fit, hem and upcycle the items they bring along.

My first class is meant to be next Saturday (21st April), however due to the late pressing of the schedule, it's a possibility not enough people will sign up for that session to go ahead. The following 'TRAIDremade Masterclass' sessions are booked in for 19th May and 23rd June, basically every third Saturday in the month. My sessions will last a value-packed four hours. That's a whole lot of clothes-rescuing right there!

If you are interested in booking any of the Sew Good classes, or require more info, email sewgood@traid.org.uk or call Lyla on 020 8733 2591. Happy clothes-saving, peops.

Oh, I just realised that the hands in the Sew Good flyer pictured above are mine!!! Some photographer was sent to our studio for something completely different months and months ago and took a bunch of pictures which I can barely remember. But I just recognised that pattern master, then I checked the little mole on my arm to confirm it's me! You can tell it was a photoshoot because I NEVER use pins when cutting out!