course – Stacey Stitch

First off Happy New Year! It’s been an eventful 2016 and the reason I haven’t been able to update my blog much in the last six months is currently snoozing in his cot upstairs.

Our lovely little boy has been keeping me very busy since his arrival in June and as much as I thought I would have time to do a little bit of sewing and crafting I have done nothing, apart from the course I’ll be taking about today.

The good news is he’s now sleeping through the night which means I’m waaaay less tired and I’m itching to get back to making something. So I should be back sewing soon!

Anyhoo, getting back to it….

In June I bought an overlocker thanks to the generosity of my husband, family and inlaws which all chipped in in cash and vouchers. I only managed to get it out of the box and have a look and put it back again as I was about a week overdue at that point and had more important things to do, like bounce about on a birthing ball and try not to eat my own weight in ice cream.

I did, however, sign up to the Ministry of Craft’s Overlocking for Beginners course in Manchester in September. If you’ve read some of my previous blogs you’ll know that I’ve done a couple of courses with MoC now and I really can’t recommend them enough. If you’re someone like me who needs to be shown something for it to make sense then you’ll find them invaluable. September came around quite quickly and off I went to their city centre base to learn what I was doing.
The course was two and a half hours in length and gave an overview of overlockers including threading which I ended up doing twice after forgetting to put the foot down the first time and had to start from scratch (good practice though!).

We were told a few handy tips the most useful of which is to keep a record and a swatch every time you use your overlocker so you have it for future reference if you go back and use similar fabric again. That way you’re not starting from scratch.

We were shown (and practiced) seams, edge finishes and rolled hems, which I was particularly interested in as I still have some gorgeous vintage pink chiffon I brought back from Vegas a couple of years ago that I’ve been too scared to do anything with.

As always the course tutor was fantastic, no question too silly, and she put us all at ease and made certain that everyone’s questions were answered and everyone had the time for a little one to one which she checked that they were on track.

I haven’t been near my overlocker since but I know from the help sheets and notes I have written I won’t have any problem when I do. So a huge thanks to Ministry of Craft for an informative morning and their help.

I would definitely recommend this course for anyone new to the world of overlockers or for those who need a quick brush up if theirs has been sat unused for a year or so.

Last weekend I made my way into town for a decoupage jewellery making class with the Ministry of Craft. This is the first course of theirs that I have taken, I have been aware of them for a while and finding myself at a loose end this weekend as Timbo was away with work, I thought I’d see what was on.

This was my first foray into decoupage; sure, I was one of those kids with a scrap book pasting in pictures from birthday and Christmas cards I’d cut out. A very clever and cheap way of keeping me and my sisters entertained when we were kids (well played Nana!) but I’d not even picked up the paste since then.

The course took place in the basement of Fred Aldous (again, I never even knew the classrooms down there existed – even though I’ve been in the shop several times) and we were met by Sam, the course tutor, who was extremely friendly and chatty and explained the process very well, guiding us through step by step and helping out where she could and was needed.

I chose some decopatch paper which was a map of Manhattan and got to work on covering a bangle, followed by a pendant and a brooch, all with different districts from the Island. I chose the garment district for my bangle, I thought it would be quite apt!

I really enjoyed the sticking and glazing process, even though I chose something which in the end turned out to be quite time consuming as I had to ensure that all of the sections of map lined up which meant applying them in small strips rather than chunkier ones, but in for a penny in for a pound.

I’m really pleased with the results and shortly I‘ll have a few bits and bobs for sale alongside my hairflowers, the proceeds of which will be supporting my ever growing adventure into sewing.

The workshop was well run, well supplied and expertly taught and I would have no problem recommending this to anyone who’s looking for a fun creative afternoon. For £29.50 you can’t complain as you get three items to take home (you’re shown how to build origami gift boxes too) and you get 10% off in the shop too – which is kind of worth it’s while but a note – Fred Aldous is known for being particularly expensive compared to online shops and other retailers.