Vee's Sewing Journeys

Sewing Machine SOS is coming...

Calling hobby sewists who sit down ready to enjoy some precious sewing time...🥰🪡
..only for your sewing machine to start behaving strangely.😩

😱 The thread keeps breaking.
😕 The stitches don't look right.
⬅️ The fabric won't feed.
🤯 The machine jams.

And suddenly you're not sewing anymore.

You're Googling. 🔎

One website says one thing.

A Facebook group says something else.

A YouTube video tells you to change a setting you've never touched before. 📱

And you're left wondering:

Where do I even start?🤷‍♀️

Is this something simple or something serious? 😬

Am I about to make it worse? 😨

Do I need a repair? 🔧

What you actually want is simple.

You want to work out what's wrong, fix common problems yourself where you can, and get back to sewing without spending your entire sewing session down a rabbit hole of conflicting advice. 🕳️🐇

That's why I've created the Sewing Machine SOS App. 🚨🧵

It's designed to help you troubleshoot your sewing machine from the symptom you're experiencing, rather than expecting you to already know what's causing the problem.

You'll be able to:

✔ Get meaningful guidance when something goes wrong, so you don't lose your entire sewing session to frustration and Google rabbit holes.

✔ Follow symptom-led troubleshooting, starting with the problem you're experiencing instead of trying to work out which part of the machine is causing it.

✔ Work through step-by-step guided fixes, so the process feels calmer, clearer and much less overwhelming.

And because I know how frustrating it is when sewing machine advice assumes you already understand all the terminology, you can describe the problem in your own words. 💬

You don't have to know the technical term before you can start troubleshooting.

Sewing Machine SOS is currently available through beta access. 🚀

If your sewing machine has ever thrown a tantrum right in the middle of a project, 😤🧵 this is for you. ❤️

👇Comment SOS below and I'll message you with the details and answer any questions you have.

Why do you want to sew?

This is the question I always use as an ice-breaker at the start of every new sewing course.

Interestingly, the answer is never:
“To save money making my own clothes.”

In fact, most people already know sewing your own wardrobe isn’t necessarily cheaper once you factor in fabric, patterns and time.

The most common answers are:
-Ready-to-wear clothes don’t fit them properly.
-Trousers are too long.
-Busts gape.
-Waistbands too tight.
-Sleeves are too short.
-Things fit in one place and are completely wrong somewhere else.

So many people join a sewing class because they want to learn how to:
✂️ take up a hem
🧵 alter clothes properly
👗 make clothes that actually fit their body

I completely get that.

People arrive nervous about the sewing machine itself.

They worry they’ll thread it wrong, break something, or end up in a tangled mess.

By the end of the first session they’re proudly holding up what they’ve made with the biggest smile on their face saying:

“Look what I made!”

And they’re excited to take it home and show people what they made.

I love seeing the realisation they can actually sew.

That’s exactly why I’ve partnered with Tysew Sewing Machines in Iver to run these beginner-friendly Summer Sewing Experience Days.

You won’t just practise random rows of stitching.

You’ll learn how to use a sewing machine properly, sew straight, evenly and neatly and go home with something useful you’ve actually made yourself:

When you buy a place on one of my Summer Sewing Experience Days you will:

🪡Discover the secrets of using a sewing machine with ease, so you can start sewing your dream projects without getting tangled or frustrated!

🧵Master the art of threading, stitching and adjusting your machine's dials, buttons, and k***s, so you can achieve perfect results every time - no thread nests, wonky seams or uneven stitches!

👕Create a practical and beautiful summer project under my expert guidance, and leave with a stylish tote bag or garment you made yourself, with all materials included, use of Tysew's sewing machines, plus tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day.

The Details
When:
Wednesday 29 July – 🧵 Summer Tote Bag
Wednesday 5 August – 🩳 Elasticated Summer Shorts
Wednesday 12 August – 👕 Simple Tee-Shirt
Wednesday 19 August – 🌴 Beach Robe / Summer Wrap

Time:
10am to 3:30pm
(there will be a relaxed 30-minute lunch break so bring your own packed lunch)

Where:
Tysew Sewing Machines, 32 The Ridgeway, Iver, Bucks SL0 9HW UK

Your investment:
£145
(includes your full 1-day workshop, my expert guidance throughout the day, all materials for your chosen project, use of Tysew’s sewing machines, unlimited tea, coffee and biscuits.)
There is a maximum of 4 places available so book now to avoid disappointment.

DM me or comment ‘INTERESTED’ and I’ll ping the details over to you.

P.S. Image is an example tote bag you could be making if you come to the Summer Tote
Bag Experience Day.

Her: You could take a leading role.

Me: What?? Me?? NO! I can’t do that!

Her: Why not?

Me: [scrambling to think of a valid reason]: well…. I can’t sing

Her: You can learn to sing.

Mind blown 🤯

This was the conversation I had backstage with Sam, the leading lady of the first musical I was in and only the second show I’d ever been in.

I was an ensemble member.

Up to then I had assumed that singing was something you were naturally good at.

I had no idea that you could learn to sing.

A little voice inside me said, ‘I want to do that’.

It’s exactly the same with sewing.
So many people tell me:

“I’m not talented enough.”
“I’m not creative.”
“I’d be useless at that.”

But sewing isn’t magic.

It’s a skill.

A skill you can learn, practise, and get better at.

And once you can use a sewing machine confidently, a whole world opens up.

👗You can make clothes.
👖Alter things so they actually fit.
🧛‍♂️Create costumes for World Book Day.
✂️Repair favourites instead of throwing them away.
🧵Upcycle clothes into new styles and pieces to wear.

But first you need someone to show you where to start.

If you’ve been inspired to sew and there's a little voice inside you saying ‘I want to do that’, then now is the perfect time to learn how to sew.

I’ve partnered with Tysew Sewing Machines in Iver to run a series of beginner Summer Sewing Experience Days.

When you buy a place on one of my Summer Sewing Experience Days you will:

🪡Discover the secrets of using a sewing machine with ease, so you can start sewing your dream projects without getting tangled or frustrated!

🧵Master the art of threading, stitching and adjusting your machine's dials, buttons, and k***s, so you can achieve perfect results every time - no thread nests, wonky seams or uneven stitches!

👕Create a practical and beautiful summer project under my expert guidance, and leave with a stylish tote bag or garment you made yourself, with all materials included, use of Tysew's sewing machines, plus tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day.

The Details

When:
Wednesday 29 July – Summer Tote Bag
Wednesday 5 August – Elasticated Summer Shorts
Wednesday 12 August – Simple Tee-Shirt
Wednesday 19 August – Beach Robe / Summer Wrap

Time:
10am to 3:30pm
(there will be a relaxed 30-minute lunch break so bring your own packed lunch)

Where:
Tysew Sewing Machines, 32 The Ridgeway, Iver, Bucks SL0 9HW UK

Your investment:
£145
(includes your full 1-day workshop, expert guidance throughout the day, all materials for your chosen project, use of Tysew’s sewing machines, unlimited tea, coffee and biscuits.)
There is a maximum of 4 places available so book now to avoid disappointment.

DM me or comment ‘INTERESTED’ and I’ll ping the details over to you.

P.S. At the end of show week, while we were striking the set, I finally plucked up the courage to ask the musical director if he would teach me to sing.

He did.

And two years later I was cast as one of the leading ladies in Carousel - which is the photo here

‘No mum’.

That was my eldest daughter’s response to the suggestion I make her prom dress.

Oof. That was crushing.

The thing is, while my kids were growing up, I hadn’t really sewn much apart from rushed World Book Day costumes from random bits lying around.

She had absolutely no idea that before she was born, I used to make competition ballroom dance dresses and bridal gowns.

She probably imagined I was about to whip something up from musty old curtains or worn out sheets from the airing cupboard.
So I took her to a fabric shop.

We walked around looking at all the beautiful silky satins and chiffons in every colour imaginable.

We stood flicking through the huge pattern books together and I told her she could choose absolutely anything she liked.

And that’s when it clicked for her.

Sewing isn’t about “making do”.

It’s about being able to create exactly what you want.

The exact colour.
The exact style.
The exact fit.

And nobody else turning up wearing the same thing!

That’s what I love about sewing.

Once you know how to use a sewing machine confidently, a whole world opens up.

But I also know that for most people, the sewing machine itself is the intimidating bit.

- All the dials.
- The threading.
- The tension.
- The fear of ending up in a tangled mess and thinking “nope, not for me”.

That’s exactly why I’ve partnered with Tysew Sewing Machines in Iver to run these beginner Summer Sewing Experience Days.

When you buy a place on one of my Summer Sewing Experience Days you will:

🪡Discover the secrets of using a sewing machine with ease, so you can start sewing your dream projects without getting tangled or frustrated!

🧵Master the art of threading, stitching and adjusting your machine's dials, buttons, and k***s, so you can achieve perfect results every time - no thread nests, wonky seams or uneven stitches!

👕Create a practical and beautiful summer project under my expert guidance, and leave with a stylish tote bag or garment you made yourself, with all materials included, use of Tysew's sewing machines, plus tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day.

The Details
When:
Wednesday 29 July – Summer Tote Bag
Wednesday 5 August – Elasticated Summer Shorts
Wednesday 12 August – Simple Tee-Shirt
Wednesday 19 August – Beach Robe / Summer Wrap

Time:
10am to 3:30pm
(there will be a relaxed 30-minute lunch break so bring your own packed lunch)

Where:
Tysew Sewing Machines, 32 The Ridgeway, Iver, Bucks SL0 9HW UK

Your investment:
£145
(includes your full 1-day workshop, expert guidance throughout the day, all materials for your chosen project, use of Tysew’s sewing machines, unlimited tea, coffee and biscuits.)

There is a maximum of 4 places available so book now to avoid disappointment.

DM me or comment ‘INTERESTED’ and I’ll ping the details over to you.

P.S. The pic is her wearing the prom dress I made her.

When you buy a place on one of my Summer Sewing Experience Days you will

🪡Discover the secrets of using a sewing machine with ease, so you can start sewing your dream projects without getting tangled or frustrated!

🧵Master the art of threading, stitching and adjusting your machine's dials, buttons, and k***s, so you can achieve perfect results every time - no thread nests, wonky seams or uneven stitches!

👕Create a practical and beautiful summer project under my expert guidance, and leave with a stylish tote bag or garment you made yourself, with all materials included, use of Tysew's sewing machines, plus tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day.

The Details
When:
Wednesday 29 July – Summer Tote Bag
Wednesday 5 August – Elasticated Summer Shorts
Wednesday 12 August – Simple Tee-Shirt
Wednesday 19 August – Beach Robe / Summer Wrap

Time:
10am to 3:30pm (there will be a relaxed 30-minute lunch break so bring your own packed lunch)

Where:
Tysew Sewing Machines, 32 The Ridgeway, Iver, Bucks SL0 9HW UK

Your investment:

£145 (includes your full 1-day workshop, expert guidance throughout the day, all materials for your chosen project, use of Tysew’s sewing machines, unlimited tea, coffee and biscuits.)

There is a maximum of 4 places available so book now to avoid disappointment

DM or comment ‘INTERESTED’ and I’ll ping the details over to you.

Exciting news!

I've been invited by Tysew Sewing Machines in Iver (Bucks, UK) to run a series of beginner sewing experience days in their new showroom this summer... and I said yes!

If you've ever thought

"I'd love to try sewing, but no idea where to begin"
or
"I don't want to commit to a course or buy a machine before I know if I even like it"

Then this is exactly for you.

The Summer Sewing Experience Days are relaxed small-group days (maximum 4 people), where you'll be guided step by step to use a sewing machine with confidence and sew a simple project you'll actually use or wear.

No pressure. No expectation to know anything already.

Just a calm supportive space to try it properly and see if you enjoy it.

Everything is provided, sewing machines, pre-cut materials, tea, coffee and biscuits.

You just bring yourself (and your lunch).

There's 4 projects/dates to choose from:

29 July – Summer Tote Bag
5 August – Elasticated Shorts
12 August – Simple Tee-Shirt
19 August – Beach Robe / Summer Wrap

Interested?