Sew With Holly

**WEEKLY SEWIST APPRECIATION POST**

I'm absolutely loving sharing our amazing weekly class sewists with you! 💖

Here we have our lovely Renate's (Rey's) recent makes! 😍

She started sewing late in 2019 and started coming to weekly classes a couple of months before lockdown number 1! She came back when we re-opened and I honestly can't believe how far this super sewist has come!

She is a lovely soul and makes me laugh every week without fail.. she has the most amazing dry sense of humour 🤣

A fantastic mix of absolute determination with a dash of humour along the way has seen her Sewing skills sky rocket!

She started sewing lingerie in December (check out the cute gingerbread house bra!) And last week she completed that incredible white and hot pink swimming costume 🔥 🔥

Check out all her recent sewing projects @sew.i.tried

I think you will agree that she is pretty amazing!! 😍 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

WEEKLY SEWIST APPRECIATION 😍

Up next we have the lovely Laura @laurakath_ another weekly sewist 💖

She has some beautiful makes and is very experimental and creative when it comes to adapting patterns to create her ideal garment 🤩

She also often enlightens the class with an endless amount of knowledge on various subjects including why "seamstress" wasn't always a word to be associated with 😳😅🤣👄👀

Here is just a snippet of some of the incredible projects she has been working on. Follow her on insta to see all her Sewing projects!

I think you will agree that the pattern matching on her Blue & White dress is superb 👌

And the adorable embroidery of her sons hand print that sits inside the jacket on the pocket 🥰 She originally made that jacket for her husband but it looks pretty good on her doesn't it! 💖

New in store! (Will add online soon!)

Absolutely beautiful viscose prints and co-ordinating plains 😍 These new fabrics are stunning and sooo soft and drapey 🤤🤤

The last fabric is a gorgeous new printed Chambray 😍

All these fabrics are perfect for your spring/ summer projects!

We also have some new Linens with a slight stretch (3%) which means they are extremely comfy. They are perfect for Jumspuits/trousers shirts and tops 😍

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be showcasing some of our Amazing weekly class sewists 👏

TODAY we are celebrating the amazing creations from @sew_says_laura This woman is pretty amazing....she started sewing in lockdown has has come so so far since! 🤩

She always has a ***few*** sewing projects on the go and has some absolutely gorgeous makes 😍

Check out her Instagram for all the amazing projects she has completed ❤

Our lovely Hester came to our Introduction to Sewing Workshop and attended a few of our dressmaking workshops before Joining our Weekly Sewing Classes ❤

It's been wonderful watching her Sewing skills develop and her confidence grow ❤️

She has made a number of amazing Projects including Ties, pocket squares and her own wedding veil 👰 💒

This gorgeous hoodie is her latest make and as you can see she is beaming! Doesn't it just look absolutely bloomin fantastic?? 😍 🤩

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

A Happy Easter to all our wonderful customers and friends 💗

🐰🐣🌱🌻

We had a wonderful workshop Today! These guys did an amazing job in our Introduction to sewing Workshop ❤️

we looked at:

✂️ How to set up and thread a sewing machine
✂️ how to check Tention
✂️ how to follow seam allowance
✂️ We made a Tote bag & bunting!

Well done everyone 👏 😊 it was lovely to meet you 🥰

****UPDATE

COMPETITION CLOSED!

CONGRATULATIONS TO LISA FOR WINNING THE VOTE WITH "STITCHED UP!" AS A CLEAR WINNER! ❤❤*****

TIME TO VOTE!!

Following on from our competition to find a New name for our Teens weekly sewing classes....HERE ARE OUR FAVOURITES from all the wonderful suggestions you guys made! ❤

Please help us choose by voting for which name you prefer 😍

Hit 👍 for "Stitched up!"

Hit ❤ for "Stitchfluencers"

Our winner will recieve an Easter Egg just in time for Sunday! 😍❤

Sew my lovelies... Here's a little competition for you all to get involved in!

I'm looking for a new name for our Teens weekly sewing classes (ages 12-17) something short and snappy!

Our younger class (8-11 years) is called "little stitchers"

Pop your suggestions below 👇👇 and the winner will recieve an Easter Egg 😋 🐰 🍫

Make sure to let us know of any dietary requirements if you win! 😍

I've learnt the hard way that finding a bit of "me time" and relaxation is so incredibly important for your health 😌 I was told by the Neurologist to make sure I take time to do things for me as its a critical part of recovery....

So Today me and my lovely friend spent a wonderful morning at Winnie & Olive 🫒 a beautiful gift shop in Wall Heath (and Kinver to!) Making a dried flower spring Wreath. 🌼 🌸

I'm used to Christmas wreaths but this felt a bit harder with all the little bits to hold in place! But we had a lovely Tutor called Vanessa who helped us every step if the way ❤

If your after something a bit different check out thier page 🥰 the shop is beautiful and full of lovely things...I could have spent all day there 😀

Here are some projects that have been completed this week from our little Stitchers (8-11 years )

8 year old Holly made a cute little bear who she has called Teddy 🧸 she did an amazing job of sewing around those curved lines on the sewing machine! Her hand stitching was so neat and tidy especially considering she hadn't hand stiched before! 😍

Grace made the adorable sloth pencil case and successfully she successfully inserted her first zip 🥰👏👏 The 🦥 iron on applique is just to cute! 💘

Brooke has made this adorable patchwork blanket for her new baby cousin 🥰 she did such an amazing job matching up those seams! It looks so neat and well finished 😍

🤩🤩🤩 Aren't they amazing! 🤩🤩🤩

You have until 5pm Tomorrow to get your raffle tickets to win this amazing sewing hamper! £1 per ticket and ALL proceeds to Tommy's charity! 💗 see the post below for info on how to enter 😊

Still looking for the perfect Mother's day gift? Treat the special lady in your life to the gift of sewing!

We have beautiful sewing hampers all ready and made up for you topped with a lovely Bow 🎀

We also have Gift vouchers available in store and instant E-vouchers available online 🎁😍

https://www.sewwithholly.co.uk/gift-voucher

🎉🎉IT'S RAFFLE TIME 🎉🎉

My lovely husband is once again running the on the 3rd April to raise money for the amazing Tommy's

So to help him raise funds for this incredible charity we are holding a raffle!

Tickets are £1 each and all proceeds will go to Tommy's the baby Charity.

It is because of Tommy's and the incredibly important research they do, as well as thier amazing team at Birmingham Women's hospital that we have our Beautiful little girl, Evie.

Closing date Thursday 31st March and Draw will take place on Friday 1st April 💖

How to enter:

❤Follow this link to James' just giving page and make sure to write your name as well as "raffle" in comments:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-bentley0

💖By PayPal to [email protected] PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure to select "pay a friend" as we will be charged a fee otherwise and we won't be able to count your full entry.

❤Or visit the shop and leave your name and number (payment in cash only)

What you will win:

💕3 x 2.5m of beautiful rose & hubble 100% Cotton
💕 Tilly and the Buttons Jaime Pattern
💕 Sewing Days Fabrics 6 in 1 dress pattern
💕 TATB skye pattern
💕 premium hemline dressmaking sheers
💕 Rotary cutter
💕 Thread to match each fabric
💕 seam ripper
💕Tape measure
💕 Millwards stalk embroidery scissors
💕 Fabric marker pen
💕 Sew with Holly gift voucher worth £50

Good luck! 😍😍

Pointelle 100% Cotton Jersey in 3 Gorgeous colours 😍

Super soft ☺️

In store now and I'll add these online Today as well 😍

Would make beautiful T-shirts, Dresses, summery shorts and childrens wear 🥰💖

These ladies smashed it today! They learnt….

🧵How to thread the machine and wind the bobbin up

🧵All about tension

🧵The different stitches and when to use them

🧵How to cut out a pattern

🧵What all the markings on patterns mean

🧵How to pin correctly

🧵How to sew a seam

🧵Techniques for pressing your project

🧵How to make bag and bunting

🧵 and much much more.

It’s always a pleasure teaching people to sew, and giving them the confidence to try things and believe in themselves 🥰

Laurie x

Hi everyone!

I have a bit of an announcement to make and it's unfortunately not a particularly great one! And I have been putting off as I am apparently more optimistic than I thought 🤣

After the next set of workshops have finished (end of May) I shall not be adding anymore for a while. I shall still have intro to sewing workshops available to book twice per month as we now have our lovely Laurie trained up and she has already lead some brilliant classes 😀 👏 but I shall not be adding any others or extra workshops that I would usually run their half term etc. So all dressmaking workshops (except ones already booked) will be postponed for an unknown amount of time.

We will still be running our weekly classes as we have two wonderful tutors who shall be helping to take some of the load off me.

You may have noticed i haven't been in the shop on my usual days for a while as for the past (almost) 5 months I've not been feeling to great. I've been getting very frequent Hemiplegic Migraines. You may not have heard of them...I hadn't before I had my first one. In addition to regular Migraine symptoms you also get Stroke like symptoms. Infact the first one I had I was sent to A&E on blue lights as FAST positive (slured speech, one sided facial and body paralysis, a blown pupil and sort of semi consious) and had a stay in the acute stroke ward. I was told by a nurse that they thought I had had a stroke and I had a series of tests done. Lucky my MRI and CT came back clear and I was diagnosed with HM.

I thought perhaps it was a one off until December when I was having them Almost daily. They are not fun and In between having them I often feel dizzy, drunk and very tired and I often have trouble processing my thoughts and my words.

I have waited (impatiently 😅) for appointments and medications 💊 and although I am now on a new medication its taking longer than I had hoped to get them under control. I'm still having between 2-3 per week and I'm spending my days off mostly in bed trying to recover from a few hours work.

My migraines are to unpredictable which means i can feel absolutely fine one moment, and I'm knocked off my feet the next, I don't want to have to keep cancelling and rescheduling workshops last minute.

At the moment working a full day even when I'm feeling "well" is so tiring I can just about stand and walk straight by the end of the day 😅

I can just about manage my 2 hour weekly classes so I will continue to run my usual days (they are been covered mostly at the moment buy my two lovely tutors Shavaun and Tracey and by my amazing Mom who has helped me beyond measure these past few Months!) And the other classes that are ran by Tracey and Shavaun will of course also still go ahead as planned.

I absolutely love my Workshops and as soon as I'm feeling better I will be eager to get back running them!

Thank you for your understanding and I hope to see you very soon for some more fabulous workshops! 🥰 in the meantime like I say, our weekly classes are another prefect way brush up on your skills! ❤ so please do check them out 😊