All About The Sew

After following my dream in 2016 to share my passion for sewing through teaching others and creating All About The Sew, it is time for a change and to bid farewell to All About The Sew.

I want to thank everyone who has supported my business in whatever form that has been, I have loved it!

But it’s not all bad news...
I have always been a firm believer that
‘as one door closes, another one opens’ and....
I am sew excited to say that....

I will be continuing my sewing journey as part of the Guthrie & Ghani team in Moseley, Birmingham 😁.

Guthrie and Ghani - Haberdashery, Fabric and Yarn Store is every sewist’s dream - a beautiful haberdashery and workshop space. I will be the Workshops and Events Co-ordinator and will also be teaching sewing classes and lessons from the G & G studio.

To find out more information about classes, one-to-one sessions and anything else visit
https://guthrie-ghani.co.uk
Be sure to sign up to their newsletter to keep up to date with latest news, events and workshops. I hope to see lots of you there 🙂.

Lorna x

I’ll also be sharing my personal sewing journey on Instagram at
Www.instagram.com/lornahulme66/

Still stuck for ideas for Christmas?

How about a learning experience this year?

All About The Sew gift vouchers would be a wonderful gift to any special person in your life (including yourself!).

The gift of time, skills, development, joy and relaxation.

✂️🪡🧵🎅🏻🎄✂️🪡🧵🎅🏻🎄✂️🪡🧵🎄🎅🏻✂️

Vouchers can be used for one to one sewing lessons.

I can send vouchers direct to the recipient if short for time or email a printable voucher.

Order via the shop:
https://allaboutthesew.com/product/all-about-the-sew-gift-voucher/

For those of you in and around Knowle/Solihull friends…
Visit Knowle have begun a petition about the deterioration in appearance of the Knowle Village Centre.

From Visit Knowle:
Visit Knowle is asking the Council to intervene with relevant landlords in Knowle and encourage them to align their plans with the local community aspiration for a sustainable commercial centre matched to our demand for a quality and independent market offer in our village centre.

Support the request by signing this online petition

Save Knowle: Let's Fight Against Village Centre's Deterioration Together! 46 signatures are needed, let’s get there by the end of the day?

All of the remaining Prym stock following my studio closure has now been reduced to 60% off!! It must all go!!

Go to the shop page (link in bio) and have a look under the following categories:
Bobbins
Fabric marking
Pins and needles
Fastenings
Haberdashery and tools
Ironing and pressing

Use the coupon code PRYM60 at the checkout to apply the discount.

There are also a few boxy sewing pouch kits left with 40% off and Gutermann 100m sew all threads 25% off (now £1.61 each). Those items already have their discount applies.

Free delivery to B93 area with code FREEDELB93.

If you missed out on the recent Christmas fabric sale I had, you’re in luck - I have just under 50 fat quarters left and then that’s it, it’s gone!!

All are Craft Cotton Company 100% cotton, beautiful quality with many having metallic elements to them ✨🎄🤶🏻🎅🏻

Fat quarters are approximately 55cm x 50cm. There are so many projects you can make with fat quarters - crackers, crowns, place mats, table runners, bags, baskets, pencil cases, decorations….

Stock available at the moment:

Classic poinsettia 5
Classic Xmas leaf red - SOLD OUT
Classic Xmas leaf cream - SOLD OUT
Xmas Elves and foliage 3
Gingerbread wreaths 4
Starry night 6
Metallic snowflake green 3
Metallic snowflake red 2
Gnomes, elves and gingerbread - SOLD OUT
Tartan metallic 1
Stuart Hillard Xmas zig zag white 7
Colourful baubles 4
Stuart Hillard Xmas zig zag red 1

All on the website now
https://allaboutthesew.com/product-category/fabrics

****Clearance sale****
As October is flying by and November is fast approaching, now is the perfect time to start thinking about crafting for Christmas. And what better way than to stock up on these Christmas fabric bargains or limited edition sewing kits!

Offer number 1:
🎄50% off Christmas fabrics🎄
All fabrics are 100% cotton, 110cm wide and fabulous quality as always from the Craft Cotton company.

They are all woven fabrics so are perfect for Christmas craft projects - tote bags, bunting, gift bags, baskets, zipped pouches and more.

Lots of them have metallic fibres in them which you can't appreciate from the photos but trust me - they are absolutely stunning!

Lots of the fabrics complement each other too for example the poinsettias, snowflakes and elf/gingerbread collections, making them perfect for mix and match projects and quilting designs.

Offer number 2:
✂️40% off sewing kits✂️
Whether you fancy a sewing project for yourself or a gift for a loved one, these 2 limited edition sewing kits are fabulous - but once they are gone they are gone!

Don't waste time and stress gathering materials together for a project! The Christmas bunting kit and boxy zipped pouch kit contain all of the materials needed to make the projects, even machine thread so that you are literally ready to sew! All of the fabric pieces are pre cut for you making it so quick, easy and stress free to get going.

Complete with photographic step by step instructions, you will be sure to up level your sewing skills and sew these 2 projects in no time.

Don’t miss out on these amazing offers - once they are gone they are gone and won’t be restocked! Clearance sale is due to recent studio closure.

Sharing two of my Summer holiday wardrobe makes here (better late than never!!) 🌞.

Firstly, the vest top is the Blomma tank by Paradise Patterns. I had done a fair amount of research to find the right vest pattern that both myself and my Daughter would like and this was it. The pattern is also a free PDF pattern when you subscribe to their email marketing list - even better!

I used a beautifully soft fabric called the Mid Blue Rib Knit Blended Fabric and is perfect for the vest as it has a 70% 2 way stretch. I did lengthen the vest as I hate vests that ride up but think I may shorten it a bit as it feels a bit long when paired with certain trousers of shorts.

Again I researched a fairly straightforward shorts pattern and found the True Bias Dani shorts. In their most basic form you can go for the pocketless full elasticated waist. You can then add side pockets, back pockets and a further option of a zip fly and flat fronted waistband. It just so happened that when I went into Guthrie and Ghani to choose some fabric, they had recently used this pattern in one of their sewing society kits and they had one kit left. The fabric in the kit was a viscose linen in ecru, which I would have chosen to use for the pattern too - a happy match made in heaven so I went ahead and bought the kit. It was really useful to have the accompanying videos by Lauren included in the kit as this was my first time doing a zip fronted fly.

I know I’ll get a lot of wear of both of these garments 😊.

Well, hello, it’s been a while! It’s been a few months since I last posted - I’ve been taking a bit of a break whilst spending some time looking after myself and my family after my Mum died in May.

Handing my notice in on the Knowle studio and then a week later my Mum passing away was a lot and it was hard. It’s only really when I look back at it that I really realise it.

The photo of me is kayaking on a lake in Canada - we had a much needed family road trip around Quebec in August and had a wonderful time. Exploring, walking, sight seeing, cycling, whale watching, luging, white water rafting and of course eating! Such a beautiful part of the world, I only wish my French was better!

From an All About The Sew and teaching point of view I have continued to teach one to one sessions in people’s homes which I have been loving and will continue to offer. I am exploring options for social sewing sessions and also a venue to hold one off day classes in. I did manage to get some pre holiday sewing in too so will share those projects over the next couple of days.

I can’t wait to see some of you soon, I hope you are well x

Happy National Sewing Machine day everyone!! Let’s celebrate sewing (today and everyday!).
Hopefully we make the cut (✂️) for ITV news tonight after they came and filmed one of my sewcial sewing sessions last week at Achill Guest House and Spa Knowle. Think it may be on both regional and National ITV to a lesser or greater extent so I’m recording both!!

👀 Look out for two local businesses on ITV news on Tuesday night from 6pm!

For National Sewing Machine Day, ITV were filming a sewing session hosted by All About The Sew at Achill Guest House and Spa Knowle.

It's great to see local businesses being featured on tv 👏👏

Are you free on Thursday 8th June to come to a social sewing session in Knowle that will be filmed for a TV newsfeature?

Time to be confirmed but maybe 1-3pm. The session will be at Achill Guest House and Spa Knowle on Hampton Road in Knowle.

ITV are doing a feature for National Sewing Machine Day about whether sewing is a dying skill, and talking about sewing in the world of fast fashion. They have approached me to film a session and hopefully speak to some of you 😀

A few details:

✂️Part of the session will be filmed by ITV to be shown on regional news. If you’re willing then you may be asked about what sewing means to you .
🧵You will need to bring your own sewing machine that is in good working order and your own project to work on.
✂️There will be no charge for the session

Please email me if you are interested (comments/messages sometimes can get lost on here):
[email protected]

Thank you, it’s very exciting and a great opportunity to promote how amazing sewing is!!

Just look at these lovely ladies proudly showing off their freshly sewn envelope cushion covers!! The majority of the group had never used a sewing machine before.

It was the final beginners class in the studio!

Thank you to all of you that came and were really supportive and patient at the beginning when I had a bit of a blub. I was in 2 minds about whether to do my teaching this week but I’m glad I did. If you can’t get onto a beginners class then it’s such a barrier to getting started on your sewing journey. I was lucky enough to have my Mum teach me so I wanted to do the same for these ladies 😊.

Well done ladies, you were a fabulous group to teach 🙌👏

I tend to keep my family life private on social media but on this occasion I felt I wanted to share this with you.

I am devastated to say that my beautiful, amazing, inspiring Mum passed away yesterday after a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. My heart is broken.

My Mum taught me to sew and to knit: 2 things I will be forever grateful for.

She has always been a massive inspiration for me with All About the Sew and always been one of my biggest cheerleaders. I know she was very proud of me for following my passion, taking the leap and starting my business.

I know that lots of you have met my Mum at some of my events and have asked about how she has been doing over the years, hence why I wanted to share this with you.

Please bear with me over the next couple of weeks if I am a bit slower responding to messages and emails as I try and navigate my way through this horrible time.

One thing I am certain about is that I will definitely be looking to use sewing and crafting to help me along the way.

✂️✂️It’s sale time!! ✂️✂️

My end of studio clearance sale is now on both in the studio and online!!

Now's the time to stock up on some sewing goodies and essentials! If there is something you have had your eye on for a while - go for it!

There is up to 40% off Prym haberdashery products, 25% off All About The Sew sewing kits, 25% off Gutermann threads and 20% off all sewing patterns!!

If you are local you can come to the studio to browse in person when I am there. Alternatively if you would like to order online and collect your order from the studio then just select this option at the checkout. Then just get in touch to collect it. Free delivery for orders over £50.

Happy shopping!

Do share with any of your sewing friends 😀(after you’ve had a look of course!! 😂)

A beautifully made Tilly and the Buttons Agnes top made by one of my sewists over the course of a few one to one sessions.

We went through cutting out accurately, cutting stretchy fabric, tips with sewing with stretch, twin needle top stitching (😍😍😍😍), attaching neckbands, stabilising shoulder seams, stabilising hems, stripe matching (👌👌👌) and more!!

My one to one sessions will continue after the studio closes, so do get in touch if you need some help or support with your sewing projects. I know this lady’s confidence has increased lots throughout the sessions! What a fabulous job she did!

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent me messages, emails and left lovely comments on my posts about the studio closure - it has been extremely heartwarming, thank you💜.

I have now rearranged my June/July classes to May so the studio will close at the end of May 😞.

Some gaps have opened up in classes so if you were interested in a class but couldn't make the date then check the date now as it may have changed.

If you haven't been to the studio before or if there was a skill or class you were interested in - now is your chance!! Don't miss out!!

Don't forget I will also be having a clearance sale of the haberdashery so it will be a great opportunity to browse in the studio.

All classes can be booked here:
https://allaboutthesew.com/book-a-class/

Well this isn't quite the news I was hoping to share this Monday but here goes...

Regrettably I have made the decision to close the studio in Knowle at the end of May. After much thinking I know that now is the right time for me to do it.

I knew when I took the studio premises on that it would be a challenge due to the fixed costs involved and I'm so glad I did it and took it on. I have however, made it work this past year, to a degree, by working at a pace that isn’t sustainable for me moving forwards. In order to grow further, it would require further resources (as a sole trader one of the biggest resources is me) that I am unable to put into place right now. The balance just isn't there for what I also need to do with my family and I couldn't see that improving in the short- mid term.

I obviously have mixed emotions about it I absolutely love teaching from the studio and I absolutely love all my amazing customers. But unfortunately the resources that are being needed to run the business the way it is and needs to be run just isn’t viable for me right now.

But there is good news....

It isn’t the end of All About The Sew, just the end of the current era! I will still be offering one to one/small group sessions in clients' homes whilst taking some time to work out how things will work moving forwards. I will also be looking for options to continue the sewcial stitch sessions at a different venue. Do keep following me on Facebook/Instagram for updates.

For those of you with classes booked for June and July I have emailed you today with regards to options so please check your email inboxes and let me know if you haven't received one.

As I won't have the space to hold much stock I will be holding a haberdashery and pattern clearance sale so watch this space!

Finally a massive THANK YOU to all of you who have supported me and continue to cheerlead me and my small business. I am so grateful to have built up such a wonderful community of sewists and friends and that is the hardest part about stopping the classes right now - you are all amazing 🥲!

💜✂️💜✂️💜✂️💜✂️💜✂️💜✂️💜✂️💜

All of these classes have limited availability - that is either 1 or 2 spaces left. Don't miss out as some of these classes won't happen again until the Autumn!

For all classes see:
https://allaboutthesew.com/book-a-class/

Beginners cushion cover/tote bag - Level 1
Intro to patchwork and quilting/zips class - Level 2
Learn to sew a pouf - Level 3

Great work on this morning’s buttonhole cushion cover class!

New skills learnt were using the automatic buttonholes foot, tips on accurately and neatly opening buttonholes. Marking buttonhole placement, using the overcast foot to finish raw edges and finally covering self covered buttons using the handy Prym tool.

No matter what your level of sewing skills are there are always tips and tricks to pick up to make things quicker/easier/neater. Most of all workshops offer you some time out and dedicated time to sew which is priceless!!

✂️Do you know how to use your automatic buttonhole foot?
📍Or have you got a 4 step buttonhole function?
🧵Have you self covered buttons before?

Let me know in the comments - I’d love to know!!

Whilst you’re hopefully having some downtime over the Easter weekend, why not have a browse at some of the upcoming sewing classes?

There are classes for complete beginners, sewing machine feet 101, buttonhole cushion cover, reversible tote bag, patchwork and quilting, zips class, piped cushion cover, sewing a pouf, sewing a dress in a day and a 4 week beginners dressmaking course starting in June.

Sew many to choose from!!!

All classes can be seen here aswell as the list of fortnightly sewcial stitch sessions.

✂️🧵📍✂️🧵📍✂️🧵📍✂️🧵📍✂️🧵📍

https://allaboutthesew.com/book-a-class/

How is it nearly April??

If you would like a boost to your 'sew-jo' and something to look forward to then get yourself booked onto a sewing class!

There are fewer classes in April due to me taking a break over Easter but still some lovely ones to choose from.

There is just ONE space left on the Learn to sew a hoody class and it's on a SATURDAY! This won't happen again soon as I rotate the classes I do at a weekend so I'd hate you to miss out if this is something that you are interested in.

The zips class is a 3 hour class designed to help you overcome your fears over inserting zips - learning how to insert 3 different types of zip throughout the class and 3 different zipper feet!

The buttonhole cushion cover class and reversible bag classes are both level 3 classes - designed to increase your sewing skills if you are familiar with the machine already. They are both fabulous projects that you will really feel a sense of achievement through!

For all classes see:
www.allaboutthesew.com/book-a-class/

Did you know I have a YouTube channel?

On there are some tutorials on various sewing skills and sewing tips.

My most viewed video (by far) is my tutorial on how to use the automatic needle threader on the Janome machine. It may also be useful for other machines as they are fairly similar.

Comments include:
"I've had my machine for 15 years, and never knew it could do this... wow!! I cannot thank you enough for this video. Me, and my dwindling sight, thank you!!!"

"I looove the amount of detail on this. I am a total beginner and this gave me confidence that I can do it."

"Brilliant! So well explained. Couldn’t work it out from the instruction manual😊"

"Omigosh, thank you! I was struggling so much with this and I got it right away following your video"

The automatic needle threader is a game changer when you are using a sewing machine particularly if your eyesight is not what it used to be. But it can be quite tricky to use.

I will be adding more content to my Youtube channel but if there is anything that you would like to see then let me know!

This is just a flavour of what you learn from me on one of my workshops 🙂

Watch the video and learn how to use it!

How to use the automatic needle threader on a Janome sewing machine The automatic needle threader on a sewing machine is a game changer! No more fiddling about trying to thread the needle. Let All About The Sew show you how t...

A beautiful bag completed on this morning’s bag workshop 💕🙌.

In theory it is a reversible bag but as ever I packed the skills into the project so I added the option of a magnetic clasp fastening which not only is practical to keep the bag closed, it also gives it a really professional finish 😍.

A great project to practise topstitching and sewing 2 curves together which isn’t easy!

This is a level 3 class and there are spaces left on the next date if you fancy joining:

Thursday 20th April 9.30am-12.30pm

https://allaboutthesew.com/product/learn-to-sew-a-reversible-tote-bag/

Thursday night saw me attending the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce annual awards night at the ICC in Birmingham - the largest business awards in the UK I learnt on the night! There were over 1000 people there - it was huge!

No award for me on the night but to see my small business share the big screen with some amazing training and education providers was a huge honour and feel very proud to have been shortlisted! The winners in my category were BMet College - congratulation to them and everyone else who were shortlisted!

It was great fun sharing a table with Kim Hulse from Visit Knowle, Alison Phillips from Kindred CSR and Daniel Bridgewater from Buckt who were all up for nominations too. We certainly made quite a noise when each of our names were announced to attempt to compete with the larger businesses in the room!

The Eric Lyons LTD team from Knowle were also there having been nominated in the Hospitality and Retail category - go Knowle!!

And I finished my dress the night before 😅. It is the Named clothing Kielo Wrap dress in a Duchess satin from John Lewis & Partners in Solihull.