Offset Warehouse is thrilled to announce our very first Eco Sewing Party – a fun and creative evening in the crafting company of our two incredible guests of honour:
Clare Szabo of Sewn Sustainably and Sew Dixie Lou, and
Fiona Parker of Diary of a Chainstitcher!
Whether you’re a seasoned sewer, or would love to learn how to sew, there will be something for you. Come along to the buzzing crafting studio and shop Fabrications, on Broadway Market in East London. There, you can spend a relaxing few hours after work discovering our beautiful ethical fabrics and learning the secrets from some of the best sewers in town. Then once you’ve watched the pros, you can have a go too!
Tuesday 28th March 2017
Drinks Reception: 6.30pm
Sewing Demonstrations: 7.30pm
Doors close: 9.30pm
Booking
Please note: bookings are via Eventbrite only. As space is limited you must have a ticket to attend.
[Tweet “Are you coming to the #eco #sewingparty with @sewnsustainably & @FionaParker17?”]
The Evening
With Clare and Fiona manning the sewing stations across both floors, you can choose to be part of just one session, or dip into both. Both sessions will take you through how to put together a finished cushion cover from scratch, demonstrating key sewing techniques such as appliqué and inserting zips. Then, with your enthusiasm fired up, there are extra domestic sewing machines available so you can have a go yourself, with Clare and Fiona on hand to help. Of course, you can’t be expected to create without sustenance! So to energise your creativity, Fabrications will be laying on a complimentary spread of delicious drinks and nibbles.
First, choose your fabric…
Fabrications stocks a stunning range of Offset Warehouse eco fabrics, and as part of the evening, your £5 ticket price is redeemable against your fabric purchase. All our fabrics are sold by the half metre, so you can opt for 50cm or treat yourself to much more… The Offset Warehouse team will be there on the night to tell you about how each fabric is made, what makes it ethical and answer any burning questions you may have.
(Please note: any additional booking fees are not redeemable against the price of your fabric.)
Getting Sewcial
This is a great opportunity to network with like-minded people and industry experts, share your views and learn something new. If you’re interested in sewing, the design industry or how to make a positive change in the lives of those who create your beautiful fabric and clothing… we can’t wait to meet you.
Sewing For Change
At the core of my work at Offset Warehouse is my passion to help the people who grow and weave our fabrics, and to prevent any further environmental atrocities associated with textile manufacture. It’s my goal to source the most beautiful, hand-crafted and fairly-sourced fabrics, trims and threads from across the globe, and sell from one to hundreds of metres at affordable but fair prices. Most importantly, you can feel good knowing exactly where your fabric has come from and who has made it. But it’s not enough! We want to teach as many people about sewing ethically. From home sewers, to big name brands – if you’re using fabric in your designs your materials purchases have the opportunity to make a huge positive impact! There are so many small changes we can make, which affect the lives of millions of textile and garment workers. We want to set a domino effect of knowledge into action.
About our sewing Guests of Honour…
Clare (left) and Fiona (right) are our incredible sewing guests of honour! Don’t miss the chance to learn all the tips and tricks from these incredible sewers.
Clare
With training in advanced dressmaking, design and pattern-making, to say Clare is an experienced seamstress is something of an understatement! Clare discovered sewing just over 10 years ago, and soon began to document her creations on her hugely popular blog, Sew Dixie Lou. Last year she made her passion her job and launched Sewn Sustainably, a sewing school in Cambridge offering informative and fun classes. With awareness of the environmental and social impact of fashion increasing, Sewn Sustainably encourages sewers to work in a more thoughtful, ethical way. Clare’s classes teach about fabric production, how to minimise waste, how to fix, alter and refashion garments, as well as how to create new, classic outfits that have a longer life.
Fiona
Fiona works in the magical world of theatre as a costume supervisor (buying fabric for a living!). When it came to sewing, Fiona just thought she’d give it a quick bash. But what started out as a spur-of-the-moment thought quickly developed into a fully-fledged love affair with fabrics and learning new techniques! She began documenting her progress on her incredible blog, Diary of a Chainstitcher, and since then, her following has exploded! Soon she was asked to become the first UK member of the blogging group Mood Sewing Network, and in 2016 she was a fabric buyer for the fourth series of The Great British Sewing Bee.
Important : Bookings are valid with a ticket bought via Eventbrite only; Book your ticket here. As space is limited, entry can only be granted to attendees with tickets. Your ticket will allow you to redeem £5 off your fabric on the night. Tickets are limited so please do be quick if you’d like to attend!
Photo Credit: Brian Doherty
