Liberty is pleased to announce the relaunch of the Liberty sewing school. Join us for a range of special craft, knitting and sewing workshops from September to December.
Price per workshop: £50 per person, including morning and afternoon coffee.
Location: Heritage Suite, 3rd Floor
Time: 10.30am - 4.30pm
Additional information: We are delighted to offer sewing school attendees 25% off at Café Liberty on the day of their class. Please note, a booking must be made a week in advance.
Saturday 5th September
Beginners Chartered Needlepoint with Jeremey Hamilton
An introduction to needlepoint. Students will learn to to stitch a repeating design on canvas from a chart using Anchor Wool. There will also be a talk on the various forms of Needlepoint and their uses in home decor.
Saturday 12th September
Learn to Sew with Jenny Stilwell
The workshop aims to cover the basics of sewing and to give participants the confidence to go on to follow simple Amy Butler patterns. You will learn all the skills necessary to complete a small tote bag on the day. You will be given guidance on adapting the tote bag pattern to include a lining, which can then be made at home. The content of the workshop includes:
- Cutting out paper patterns and fabrics; what do all the symbols mean?
- How to read a pattern
- Using a Sewing machine; getting started, threading it up, sewing in a straight line, how to control fabric when sewing
- Hand sewing a hem
- Top Stitching
Saturday 19th September
Moving on from Learn to Knit with Emma King
This workshop will help you to take the next step after learning how to knit to learning how to read a pattern, understanding tension and choosing yarns, creating basic shaping and buttonholes. You will also look at how to introduce a second colour to your knitting and will have a go at working in stripes.
This course is suitable new knitters who can knit and purl.
Saturday 26th September
Stitch Club with Alison McNicol
Learn to use a sewing machine and design and make a beautiful applique cushion cover. Always wished you could make the kind of expensive cushions you see in the shops? This course will teach beginners how to use a sewing machine, then choose from a wide selection of applique patterns and gorgeous fabrics to design and make a beautiful applique cushion of your very own!
Saturday 3rd October
Learn to Patchwork with Janet Goddard
An introduction to patchwork. Students will learn how to cut fabrics using a rotary cutter and ruler and then machine piece blocks. Lots of tips and techniques will be included to start you on your patchwork journey. A number of blocks will be taught which will form the beginnings of a quilt.
Saturday 10th October
Colour Techniques in Crochet with Sarah Hazell
This is a new workshop aimed at crocheters who want to introduce some colour techniques into their work. One of the wonderful things about crochet is the way it allows you to play around with colour and shape. During the course of the day we will cover four techniques - Wave stitch, spike stitch, almond stitch and jacquard crochet. After mastering the techniques we will then move on to look at how different colour combinations and yarn weights can be used to create different effects and how these might be used in future projects.
Saturday 24th October
Jazzing up a Little Black Dress with Charlotte Liddel
Come along to this ' Goc' style customization workshop where you will have the opportunity to jazz up your very own little black dress in preparation for the Christmas parties! Don't worry if you aren't confident in using a sewing machine as we will re-cap the basics to get you started. You will spend the morning learning a number of fashionable hand and machine customisation techniques then have lots of fun transforming your own dress in the afternoon. Customising is a great way to recycle and revamp old clothes and let’s not forget - you'll save a few pennies along the way!!
Saturday 31st October
Learn to Sew with Jenny Stilwell
Due to popular demand, this session is now fully booked.
Saturday 7th November
Learn to Crochet for Christmas with Erica Pask
This workshop is aimed at the absolute beginner or someone who has not crocheted for a long time and needs a refresher. The day covers holding the hook and yarn, as well as the basic stitches (Foundation chain, double crochet, treble crochet) that are needed to complete a simple selection of decorative pieces with a festive theme. Both crocheting in rows and rounds are covered. Luxury yarns with a hint of sparkle will add to the day. Each attendee will follow very simple patterns which should enable them to move on to further projects.
Saturday 14th November
Finishing Techniques with Knitting with Jane Crowfoot
How many times have you happily knitted something only to be disappointed with the finished result once you have put it together?
What is it that prevents those garments, half knitted and stuffed in carrier bags, from ever seeing the light of day?
This workshop is based on Jane Crowfoot's book ‘Finishing techniques for hand knitters’ - a comprehensive guide which aims to take the ‘scare factor’ away from finishing techniques and help you decide how best to achieve a professional finished result.
The workshop aims to give participants the chance to learn the most commonly used techniques.
We will begin with basics, i.e. the best ways to cast on, how to achieve an even and correct tension and how to shape the knitted fabric. We will go on to cover picking up stitches around necklines, short row shaping, grafting stitches, button holes and finally sewing up techniques.
Please bring along 4 stocking stitch pieces, approximately 10 cm square, preferably knitted in DK hand-knit cotton, as well as a pair of 4 and 3.25mm knitting needles, a stitch holder, a knitters sewing needle and some scissors.
Saturday 21st November
Festive Moving on from Learn to Sew
The workshop aims to move on from the ‘Learn to Sew’ workshop with a festive theme and to develop the skills of those who have mastered the basics, giving the participant a greater confidence with sewing by expanding on their skill base. This will enable the participant to feel confident in choosing from a broader range of the Amy Butler sewing patterns. We will produce a clutch bag which we aim to go on to embellish with beads, ribbons and embroidery. A perfect way to add a touch of sparkle to any outfit!
The skills covered on the day while making the project will give all the technical information necessary to begin dressmaking, with the ‘Barcelona skirt’ being an obvious first choice. The content of the workshop will include:
- Making a lining and hand finishing it in place
- How to make a button hole and keep it neat
- Putting in Zips
- Using interfacing
Saturday 28th November
Stitching Festive Christmas Stockings
Jan Constantine, who is renowned for her original hand-embroidered textiles, will be sharing her ideas on making simple and striking Christmas stockings from felt wool. Stitched with appliqued motifs such as hearts, stars and text to create a very personal piece, the stockings make the perfect gift. Suitable for all levels of experience, using quick and simple blanket stitch and cross stitch, the finished stockings will be treasured and loved each Christmas and passed on to future generations.
Saturday 5th December
Festive Learn to Knit with Emma King
This is an introduction to knitting. This workshop will have a festive theme and will show you how to cast on and cast off, how to knit and purl and how to use these to create garter and stocking stitch. You also will try simple rib and moss-stitch borders.
At the end of this course, you will be able to knit at a basic but confident level, have the skills you need to start a project right away and have started to learn to love knitting and want to do more!
