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Book NowRags to Riches: Creative Fabric Upcycling. Discover the Art of Upcycling and make a stunning one-off gift for yourself or a friend.
In this hands-on workshop, learn how to transform fabric scraps into stunning, one-of-a-kind textiles. I’ll guide you through the process of creating new fabric from old, and by the end, you’ll walk away with a beautiful, custom-made zipped pouch—perfect for makeup, stationery, or your sewing kit!
Class Description
Everyday in my classes, I see students throwing away their remnants of beautiful fashion or craft fabrics. These fabrics will end up in landfill and if there’s any synthetic fibres in them, they’ll take hundreds or thousands of years to degrade, and release micro-plastics into the environment as they do so.
I try to save as much of this waste as I can but I can’t do it on my own, I need your help. Using decorative stitches or Free-Motion Embroidery (if you’re familiar), we’ll explore how to layer together fabric scraps to give them new life. This class will spark your creativity and offer the perfect introduction to upcycling techniques in creative textiles.
What You’ll Learn at Rags to Riches: Creative fabric upcycling.
- Upcycling Fabric: How to use fabric scraps to create unique, new materials
- Sewing Techniques: Learn how to use all those decorative stitches on your sewing machine (that you’ve probably never used). Even if you’ve only got a basic machine with some utility stitches (like my studio machines) I’ll show you how to use them in a creative way. Alternatively, you can use your Free-Motion Embroidery skills learned in one of my earlier workshops.
- Zipped Pouch Construction: Tips for inserting zippers and assembling a professional-looking pouch
- Sustainable Creativity: Learn where to source scrap fabric that would otherwise be thrown into landfill. Discover how to reduce waste while making something beautiful and functional.
No need for advanced skills! Even if you’ve not done Free-Motion Embroidery, you’ll be able to use regular sewing machine stitches to complete this project. However, you must have previous sewing machine experience. If you don’t, please take one of my foundation sewing courses first.
What’s provided:
- fabric for the base layer, bonding materials, & fabric for the top layer.
- Sewing machines and accessories if you’re not bringing your own (see below)
What You’ll Need to bring:
- Your basic sewing kit comprising: Fabric shears, pins, small embroidery scissors or thread snips.
- Fabric scraps in your chosen colour palette or variety of colours. If you don’t have any, you can raid my
stashcarefully curated collection. - A sewing machine (Free-Motion embroidery option is great, but not required). Sewing machines are available for you to use on the day if you don’t have one or can’t bring it.
- A 8″ (20cm) zipper and basic sewing notions (thread, needles, etc.)
- If you are bringing your own sewing machine, please remember your power cable, foot pedal, instruction manual and bobbins. You can obtain a Free-Motion (darning) foot from Pembertons, my trusted sewing machine specialist supply shop.
- a mug if you’d like tea or coffee at lunchtime.
Join us to learn how upcycling can turn your old fabric scraps into something new, beautiful and useful!
How to dispose of your unwanted clothing & textiles
