Which sewing course is for me? Tutor Gill McBride talks through the different options

Sewing holidays are quite new at Gartmore House, but everyone who has come so far has loved them! Its such a treat to come to a wonderful place, be able to sew all day for 4 full days, be fed and treated as very special guests and not have to make the beds, think about dinner, or walk the dogs!
Our sewing holidays suit most sewers and will especially suit you if you are confident about using your sewing machine. You will pick up wee sewing tips as you go through each day and you will learn new techniques as well.
On the ‘Understanding and Fitting Patterns’ holiday, we spend a lot of time actually finding out all about the pattern – what’s in it and what information it is giving us. It’s amazing how much we don’t know about the pattern and even the pattern envelope. You’ll also learn how to take body measurements and then choose the correct size of pattern to cut before you even begin sewing. Everyone agrees that this is incredibly useful and informative.
By the end of the holiday, you should have made a toile or a practice dress/top in calico or some other practice material that you bring along, learned all about fitting it on you – with the help of everyone else on the course – and made your pattern adjustments. Many of you will manage to finish sewing your final dress/top before you leave.
The ‘Trousers’ week is great! How many times do we wish we could get a perfectly fitting pair of trousers and better still, MAKE the perfect pair of trousers. This is the holiday for you! You’ll get to grips with the pattern and hopefully really understand all about fitting those trousers. Crotch depths and crotch rise and all the terms used about trousers can be so confusing but we get them sorted out during this week, having lots of fun and laughs whilst we do it!
Other holidays that are planned include Speed Tailoring a Jacket. This holiday will suit intermediate and confident sewers to get the best from the holiday. It takes 3 full days to make a wonderful jacket for an experienced sewer but this course will get you to the point where you can take your jacket home and finish your hems and buttonholes etc. Its amazingly satisfying to fit and make your own jackets!
Each workshop will accommodate everyone who comes and Gill will work with all of you individually, ensuring that you get the best of attention and help when you need it. You will learn lots of sewing tips from Gill and from each other and your sewing knowledge and confidence will grow considerably. Hopefully you will go home ready to start a new project knowing that you will be able to finish it and be proud to wear it!  Other sewing topics can be included in a holiday – just get in touch and let us know what you want to learn.
For further information about our sewing courses, see our website, or simply pick up the phone and give us a call on 01877 382991. We look forward to hearing from you!
Sew Your Own Courses
Learn to Sew
Understanding Sewing Patterns