Where and When
Radio Room, Islesburgh Centre, Lerwick.
5 x Tuesday evenings, 7pm - 9:30pm.
4th November 2025, 11th November 2025, 18th November 2025, 25th November 2025, 2nd December 2025*.
About the Course
Design and make your own reversible gilet from a sloper at this new class for improver sewists. Make it plain or patchwork, to fit men or women, with buttons and bows or no fastenings at all - it’s entirely up to you. You’ll finish the course with the perfect layering piece. Plus, it’s reversible - so two looks in one!
This course is designed for confident beginners or improving sewists. You will learn to use a sloper to draft your own simple pattern, learning to adjust the length, fit, neckline and fastenings. You’ll learn some simple quilting techniques, and how to finish your edges by hand with your own bias binding. You’ll come away with a totally bespoke garment, perfect to give as a gift or to keep for yourself.
What You’ll Learn
Week 1
Understand patterns and slopers, drawing your design on a croquis, drafting a simple pattern.
Week 2
Cutting fabric and wadding, sewing with an interlining, making your own bias binding.
Week 3
Designing quilting for a garment
Week 4
Machine quilting in 3D
Week 5
Applying bias binding on edges
What’s Included:
Tracing paper
Cotton wadding
Access to a Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine
Access to an iron and ironing board
Access to pattern-drafting tools: a pattern-master, a sloper in your size
Access to basic sewing tools: paper scissors, pins, needles, fabric shears, tailor’s chalk, measuring tape, unpicker
Tea/Coffee and some sweet treats
What to Bring:
Pencil case and optional sketchbook
2 x 1m of each contrasting lightweight woven cotton fabrics**. Lawns, ginghams, quilting cottons or ankaras are the perfect choice for this. You may need more or less if your fabric has a one-way directional print, or if you want to pattern-match.
Matching thread - I’d recommend Coats or Gutterman for the best quality and choice of colours.
OPTIONAL: Bring your own basic sewing kit if you’d prefer to use your own. I’d recommend using your own cutting tools wherever possible.
Questions?
If you’d like to know more about any of our classes, feel free to get in touch.
*Please note that plenty of hand-stitching is required for the neatest and most professional finish on your gilet. By the end of the class on 2nd December, you’ll have reached a point where you just need to do a bit of hand-sewing. How long this takes depends entirely on your pace of work and your design, so you’ll probably need to finish it off at home. But don’t worry - you’ll leave fully prepared with the skills you need to do it perfectly!
**A note on choosing fabric! Check your fabric width before buying anything. Your fabric must be at least 115cm wide, otherwise you won’t have enough. You could also consider using your own patchwork, or reclaimed fabrics for this, but please keep in mind that there won’t be time for you to make in class. If you need to do any prep, please do it at home before you come. If in doubt about your fabric, please bring it along for Week 1 to give me a chance to advise.
Where and When
Radio Room, Islesburgh Centre, Lerwick.
5 x Tuesday evenings, 7pm - 9:30pm.
4th November 2025, 11th November 2025, 18th November 2025, 25th November 2025, 2nd December 2025*.
About the Course
Design and make your own reversible gilet from a sloper at this new class for improver sewists. Make it plain or patchwork, to fit men or women, with buttons and bows or no fastenings at all - it’s entirely up to you. You’ll finish the course with the perfect layering piece. Plus, it’s reversible - so two looks in one!
This course is designed for confident beginners or improving sewists. You will learn to use a sloper to draft your own simple pattern, learning to adjust the length, fit, neckline and fastenings. You’ll learn some simple quilting techniques, and how to finish your edges by hand with your own bias binding. You’ll come away with a totally bespoke garment, perfect to give as a gift or to keep for yourself.
What You’ll Learn
Week 1
Understand patterns and slopers, drawing your design on a croquis, drafting a simple pattern.
Week 2
Cutting fabric and wadding, sewing with an interlining, making your own bias binding.
Week 3
Designing quilting for a garment
Week 4
Machine quilting in 3D
Week 5
Applying bias binding on edges
What’s Included:
Tracing paper
Cotton wadding
Access to a Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine
Access to an iron and ironing board
Access to pattern-drafting tools: a pattern-master, a sloper in your size
Access to basic sewing tools: paper scissors, pins, needles, fabric shears, tailor’s chalk, measuring tape, unpicker
Tea/Coffee and some sweet treats
What to Bring:
Pencil case and optional sketchbook
2 x 1m of each contrasting lightweight woven cotton fabrics**. Lawns, ginghams, quilting cottons or ankaras are the perfect choice for this. You may need more or less if your fabric has a one-way directional print, or if you want to pattern-match.
Matching thread - I’d recommend Coats or Gutterman for the best quality and choice of colours.
OPTIONAL: Bring your own basic sewing kit if you’d prefer to use your own. I’d recommend using your own cutting tools wherever possible.
Questions?
If you’d like to know more about any of our classes, feel free to get in touch.
*Please note that plenty of hand-stitching is required for the neatest and most professional finish on your gilet. By the end of the class on 2nd December, you’ll have reached a point where you just need to do a bit of hand-sewing. How long this takes depends entirely on your pace of work and your design, so you’ll probably need to finish it off at home. But don’t worry - you’ll leave fully prepared with the skills you need to do it perfectly!
**A note on choosing fabric! Check your fabric width before buying anything. Your fabric must be at least 115cm wide, otherwise you won’t have enough. You could also consider using your own patchwork, or reclaimed fabrics for this, but please keep in mind that there won’t be time for you to make in class. If you need to do any prep, please do it at home before you come. If in doubt about your fabric, please bring it along for Week 1 to give me a chance to advise.
