Meet the teacher

 

snippet collage sewing lessons

Welcome to Needleswift

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My name is Jenny, and I’m passionate about sewing and crafting. When I was a child I wanted to be an ‘artist’, but after attending art college I changed direction and did a History of Art degree. I didn’t discover sewing until my early twenties when I needed to make curtains for our house. I’m entirely self-taught, and in the days before YouTube I basically learned by making every mistake you can think of, and a few that you can’t!

Twenty-five years later I’m still sewing, and now make all my own clothes. When my children started school I had more time to sew, and spent several years designing and making bags and accessories, which I sold online and at local craft fairs.

I love trying new crafts and enjoy knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch and needle-felting to name a few. In 2021 I decided to try my hand at making a traditional jointed mohair teddy bear. From that first bear, my newest passion was born, and this has become a new part of my business. I sell my handmade artist-bears on Etsy as ‘Winter’s Den’, and have now added the first teddy bear workshop to my calendar.

When my daughter wanted to learn to sew, I started running Stitch Club at her school, and after a few requests from parents, I set up some adult sessions at my home. I’ve now been running my Social Sewing classes for about six years.

I absolutely love teaching people to sew, and the best feeling is when a brand new student gains the confidence to use a sewing machine and feels inspired to tackle ever more challenging projects. I have a growing number of returning students, and several who I would even call ‘regulars’, particularly at Social Sewing. You can read how my students feel about my classes on the Testimonials page or my Google business page.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for while navigating around the site, just email me at jenny@needleswift.com