FAQS

We offer a range of skill levels for our courses, from absolute beginners to intermediate. Find out which workshop suits you in the Level section of the event listing. You can also search by skill level from our What’s On page.

If the workshop/course you want to attend is sold out, you can sign up to the waitlist of that particular workshop via the event listing in Bookwhen. You will then be automatically notified of any late cancellations and invited to book. However, if you are interested in future dates, please get in touch to be added to our email waitlist. When added to our general email waitlist we will be able to let you know when the next workshop or course is available for you to book on.

If you are unable to attend a workshop, please either cancel via Bookwhen or inform us a minimum of 14 days prior to the date of the workshop. Your booking can then be transferred to an alternative date, or refunded in full. Booking transfers can only be made once, so please make sure you can commit to the new dates. We cannot offer a refund or transfer on workshops cancelled within 14 days. Details can be found on our Cancellation Policy. Please note that our Clothes Swaps are non-refundable.

During our workshops we encourage you to use our machines – especially when learning to sew. Most sewing machines are similar, so the skills learnt are transferrable to your own machine. If you would really like to bring your own machine then we can accommodate this, but please make sure it’s been recently serviced and you have the manual with you. Due to limited time for troubleshooting in group classes, we may ask you to swap over to our machine if we are having any issues with yours.

We supply all equipment and most materials for our workshops. However, for some workshops you may be asked to bring additional materials such as fabric or clothing to upcycle – this will be highlighted in the Bring section of the event listing. If you don’t bring the materials you need, we may have alternatives available on the day, however this is not guaranteed. Please contact us prior to the start of the first session if you’re unsure.

For this course you will need to bring a sewing pattern and some fabric to make your chosen garment. We’d suggest choosing the pattern first and then buying the type of fabric recommended for that pattern. If this is your first attempt at making clothes, we’d suggest using a non-stretch, non-slippery fabric (something like cotton is good) and choosing a simple garment. There’s more detailed advice on patterns and fabrics for your first garment on our blog.

It makes sense not to choose a very expensive fabric for your first attempt. Charity shops are a great source of affordable, reclaimed textiles (including bedsheets or lightweight curtains) – or come along to our next Yard Sale, where fabrics start at £1. Failing that, visit your local fabric shop – the staff will be able to help you choose the best pattern and fabric.

If you are attending a workshop/course for adults, we regret that you can’t bring your chil(ren) with you. With limited space and equipment like hot irons around, we need to ensure a safe environment. For certain events, it may be possible to bring your child but please contact us in advance to check.

You can see all the workshops available for young people (those aged 17 and under) on our website in the KIDS + TEENS section. At the moment, these are limited and tend to take place during school holidays or weekends. If you are interested in workshops for young people please get in touch and we can add you to our waitlist to contact you each time a workshop is available to book. Details of the applicable age groups can be found in the Level section of the event listings.

We don’t typically provide refreshments at our classes, but you are welcome to bring a snack/drink with you, and our venue has a tuck shop with snacks and drinks (cash only). Some of our workshops and events take place across a full day, with a 30 minute lunch break during the session. We do not provide lunch, but you can use the tuck shop or there’s a convenience shop and chip shop close by. If you have specific dietary needs, the best option is to bring lunch with you. Please note that our venue is a vegetarian space, so veggie food only please!

Most of our workshops and events take place at Bridge 5 Mill – click ‘See Details’ for your chosen workshop to see the location.

You’ll find info on the building and how to get to us on our Customer Info page.

We’re delighted to share that our building, Bridge 5 Mill, is now fully accessible, with a recently refurbished lift!

Most of our workshops and events currently take place on the lower ground floor. Please note that there are four steps down to this floor from the front door, but this can be accessed via the lift. There’s an accessible toilet on the same level as the event spaces.

More detail on the accessibility of our venue and our events can be found on our Customer Info page.

Unfortunately, we aren’t currently able to offer an option to pay in installments. We are starting a Pay It Forward (PIF) scheme so that we can offer reduced price tickets for those who are facing financial difficulties. However this is still in progress, so for now the only way to book is by purchasing your ticket in advance. Feel free to contact us to check for updates on the PIF scheme. If you’d like to make a payment into the scheme to help us get it off the ground, you can do that here.

We do apply for funding so that we can offer free and subsidised activities for those who can’t afford to attend our Public Programme. If this applies to you, please do contact us to let us know what you’re looking for and to find out if we have anything on offer at the moment. You can also sign up to our mailing list to hear about new projects.