I discovered Leah Halliday and her So Sew pretty sewing workshop project when she kindly opened her inviting studio premises in Solway House to a DG Unlimited (Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Arts) meeting.
Leah, a well-respected designer and craft person, whose work appeared on BBC and in various magazines, channelled her life-long passion for vintage design into a workshop venture teaching a range of valuable sewing skills to both kids and grown ups. A fairy of So Sew Pretty, her marvellous endeavour received support from Brother Sewing UK that provided their sewing machines to be used in the teaching process.
The bright and cheery studio space, filled with vintage looking bunting, nostalgic keepsakes and Leah’s signature handmade ragdolls was so photogenic that I promised myself to come back at the earliest opportunity and create a photo essay for my Dumfries Diaries project that would do justice to this sewing haven.
Leah Halliday’s So Sew Pretty workshops allow you to experience the almost forgotten pleasure of making something, be it patchwork cushions, fabric lampshades or a painter’s smock dress, with your own hands rather than buying them ready-made in a store. I can just imagine the attendees’ sisterhood bonding over pattern cutting, stitching and sharing afternoon tea and cakes.
I felt comfortable and welcomed at So Sew Pretty so I can recommend attending her reasonably priced, sociable and inspiring classes. I am certainly inspired to rescue my old sewing machine from the storage room! Perhaps we’ll meet at one of the workshops and have a laugh together…
