Jennie Lööf's Sewing Class

It’s one of those events you add into the countdown app in your smart phone, necessary to be reminded of the days, hours, minutes and even seconds until the day finally arrived.  Some use this app for weddings or holidays, my exciting countdown was for Jennie Lööf’s sewing class!

The ethical, do-it-yourself fashion trend doesn’t seem to be going out of style any time soon  - save pennies and make it yourself. That's what I was planning on doing. From generations of seamstresses, Jennie Lööf has crafted her skills, taking her from the countryside in Sweden to the dizzy heights of designer success here in Scotland. Her beautiful work specialises in the recycling of vintage and combining them with new fabrics. Think gorgeous prints with folk inspirations.

Jennie has taught around the city for a while, but her full day sewing class workshops are a new venture. The classes are in three-levels; beginner, intermediate and advanced. My full day tutorial class at beginner level took place in Jennie’s studio in the most beautiful building in Pollocksheilds, and the lovely Jennie was standing outside with a welcome hug on my arrival.

With great enthusiasm, little skill but a thirst for knowledge, off I went. Albert Studios is a house-turned-creative-hub filled with designers, architects and artists. It was impossible to lack inspiration.
The class took place two floors up in a gorgeous room with a vintage radio playing The Rolling Stones. With freshly-ground coffee provided from the off-set, the creativity began to flow.

Throughout the day we were taught the basics of threading a machine and how to begin basic sewing, how to create an invisible zip, and the extremely useful French seam. Fear of drawing blood from an over-enthusiastic press of the peddle helped me remain funereally silent at least until stage three. The satisfaction and pride overtook when I finally created my iPad-sized bag. A few calculation errors meant my iPad didn’t actually fit in the end, but I was proud and delighted nonetheless.

It was an absolute pleasure to be in the presence of such a bubbly, genuine, helpful and creative lady all day. I learned valuable techniques which will stay with me for as long as my trusty second hand sewing machine manages to last. The class is highly recommended for anyone with a passion for vintage fashion and learning about the practicalities of making clothes.