Bag Workshop - by Gill S

What a brilliant way to spend a damp Saturday in February! Experiencing the day with a group of friendly people with a shared passion for sewing is just perfect.

Everyone arrived early to set up their workstation and get organised ready to start the day. There was a quietly excited buzz in the room as everyone got settled and began to get their material out. It was amazing to see the range of colourful complementary fabrics that everyone had chosen to use for this project. The essential refreshment table was set up with tea, coffee and a very tasty range of biscuits to keep everyone going!

The workshop was expertly lead by Kate E.  Everyone who participated had previously received a list of materials required and cutting instructions from Kate. It was important that everyone arrived having pre-cut their materials and attached the interfacing, and as the day went on it became very clear why this was necessary. We all listened carefully and followed the instructions we were given with the aim of completing our bags, which Kate had broken down into various stages for clarity. We all relaxed and were able to work at our own pace, becoming engrossed in what we had to do. The whole hall was soon filled with the hum of the sewing machines as we got busy.

As there were quite a few zips to insert and different sized pieces to attach - in the right order and facing the right way we really did have to concentrate. Kate was on hand to give us guidance and instructions as and when we needed it, and taking it one stage at a time we progressed as our bags began to take form.

Lunch was very brief as no one wanted to stop for long and we soon continued with our projects.

The afternoon flew by and the bags began to evolve into recognisable shapes and the fabrics used began to shine. As the bag progressed the sewing machines had to cope with a number of layers of fabric which at times was challenging. Taking it slow and steady and the odd bit of tacking paid off and the bags took shape. Unfortunately time to stop and pack away came far too quickly. We were all nearing completion the task but had to complete the last stages at home. Hopefully we can share the end results at our next meeting.

Thank you to Kate for your patience, guidance and instructions which resulted in a very enjoyable day.