The Sewing Room

Karen Torrisi, a professional Tambour Beader will be delivery this exciting beading class. Karen Torrisi was awarded the Australian prize for the 2009 Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery. Tambour Beading is a hand beading technique performed with a hook in a holder. This holds a shortened French Cornelli needle, and is used to bead onto fabric that is stretched over a frame.

Samples and demonstration of the art of Tambour Beading are done in French Haute Couture Embroidery at Lesage in Paris. This is the technique used to embellish couture garments for the fashion industry in Paris.

This technique is rarely practiced outside of the Paris workrooms. The Sewing Room will be conducting introductory workshops to the art of Tambour Beading on the Saturday 6 November 2010. In this workshop you will learn to stretch your fabric onto a tapestry frame and the technique of creating a chain stitch.

There are only a few place still available for these exciting Tambour Beading Workshops please contact us via email penelopeleonard@thesewingroom.com.au

The Sewing Room is delivering workshops at Sydney Design 2010. The design festival runs for 16 days from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 15 August. The program is produced by the Powerhouse Museum in partnership with more than 50 cultural institutions, organisations and individuals across Sydney. The program looks amazing with more than 70 events.

The ‘tell us a story’ theme will reveal the many captivating stories behind design ideas, objects and processes. It will invite participants to create meaningful conversations with others around design, and enable people to connect with design on a more personal level.

The Powerhouse is holding a major exhibition called ‘Creating the look’ this exhibition draws on the highly successful partnership between photographer Bruno Benini and stylist Hazel Benini from 1950 to 2000. And explores the creative processes involved in styling, crafting and designing powerful eye-catching fashion photographs.

Don’t forget to drop into the designer markets. Young Blood: designers market showcases emerging Australian designers and designboom mart features the young, avant-garde of international design. Visitors can meet and buy direct from designers at both evening (Friday only) and daytime markets from 13-15 August.

The youngest of designers will take part in a Kids Design Weekend from 31 July-1 August. Weekend highlights include the first paper plane academy; a pop-up book workshop; a children’s storytelling museum tour; paper doll fashion design in Frock stars: inside Australian Fashion Week; and a fashion photography collage workshop linked to Creating the look: Benini and fashion photography.

The Sewing Room will be delivery “ The Felt my Tote workshop’  How to refashion a woolen knit jumper from an op-shop into a fabulous tote bag on 11am – 3pm, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August (two-day workshop) at the Powerhouse Museum.

From Vinnies to designer chic! Bring along an old woollen jumper – from an op shop or from home – and re-fashion it into a gorgeous tote bag. Using the ancient process of felting, the old jumper will be deconstructed and reborn as a brand new accessory. Let your imagination run wild as you cut, fold, sew and appliqué your tote bag, stamping it with your own personality. All you need to bring is an old woollen knit jumper or woollen garment; all other sewing equipment and materials will be supplied.

The following workshops will be in the bright and busy The Sewing Room .

Whether a beginner or an expert, these sewing workshops will inspire you to push the boundaries of your creativity. Expand your existing techniques or try something completely new at these fun and educational events. With beading, embroidery, pleating, t-shirts, fashion design and illustration on offer, there’s plenty of choice. Nimble fingers and an open mind can lead to all kinds of beautiful outcomes.

Tambour Beading:
Saturday 14 August, 10am-4pm
$200

Fashion Design & Colour Theory:
Sunday 1 August, 11am-4pm & Friday 13 August, 10am-2.30pm
$100

Fashion Illustration:
Saturday 31 July, 10am-4pm
$125

Introductory Embroidery Stitches & Beading Techniques:
Saturday 7 August, 10am-4pm & Wednesday 4 August, 10am-4pm
$125

Pleating In Fashion:
Wednesday 4 August, 10am-3pm & Sunday 8 August, 11am-4pm
$125

Chic T-Shirt Manipulations:
Friday 6 August, 11am-4pm & Sunday 14 August, 11am-4pm
$ 150

To book, please call Penelope Leonard on 93600585 or email bookings@thesewingroom.com.au

Introductory to Embroidery & Beading Techniques
Saturday 22 May 2010 10am – 4pm
This weekend workshop offers a fun and relaxed environment where you learn the basics & explore a range of introductory embroidery stitches and beading techniques as used in haute couture fashion and antique clothing. Traditional stitching methods are applied to basic samples, then latest textile trends provide inspiration for an embellishment design exercise. Resources include garments from The Darnell Collection and contemporary fashion forecast information to demonstrate the potential of the techniques and current uses by designers.
1 x 5 hour sessions
$125

This is such a goovy way of  recycling an old woollen sweater, so pull out of your wardrobe one of the woollen jumpers you haven’t woren in years or visit your local op-shop and be prepared to rub and scrub.

Using felting techniques, one of the oldest forms of fabric known to man I created the fabric to make this bag. Once the sweater has dried and armed with a pair of scissors and loads of confidence I transformed this sweater into a chic new bag. I used very simple sewing skills and a touch of applique and embroidery to give my bag a personal touch. I love it and it was loads of fun.

Isn’t Jamilah just gorgeous in this little wool appliquéd dress? I dragged her out side in the drizzling rain to take this photo and true to her gorgeous nature she simply smiled.

 This simple dress is made from a piece of woollen fabric I picked up in St Vincent de Paul shop at Northbridge; it was quit old as the measurements on the remnant tag were in inches and there were a few moths holes I had to cut around.

I am ‘The Green Queen’. I love to recycle and reuse where ever I can. I find St Vincent de Paul a great place to pick up embroidery threads, knitting needle, beads, old dollies, woollen blankets (remind me to tell you about these later) and preloved clothes ready to transform into something wonderful and new in my wardrobe.

The appliqué is all 100% wool woven or felted fabric and was attached to the dress with double sided fussing before I embroidered around the leaves and  flowers with a little help from my Mum, the Embroidery Queen.

Well this transformation will be added to Jamilah’s wardrobe shortly. Sew join us at the Sewing Room to make your previous wee borns (translation: little children, my sister in law from Scotland has been stay with us for a few weeks and I had to throw in one of her expressions) a new outfit they will love because you have toiled over it especially for them. They will wear it with pride and tell everyone, “My Mum made this for me”. As I type this I can hear myself as a child saying the same thing when I wore one of the amazing creations my Mum made me.

You have probably noticed by now that I have a passion for ethnic embroidered clothing. If you see me swanning around Surry Hills you will often see me wearing a highly colourful Mexican dress covered in embroidery. I have been collecting pieces from all around the world for many years. Some can be worn and others don the walls of my home. Recently I was given an amazing Indian rug by a gorgeous friend and very clever lady I have worked with for many years in education.

This dress is inspired by that Bollywood style packed with patchwork prints, ethnic embroideries, applied sequins, mosaics, jewels and Indian pearls. This  folk couture with sari-inspired gold and silver decorations, pompoms and braiding in loud colours, tie-dye muslin and kitsch charm is a source of so much inspiration that my wonderful Mum and I collaborated on this beautiful project of appliqué, embroidery and beading.

The fabric used is a black 100% wool woven fabric from Tessuti in Commonwealth Street Surry Hills. This dress is cut from a vintage pattern, my Mother made when she was bridesmaid for her best friend Jane Pound in 1965 before I was born. I love the pattern and have worn the actual dress to a friend’s wedding myself. I have modified it slightly for my figure type as Mum is a little more petite than I am.

It took me a while to work out the design with drawings and watercolour impressions of the motifs I wanted to use. The fun part is selecting the embroidery thread and beads and evens some crystals and diamantes for a touch of sparkle at night.

The appliqué is all 100% wool woven or felted fabric and was attached to the dress with double sided fussing before the Embroidery Queen transformed this simple dress into a divine master piece.

My Mum is the Embroidery Queen as a school girl her embroidery travelled around the state on exhibition and today she still transforms cloths into works of art.

Come along to ‘Introduction to Embroidery and Beading Class’ or a sewing class to make this Vintage dress. Contact me on 9360 0585 or send an email to penelopeleonard@thesewingroom.com.au for when the next class will be scheduled.

It was a fun and relaxed environment at The Sewing Room @ The Fashion & Textile Gallery on Saturday, we embroidered the day away at this weekend workshop teaching a lovely group of ladies some introductory embroidery stitches and beading techniques.

Surrounded by The Darnell Collection’s Wool Exhibition we were inspired to create a beautiful samplers using running stitch, whipped running stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, couching stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch and fish bone stitch. This was just a taster to the potential of these techniques as we looked at their use in contemporary fashion. We embellished our work with single and chain beads

Sue working on embellishing a piece of French toile that could be used in an exciting creative project at a later date, for example as a insert into a shirt or into a gorgeous bag. She did such a beautiful piece focusing on a little man in the pattern.

Lia  proved that being left handed is no barrier to being able to embroider, her work so delicate with tiny stitches all perfect in size, shape and form.

It was a day filled with stitching and chatting, thank you ladies for a lovely day.

Textile Design Classes

 Introductory Embroidery Stitches and Beading Techniques
1 x 5 hour class
Saturday 6 March 2010 10am – 4pm

Textile Design I
1 x 3 hour class
Saturday 13 February 2010 10am – 1pm

Textile Design II
1 x 3 hour class
Wednesday 24 February 2010 2-5pm