Find a local sewing group or meet-up
Meeting other people who love sewing at a local sewing group is great fun. You can chat about sewing patterns, get help with your latest makes and indulge in some tea and cake. It’s a brilliant way to improve your skills, discover new patterns and fabrics and have some fun. Thanks to lots of you lovely folk, we’ve been able to collate plenty of local sewing groups where sewers meet up regularly and chat all things sewing. We often get emails letting us know that you’ve organised meet ups with other sewists you’ve met through The Fold Line and this makes us so happy! Sewing can sometimes feel like a bit of a solitary hobby so it’s really important we meet up when we can and get as many people sewing as possible.
Don’t forget to check out our annual sewing meet up event in Cambridge, UK called The Sewing Weekender. For the weekend bring along a sewing project, or two, and sew while chatting to friends and drinking plenty of tea. You’ll have access to support from us as well as fellow attendees. Over the weekend, we’ll have a series of informal talks and hands-on workshops from people in and around the sewing industry.
If you can’t find a group local to you, then don’t despair, we’ve got lots of tips on how to set up your own local sewing meet up. We’re sure we won’t have found all the local sewing groups around the world so please do let us know if you belong to one that isn’t listed by emailing us at [email protected] with these details: location, time, how often you meet up how people can get involved if they want to join in the fun. Thank you!
How to find people locally who like sewing
First things first, find out if there are any existing groups in your local area that meet up already. It can be a bit tricky to find them sometimes but a quick Google should tell you. You could also try asking in your local fabric shop or look on the notice board there if it has one. Quite a few sewing groups now have pages on Facebook too, so it’s worth having a look on their too. If you can’t find a group then why not set up one yourself?
Next is to find some sewing people. There are lots of places you can do this on and offline. You can try asking in our Facebook group. You can also put an advert in your local sewing or craft shop, library or school. A good place to meet people who like sewing locally to you is at a sewing class. Also have a look for people with similar interests to you on social media.
Organising your first meet up
Once you have people interested in meeting up try to organise your first group outing or meet up on a date when most people are free. Pick somewhere like a local cafe near public transport so it is easy to get to. You can then go fabric shopping from there or try to time your first meet up with an exhibition or fair that is showing in your local area. Take a look at our Fabric shop World Map to find a list of sewing shops you could visit and our social calendar for upcoming sewing events and exhibitions.. Not everyone will be able to make the meet up but try to keep a list of people interested in case there is a future date they can come to.
At your first meet up it’s good to find out what sort of activities your new sewing friends would like to do in the future. If you want to organise a regular meet up where you sew then you will need to try and find a space you can all work in such as a local sewing shop, school or village hall or community centre. This can be a bit tricky if you all want to use sewing machines together but you don’t need as much equipment if you just want to do hand stitching, crafting or quilting, for example.
Organising a regular meet up
At the start it’s best to keep it simple and organise a casual meet up to go fabric shopping or to a craft fair. Over time if you are getting more members to your group who are keen to meet up more regularly then look into organising something regular where you can use your sewing machines. You will need to find a suitable location with sewing tables, enough electrical sockets and preferably free parking close by. Make sure you ask about insurance too, the premises must have cover for all the members of your group and sewing with machines be allowed.
Things to remember
Let everyone know about your meet ups by posting information online (for example, in a Facebook group or at www.meetup.com) and locally by posting notices in your local sewing shop, community centre and school. Always be careful though and don’t share personal details before meeting someone for the first time. Try to organise a meet up with a friend or invite your crafty friends to come along too. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
Most of all have fun and try not to buy too much fabric, who are we kidding!?
Europe
UK
Chi Stitch
WHERE: St George’s Church Hall, Cleveland Road, Chichester PO19 7A.
WHEN: 2nd Wednesday of the month, from 7pm to 9pm
DETAILS: All are welcome to our friendly, creative sewing meet ups… these sessions are informal and open to everyone regardless of skill level. It’s £5 for 2 hours of sewing fun, with homemade cakes and a hot drink! Find out more here.
Sewing and Craft Pod
WHERE: Coffee House, The Edge, Riveredge, Wigan, WN35AB.
WHEN: 3rd Saturdayof the month from 9am – 12.30pm
DETAILS: All materials and equipment are supplied and the contribution towards these is £5 per session. Every month we make a different item which you will complete and take home with you. The aim of our sewing group (or Pod as they are called) is to love people and make community into family. This is a beautiful environment to meet up, learn some fun new skills and enjoy an amazing coffee and food in our lovely coffee house. Find out more here.
Sew Notts
WHERE: Nottingham.
WHEN: 3rd Saturdayof the month from 9am – 12.30pm
DETAILS: We are a small group of 15 women that meet up once a month in Nottingham. Anyone is welcome to join! We just usually chat about all things sewing over a cuppa and a slice of cake. Then on to some haberdashery and fabric shopping around Nottingham. I have trips to Birmingham and London planned for next few months. Find out more Instagram @sewnotts
Sew Brum
WHERE: Birmingham
WHEN: An annual (free-to-attend) meet-up of people who love to sew.
DETAILS: Organised by Charlotte of English Girl at Home Blog. Get all the details here.
There is also a Knitting/Crochet group organised by @suziela and @sewcioligist on Instagram in Birmingham where you can meet sewists. Second Thursday of the month at the village pub in Moseley.
The Sewing Weekender
WHERE: Cambridge
WHEN: 2018 TBC.
DETAILS: Organised by us at The Fold Line and Charlotte of English Girl at Home. Read all about last year’s Sewing Weekender here.
Norwich Sewcialists
WHERE: Norwich, Norfolk.
WHEN: Second Tuesday of each month at Cafe Bar Marzano
DETAILS: Sewing talk, pattern swaps and occasional sew days. Follow @NorwichSewcials on Facebook.
Crafting Group
WHERE: Lymm Village Hall, Cheshire.
WHEN: Wednesdays 9-12.
DETAILS: All crafts welcome. £5 to cover refreshments and hall rental.
South West Stitchers
WHERE: Thimblestitch at Zoes, Devonshire Way, Heathpark, Honiton, Devon, EX14 1YF.
WHEN: 2018: 24th March, 23rd June, 17th November. 10-4pm.
DETAILS: £10 per meet up of £20 for the 3 meet ups. Join the Facebook group for more details.
Sew Up North
WHERE: Briggate, Leeds.
WHEN: Annual day event.
DETAILS: Meet other sewing fans, go fabric shopping and swap patterns! Follow the Facebook pagefor updates. Organised by Sally of The Yorkshire Sewists and Rebecca of Red W Sews.
Dressmaker’s Social
WHERE: Brighton.
WHEN: Monthly social event.
DETAILS: Find out more from the Facebook page here.
Liverpool Sewing Club
WHERE: Our Lady and St Nicholas Church, Old Churchyard, Chapel Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 8TZ.
WHEN: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, 6.30 – 9pm.
DETAILS: Find out more from the Facebook group.
Sew At Heart
WHERE: Windlesham, Ascot, Surrey.
WHEN: See website for details.
DETAILS: Bring your own project and find out the dates of the next meeting here.
Hammersmith Stitch ‘n’ Bitch
WHERE: Caffe Nero, 1-5 King Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9HR.
WHEN: Every Tuesday 6-8pm.
DETAILS: Knitting and sewing group. Findout more here .
Kitchen Table Sewing
WHERE: Bedford.
WHEN: Last Thursday of the month, 7.30 – 10pm.
DETAILS: £5, bring your own machine and sewing project.
Crafternoon
WHERE: Storey Park Community Centre, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2QD.
WHEN: One Saturday each month 1-3.30pm.
DETAILS: Bring your projects along and meet others, chat and enjoy a cup of tea and cake. £3 suggested donation. Contact Claire: [email protected]
Berkhamsted and Tring Sewing Bee
WHERE: Sacred Heart Church Hall Meeting Room, Park Road, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1HX.
WHEN: 3rd Wednesday of the month.
DETAILS: £5 to cover costs. All crafts including sewing. Find out more here.
Sewing At Damgate
WHERE: Martham, Norfolk.
WHEN: Several regular monthly groups that meet for whole days.
DETAILS: Contact Kate at Sewing in Damgate.
Cuckfield Sewing Group
WHERE: Cuckfield Baptist Church, Haywards Heath.
WHEN: first Thursday of every month at 6.30pm – 9.30pm. All-day Sewday on the last Saturday of each quarter 10.30 am – 4.30pm.
DETAILS: Evening meets are pay-as-you-go and Sewdays are ticketed (tickets available on eventbrite, link on their Instagram profile) – these are to cover the cost of the hall and refreshments. Find out more on Instagram @cuckfieldsewinggroup.
Sew Social Newham
WHERE: Newham, London.
WHEN: 1st Saturday of every month, 11am – 4pm.
DETAILS: Free to attend with light refreshments provided. Machines and materials available to use for free. Find out more and book a space by sending an email (sewsocialn[email protected]) or message us on Instagram (sew_social_newham).
Also check out the Repair Cafe in Farnham, Surrey. It’s held once a month to help you repair and reuse your clothes/other textiles and sewing machines. They want to encourage people to be creative and reuse their possessions. They are always looking for people to help out.
The Embroiderer’s Guild has lots of local branches where you can meet people interested in stitching and textile arts.
Netherlands
Hilversum Sewing Meetup
WHERE: Hilversum, North Holland, The Netherlands (private house of one of the sewists)
WHEN: Once a month, every second Tuesdayof the month from 8pm to 10 pm
DETAILS: Chatting and sewing. Contact the Facebook group – Hilversum Sewing Meetup or PM on Instagram @Headtotoe_instyle.
Germany
Munich Sewing Blogger Meet-up
WHERE: Munich, changing venue.
WHEN: Saturday in the middle of the month.
DETAILS: Sewing bloggers can request to join the private Facebook group for details of the meet ups. Just search for the group Muncher Nähblogger. Melanie of The Flying Needle also organises a weekend of sewing at a youth hostel in Possenhofen, just outside Munich twice a year. You can find out details about this from her blog and it’s open to all sewists, not just bloggers. You can email Melanie here to get onto the newsletter: [email protected]
Australia and New Zealand
Sewing Connection
WHERE: Bayview, Auckland, New Zealand.
WHEN: Second Saturday of the month.
DETAILS: Find out more details from the Sewing Connection Facebook page.
Maylands Sewcial Club
WHERE: Maylands-Mount Lawley Uniting Church, 165 Railway Rd, Mount Lawley.
WHEN: 2nd Saturday of the month, 1-5pm.
DETAILS: 15-20 attendees each month, began recently in October 2017. Most meetings, participants BYO project and sewing machine, but sometimes we offer technique demonstrations, workshops, sewalongs etc too! $10/meeting (to cover venue costs etc.) We are affiliated with the Australian Sewing Guild (for insurance and networking purposes), but anyone can attend/check out two meetings before having to join the Guild. Our members range in age from 20s through 60s, but the average age is in our 30s. Contact Sarah – [email protected]
Victoria Park Sewcialists
WHERE: Vic Park Community Centre, 248 Gloucester St, East Vic Park.
WHEN: 4th Saturday of the month, 1-5pm.
DETAILS: 15-20 attendees each month, started August 2015. Most meetings, participants BYO project and sewing machine, but sometimes we offer technique demonstrations, workshops, sewalongs etc too! $10/meeting (to cover venue costs etc.) We are affiliated with the Australian Sewing Guild (for insurance and networking purposes), but anyone can attend/check out two meetings before having to join the Guild. Our members range in age from 20s through 60s, but the average age is in our 30s. We’re primarily professional women (research scientists, public servants, academics, librarians, journalists and teachers)… and we all love to sew, and to talk about sewing. Contact Emma – asg.vpsewcialists.wa@aussew.
Find a comprehensive list of over 90+ other social sewing groups all over Australia here!
America
MakeICT
WHERE: Wichita, KS.
WHEN: First Sunday of every month 1-4pm.
DETAILS: Follow MakeICT on Facebook to find out about the next event and find out more at Makeict.org/calendar
Westpark Sewing Group
WHERE: Roseville, California.
WHEN: 2nd Tuesday of every month, 10-12 noon.
#nysewcialhour
WHERE: Garment District, New York.
WHEN: Last Tuesday evening every month.
DETAILS: Happy Hour meet up at a bar to chat about sewing. Search hashtag #nysewcialhour on Instagram to find out more.
Sew Saturday
WHERE: Kansas.
WHEN: First Saturday of the month.
DETAILS: 9am – mid-afternoon. It’s free and for each meet up their is a themed lunch, which everyone contributes to. 8-15 people.
Africa
Stitch and Chat
WHERE: Hazellwood Art and Craft Shop, Gaborone, Botswana.
WHEN: Every Monday morning.
DETAILS: A variety of crafts including sewing and the occasional stitch along project. Follow Hazellwood Craft Botswana on Facebook.
