Fabric lampshades are a fantastic way to add a pop of colour to a room. And they are easy to make yourself, too. We stock lampshade rings, made right here in New Zealand – NZ Made for The Win!!
Things have come a long way from the days when a lampshade was made from a wire frame. Today’s lampshades comprise two rings – one containing the ‘drop’ for holding it to the light fitting, and ‘styrene’, a stiff translucent plastic that provides rigidity to the body. This means you can make them any size or shape that can be had from your choice of rings, and that is plenty.
Of course I just had to have a go straight away, and my efforts are in the shop. I am happy to explain to anyone who wants to know how to do it, and for those who really want to be guided through the process, I’m holding regular classes. Check the Calendar!
All you need besides the rings is styrene, spray contact adhesive and double sided sellotape. We have all of these supplies, of course!
As for the cover fabric, the world is your oyster! Light coloured, lightweight fabrics are best, as they let the light through best.
These are the results of our second class – eight fabulous lampshades in fabrics as diverse as their makers! And they all looked fab too.
Welcome to autumn! Hope you are keeping warm as the weather cools down.
In between my own mad sewing and research I’ve scheduled some fantastic classes for this autumn based on patterns I’ve been working on, techniques I’ve been perfecting, and requests from students.
Pictured: mad sewing
I’m particularly excited about Sewing with Knits: the Simple T-Shirt. I sewed knit dance outfits for a costume shop a decade ago, and then just got out of practice, and sewing with knits began to seem quite tricky and daunting. Last year I made a resolution to overcome my odd fear of knits, and when I started working with them again everything came back, and I love how easy they are to work with, and how easy they are to wear. The class is based on my own (now totally overcome) fear of knits, and is aimed at showing all sewing levels how fun and easy it is to make a T-shirt that is better than boughten.
Because it is an introduction to knit class, it’s suitable for fairly beginner sewers who know how to operate a machine but may never have used a pattern, and quite advanced sewers who have only worked with wovens. You’ll both learn a lot from it. Hope to see you in the class!
The simple, but perfectly made, T-shirt
Another class that I am just thrilled to be able to offer is the new Intermediate Level 3+: Perfecting Your Techniques class. There has been so much demand for a class where intermediate-advanced students could work on their own chosen project, but get assistance with tricky fitting, specialised techniques, and fine finishes. In an advanced class students can do the bulk of the sewing at home, and use class time for the really hard bits. I can’t wait to see what projects students bring in! The first session starts April 17 and runs for four weeks (with a break between the third and fourth week) and the another session runs Wednesdays 8-28 May.
Pintucks, top joined seams, and other techniques to perfect
The Perfectly Fitted Trousers course that I ran in Feb and March was such a huge success, and there was so much demand from the students in it to do more classes where you develop personalised pattern blocks that I’m offering Perfect-Fit Pencil Skirtstarting Thursday May 16 and running for three weeks. Developing a pencil skirt block is easier than a trouser block, so we’ll have more time to focus on getting your finishes right: working with linings, setting hems, and putting in zips.
Perfect-fit Pencil Skirt
And do check out the awesome orange and white diagonal stripey pencil skirt currently on display at Made on Marion that I made as a class sample! Most of you may prefer a more classic black or grey skirt for yourself, but I couldn’t resist playing with the fabric.
Another class that has been scheduled due to popular demand is the Classic Collared Shirt class, starting 29 April and running every Monday eve for four weeks. The class is designed for both men and women’s shirt styles, so I hope to see some of Wellingtons male sewers in it! Almost a decade ago, when we were still dating, I taught my now-husband, who had never sewn in his life before, how to sew a classic collared shirt. He still has the first shirt we made together, and if I could get him to make a perfect shirt, anyone with intermediate sewing experience will be just fine in this class!
As always, there are Absolute Beginners classes happening every five weeks. The April-May night session is currently fully booked, but there are still spaces in the April Daytime Absolute Beginners (the daytime classes are usually smaller, so I highly recommend them if you can make them!).
A sweet and simple pillowcase dress made in Daytime Absolute Beginners
Once you are done with Absolute Beginners, take Level 2 Intermediate: Intro to Sewing with Patterns, with the first four-week session starting Tuesday 23 April. It’s also perfect for those who have done a little sewing on their own but still need help reading patterns and knowing all the techniques.
Finally, for a little bit of fluff and fun, I’m thrilled to be offeringFrench Knickers and Tap Pants again. It’s the perfect indulgent course to make yourself some lingerie that can be as pretty and luxurious as you want (I make mine out of silk) while still being practical for windy Wellington winter weather. The course starts Thursday June 6 and runs two weeks. Keep a watch out for the Made on Marion display in the weeks running up to it – it’s going to turn into a veritable garden of tap pants!
French knickers
Hope to see you in one or more of these courses! Have a class that you’d really like me to teach, or offer again? Leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do!
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The Dreamstress, aka Leimomi Oakes, is a textile historian and historical seamstress with a strong background in teaching.
At her School of Vintage sewing you’ll learn vintage, historical and modern sewing techniques, lots of textile history, and how to be an independent sewist who feels confident creating your own designs, drafting your own patterns, and altering commercial patterns.
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Courses are rated on difficulty on a scale of 1 to 10 – The ratings are just a guideline to give you an idea of how hard the course will be: don’t pick something too far above your level, but be sure to challenge yourself!
1: is an absolute beginners course, for someone who has never been on a sewing machine before.
2: you’ve made cushions or something similar, and know how to set zips and make buttonholes.
3: you can follow a simple sewing pattern.
4: you’ve moved up to more complicated patterns with linings.
5: you’re ready to start making adaptions to your patterns to suit your taste and to fit you better.
6: you’ve begun to draft your own simple patterns and making up moderately difficult patterns
7: you’re beginning to play with draping, and trickier fabrics
8: you’re working your way up to difficult fabrics, evening wear, tailoring and tricky fitting issues
9: you’re making your own patterns, and working with couture techniques.
10: is for someone with experience in pattern making, couture sewing, and advanced fitting.
The Dreamstress, aka Leimomi Oakes, is a textile historian and historical seamstress with a strong background in teaching.
At her School of Vintage sewing you’ll learn vintage, historical and modern sewing techniques, lots of textile history, and how to be an independent sewist who feels confident creating your own designs, drafting your own patterns, and altering commercial patterns.
Leimomi Oakes, The Dreamstress, in a Japonisme style dress from the 1880s
Courses are rated on difficulty on a scale of 1 to 10 – The ratings are just a guideline to give you an idea of how hard the course will be: don’t pick something too far above your level, but be sure to challenge yourself!
1: is an absolute beginners course, for someone who has never been on a sewing machine before.
2: you’ve made cushions or something similar, and know how to set zips and make buttonholes.
3: you can follow a simple sewing pattern.
4: you’ve moved up to more complicated patterns with linings.
5: you’re ready to start making adaptions to your patterns to suit your taste and to fit you better.
6: you’ve begun to draft your own simple patterns and making up moderately difficult patterns
7: you’re beginning to play with draping, and trickier fabrics
8: you’re working your way up to difficult fabrics, evening wear, tailoring and tricky fitting issues
9: you’re making your own patterns, and working with couture techniques.
10: is for someone with experience in pattern making, couture sewing, and advanced fitting.
A class for people who have never sewn a stitch since school, or maybe never. Learn the basic techniques of sewing on simple projects. A fun, accessible class. We keep the numbers low so everyone gets quality time with the tutor.
Materials: The $15 materials fee covers everything you need for the first two classes, materials lists for the final two will be provided after registration.
If you own a sewing machine then you should bring it, but if not we have machines available for your use. Please don’t buy a sewing machine for this class – part of what you get out of it is a chance to try different models so that you can make an informed choice if you do wish to buy one.
The next stage after Absolute Beginners Sewing. This course is mainly for our own students, but if you have done a beginner sewing course somewhere else, do talk to us about whether this one will suit you too! Intermediate Sewing focuses on learning to sew patterns.
Materials: Students should provide their own pattern and fabric after discussing suitable options with Leimomi
Do you love the look of early ’30s garden party frocks? The layers of floating chiffon? The clever seaming and romance meets sophistication aesthetic? Using the Dreamstresses personal ’30s dress base pattern, you’ll develop your own dress pattern, picking your neckline, your sleeve and shoulder details, and the cut, drape and shape of your skirt
Suitable for those with intermediate and higher sewing experience. Level 5-8 (depending on the fabric you select – more experienced sewers may wish to tackle silk chiffon, those with less experience are advised to pick more stable viscoses and cottons)
Cost: $130 (includes pattern and patterning tissue)
Materials: Students should bring the pattern & fabric needed for their dress to the first class. Register and I’ll help you work through that before the class
Add to your vintage wardrobe with a charming late 1930s evening capelet based on a vintage garment in Leimomi’s collection. Make it as a short cape, or in the original long version with front lappets.
While the cape can be made of flat fabric such as wool, this is the perfect opportunity to learn to work with pile fabrics such as velvet.
Suitable for all experience levels. It is recommended that beginner sewers choose a flat fabric and a non-slippery lining
Materials: 2 meters each of an outer fashion fabric, and a lining fabric, both at least 90cm wide. (if your fabric is 140cm wide you’ll only need 1.5m, and there is also an option to make the cape without the long lappets, which takes less fabric)
Suitable outer fabrics include silk or rayon velvet, other mid-weight pile fabrics with a slight drape, mid-weight wool, and other mid-weight non-stretch outerwear fabrics with a slight drape. Suitable lining fabrics include craft cotton, light-mid weight silks, and soft synthetic lining fabrics.
Saturday 2 Feb and Sunday 3 Feb 10-5.30 pm with a 45 minute break for lunch.
Need a gorgeous outfit for Art Deco Weekend, or just a pretty frock for your vintage wardrobe?In one weekend we’ll work through the vintage (1920s-40s) pattern of your choice – tackling all the tricky bits together and getting a dress, jacket, or ensemble done in two days.
Will you pick a little 20′s beaded evening dress, a sophisticated 30′s suit, or a fun 40′s playsuit?
Materials needed: Bring your own pattern or borrow one from Leimomi’s stash
Cost: $120, plus a $5 borrowing fee if you wish to borrow a pattern
Whether you call them trousers or pants, getting the fit just right can be a bit tricky. In this course you’ll develop your own personal pants block, and then make the perfect tailored trousers from it.
Best of all, your pants block can be used to make a whole range of pant and short styles – each of which will fit you perfectly.
High Intermediate = Suitable for those with intermediate and higher sewing experience.
Cost: $125 (includes patterning tissue for your block).
Materials: Students should bring 2 metres of stunt fabric for mock-ups to the first class, and fabric for their final trousers to the following class.
Thursdays Feb 28th, March 7th, March 14th, and March 21st.
Learn the fundamentals of corsetmaking with a perfectly fitted underbust corset. While corsets look complicated, a few simple tricks will de-mystify the process This course will cover every step of the process from choosing your fabric, busk, and boning types; to fitting and altering your pattern; to setting the busk; getting the boning channels to look perfectly even on the outside and inside of the corset; inserting your eyelets; and binding the edges.
IMPORTANT: We expect this class to be very popular, and there will be limited spaces. Please confirm your registration with payment ASAP. Learn more about this class here at The Dreamstress’ blog.
This class is a prerequisite to the Advanced Corsetmaking – the Overbust Corset which will be offered later in March.
Suitable for those with intermediate and higher sewing experience. Level 5
Materials: Students will need to bring the fabrics for their corset (suggestions for suitable fabric will be provided). All other materials are included as part of the kit
We are always updating our exciting line up of classes. To check them out, take a look at the class Calendar.
Classes on Request
As well as scheduled classes, we often run classes on request. Bridal showers, friends wanting to hang out together, team building – crafting and sewing are excellent activities. To make an inquiry, click here
Some of the classes we have run on request:
Pillowcase dresses – A simple, creative dress suitable ages 1-9 years. Fun for beginner sewists and experienced alike.
Bunting – This is a fun, quick make. The creative challenge is in selecting the fabrics! Or, get together and make enough to decorate the wedding, the nursery, or the new deck for a friend.
Also, how about making a quilt together – a much appreciated gift for a new baby or new marriage. A great way to learn about patchwork, play with fabric, have a laugh with friends and produce a beautiful result.
Regarding our classes, all fees are payable in advance unless otherwise stated. If you are unable to attend a booked class, a cancellation fee may be charged. Please talk to us if you think this may happen and we will do our best to accommodate you. If for some unforeseeable & unavoidable reason we need to cancel a class, we will refund your fee in full, or if you prefer you can transfer to another class.
I began sewing when I was about eight years old. By ten I was making my own clothes. I never thought twice about it, it was just what I did. By high school I had quite definite ideas about how I wanted to dress, and the shops weren’t going to deliver, so my sewing skills got plenty of practice. I got lots of support in my passion from my Mum and also a neighbour, Giselle, who was a Paris trained couture seamstress. I was very lucky to have such skills on hand, and Giselle in particular taught me techniques that work brilliantly, but that I have never seen elsewhere.
These days, our schools are offering far more in terms of design and technology than 35 years ago, but there are plenty of young people out there who are either way ahead of the curriculum, want to focus their schooling elsewhere, or just plain captivated by Project Runway.
I know that age is no barrier to capability and talent. And so these school holidays*, I am offering a Master Class for young people. Young people = school aged, from about Year 8 and above.
Limited to four places, this class is a chance for the students to do some intense sewing. And drafting, if they want to. Pretty much what they want to make is fine. The purpose of the course is for each student to get an outcome at the end of it, having learned a lot of new and useful things in the process.
Because it is a Master Class, students need to have a little experience already – most will have done two years of technology in Year 7-8, and preferably made a garment or tried to since then. I am just as happy to take a kid who has tried and failed to make several things by themselves than one successful make. Either shows passion and commitment, which are far harder to teach than setting in a sleeve!
So if this sounds like you, or your daughter/son, do contact me for a chat. Students attending will need to arrive with fabrics and a design, and for this to work I’ll need to have some input into what those are before 1 October. We will have a fabulous week, lots of fun as well as graft, and we’ll make sure the kids are well looked after while in our care.
In the build up to the holidays every Monday and Friday evening in the first three weeks in December will be dedicated to make-in-one-night project which are perfect as presents for yourself, or someone else.
From vintage-inspired Christmas stockings, to gorgeous and easy cushion covers, to exquisite flowers made from air-dry clay, to Regency-inspired evening bags, these engaging classes are a fun and productive holiday break. They include:
Until Christmas, it’s all about gift ideas and decorations! Heaps of opportunities to combine learning new techniques with producing beautiful, useable things.
Check out our Class Calendar for the exciting classes we have scheduled for you.
Christmas Stockings – just one of our fun and useful Christmas workshops!
Leimomi Oakes, The Dreamstress, in a Japonisme style dress from the 1880s
The Dreamstress, aka Leimomi Oakes, is a textile historian and historical seamstress with a strong background in teaching.
At her School of Vintage sewing you’ll learn vintage, historical and modern sewing techniques, lots of textile history, and how to be an independent sewist who feels confident creating your own designs, drafting your own patterns, and altering commercial patterns.
We have a great line up of classes showing in our Class Calendar. Many of these can be scheduled by arrangement for a group of friends or work colleagues.
Be it making a baby quilt, bunting for a wedding, aprons, cushion covers – anything at all from our class offering or something else again (who knows, we are pretty jolly talented, not to mention modest!) A lovely way to bond with colleagues give your creative thinking a workout, and maybe contribute to a friend’s birthday, wedding or pending birth, or just to have fun together.
If you’d like to contact us via email about what you would like to do, please fill in the form below. We’ll get back to you ASAP.
Learn all the basics of vintage hairstyling with Claire from The Vanity Case. Each week we will focus on one hairstyle or hairstyling technique. We will review it, you will master it, then you can hit the town with your great new ‘do!
These are the results of our second class – eight fabulous lampshades in fabrics as diverse as their makers! And they all looked fab too.
Courses are rated on difficulty on a scale of 1 to 10 – The ratings are just a guideline to give you an idea of how hard the course will be: don’t pick something too far above your level, but be sure to challenge yourself!
