About
Croeso! Welcome!
I’m Debra, I’m fifty-something, live in North Wales with my sports mad husband and teenage son and I’m obsessed with creating clothes.
Making garments has been something I’ve done since I was a youngster. I started sewing at the age of 9 at a local evening class. My abiding memory of these classes was being with people that loved this hobby. It was a warm, enthusiastic and inclusive space and I fell in love with it straight away!
Like many people growing up in the 1980s, it was difficult to find unique clothing as there was often just one or two local boutiques so the chances of turning up to a party in the same outfit as someone else was horribly high! So, I decided to have a go at making my own clothes. Of course, I had no access to formal patterns nor fabric, so I used the clothes I had as a template and made do with old curtains or sheets for my creations! All this started a lifelong love of fashion and making clothes. In the late 80s I completed an HND in Fashion and Design but due to a number of reasons, I didn’t pursue that career path and instead had a fulfilling career in the corporate world working in communications and events. I stopped sewing for a long time due to starting a family but once my son was older, I found I was desperate for a creative outlet. I started sewing again around 10 years ago and haven’t looked back!
I’m often asked why I took up sewing again after 20 years. Well it’s simple: it’s to leave the real world behind and disappear into fabric, trims and creativity.
My recent story is that I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the 'Great British Sewing Bee' 2022....
I had a great time on the show, and won the coveted 'Garment of the Week' three times as well as receiving consistently excellent comments from judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young. It was a true ‘once in a lifetime’ experience and I learned so much from the other contestants, judges and about myself during my time on the show. Reaching the final was one of the proudest moments of my life. The feedback I received from the judges has given me the push I needed to set up my own design school: Sewing with Style!
You’ll see that I am evangelical about designing and creating and I strongly believe we all have it in us to create something beautiful and truly unique. My mission at 'Sewing with Style' is to demystify design to those who come to my classes. I’m also a woman in the peri-menopause with all the 'wonderful’ changes that comes with this phase in a woman’s life. Of course there’s a lot of press about how your body changes during peri and the menopause – but as we all know, there is no ‘right size’ out there. The wonderful thing about sewing is that you can adapt what you are making to fit your body – not try and change your body to fit your clothes.
Prior to, and especially during, lockdown the world of on-line tutorials came along in leaps and bounds. However something that’s been abundantly clear to me and to many of my friends these past two years is that we need human contact to flourish. Taking classes on-line is superb for time management and is brilliant to save on your device for future reference – and heck, let’s face it, you can even take the classes in your PJ’s…. BUT there’s nothing like being in a room with like-minded people to inspire, learn and have some fun.
Our classes at 'Sewing with Style' are deceptively simple; we encourage our small group of participants to keep things simple, do them well and add a personal flourish! Take a look at what we offer and see if there’s something you’d fancy joining.
If you’d like to chat to me about bespoke classes, then contact me on email: goldenzebra5@icloud.com. I’d love to hear from you.
Debra x