We're Home!

Patchwork is nearly open in its new location!

Hi friends,

We’ve officially moved into our new location at 560 Mineral Spring Ave, Pawtucket RI. The space is really shaping up now that all the big furniture pieces are moved in. I still have some set up to do (replace some lighting, hang up art, organize, etc.) but I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors into the space mid month and I can’t wait for you to visit!

This will be a really exciting new chapter for Patchwork. I plan to offer a wider variety of classes, bring in more guest teachers, and host more fun sewing & design centered events! If you’re local, please come to our Grand Opening on Sat, April 26th from 2-5pm! More info on that below :)

Open House - Grand Opening Party! 🎉

Please come join us for our first open house and grand opening party on Sat April 26th from 2-5pm. See the new space, browse fabric and notions, enjoy refreshments, peruse books from our library, try out our equipment, and meet fellow crafters!

That’s not all! If you sign up for a class at our opening party, you’ll get a 15% discount. I hope to see you there! RSVP here and tell your friends :)

Spring Classes

L-R: a quilt project in Open Sewing Studio, Making pattern alterations on paper, an in progress t-shirt from our Make a T-shirt class.

Classes kick off in the new space on April 18th with the return of our ongoing Open Sewing Studio. This class runs multiple times a month and we will be offering our usual weekly Friday morning session as well as Thursday evening sessions a few times a month. This class is suitable for all skill levels above complete beginner. Come once to get help when you’re stuck or come multiple weeks to work on a bigger project.

Do you have clothes you’d like to alter for a better fit or something that needs a little upgrade? Sign up for our Alterations Workshop on Sunday, April 27th. This class is open to all skill levels and a great way to save clothes from the donation bin (or the landfill).

Our first long form class, Sew a T-shirt, starts May 20th. This is a great class for beginner and more experiences sewers alike who want to learn about basic garment construction and working with knit fabric.

L-R: A recent girl scout troop special session of “Learn to Sew”, Cyanotypes made with dandelions and other wildflowers, a finished beginner quilt.

For those of you who want to get into sewing but have never even touched a machine before, our Learn to Sew class on May 24th is the way to go. Learn all the basics of machine sewing and make a cute throw pillow! Bring your own sewing machine or learn on ours. All materials are included in the cost of the class.

On Saturday May 31st, learn how to print on fabric using the sun in our Cyanotypes on Fabric workshop. Cyanotype treated fabric is included in the class cost. Just bring items to print with!

In June, we’re offering a 4 week Make a Quilt class. Learn the basics of quilting and create a lap sized quilt using cherished fabric or scrappy finds from our reuse center!

If you’d rather get some help one-on-one, you can always sign up for a private lesson. Book a 1 or 2 hour session and work on whatever you want, including getting help with multiple projects if time allows.

Fun things on the internet

A close up of some felt applique in a class I taught at Cloth Collaborative a few years ago

Moving comes with a lot of challenges, including paring down your stuff so that you don’t have to haul as many boxes. In the move, I passed along my floor loom to my pal Sam at Cloth Collaborative, a weaving and textile arts studio in Boston and kindred educational space. If you’ve ever wanted to learn weaving, please check them out ASAP.

…and then of course I see this video of Bzro_clothing on Instagram WEAVING THEIR OWN DENIM and immediately got giver-awayer’s remorse. Oh well, a craft for another day 😅

Speaking of more crafts I’m obsessed with and don’t have time (just yet) to explore, I recently discovered Ling Chang’s marbled leather accessories! Marbling has been on my to-learn list forever. Any marbling experts out there keen to teach a class at Patchwork? 👀

And finally, I hope to offer classes and workshops exploring gender expansive style and LOVE this Big Gender Expansive Style Guide from Phoriafits on Instagram. So much style inspiration in a single post.

What do you want to learn?

Now that we’re continue our journey in a new location, we’d love to hear what kind of classes you’d be interested in! If you’re near Pawtucket/Providence RI (or don’t mind making the trip) let us know what you are interested in by filling out our survey below!

Seasonal Studio Playlist

It’s back! I love making a playlist and I’m back to making my beloved seasonal studio playlists. This one is fresh and wriggling like spring earth full of worms, birds, and blooms and a little angsty to reflect the times.