Sewingsmith Reviews 

I updated my darning skills on a sewingsmith online course and then successfully darned a friends ancient sweater. I also had the pleasure of watching some very artistic darns made by my fellow classmates . I learnt a lot and was reminded of a lot.

I did a online virtual visible mending workshop with Shelley during lockdown. She sent me a lovely little set of bits to get me going, and by the end of the workshop I felt really confident about how to do it. Although I started with a scrap piece I've moved onto repairing my fine Merino tops and I'm so delighted to be able to give new life to my beloved woollen things. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to learn by using Zoom and What's App (which we continued sharing our results after the class!) but I really enjoyed it. Shelly was patient and it was lots of fun. I've also been inspired to do some other mends (I've fixed some woollen slippers - and repaired some shorts).I'm really grateful to have learnt a new skill and been inspired to start mending and fixing more stuff. If you get a chance to learn with Shelley - take it. It's a great way to learn a practical and sustainable skill.

Shelley has a wealth of knowledge and skill. She’s very personable and interesting - I really enjoyed learning how to darn with her - just need to get practising.... :)

Shelley is an amazing tutor! I’d never tried visible darning before, but she introduced the skill with easy to follow, step by step guidance. The class was relaxed and fun, with no rush to keep up. Shelley was able to check in with everyone, giving kind, specific feedback as our efforts progressed. I was amazed and pleased with the results. In these over-consumption times, Shelley is ahead of the curve in bringing a much- needed recycling/ mending skill to a wider audience. I highly recommend you join her classes, or send her your much-loved item for some truly expert decorative darning!

I took an online darning course with Shelley - she was a brilliant teacher, the tutorial was easy to follow not to mention a useful skill to pick-up. Would highly recommend Shelley, she’s wonderfully creative and great at what she does.

As the least talented person with a needle in the world Shelley’s patience and clear teaching worked wonders for me ! She is calm clear warm and fun and my darning is improving apace ! The zoom classes are fun and also soothing as we sew together in virtual space ... her own work is obviously inspirational and her ability to teach even me is impressive !! Get into a class while you can

I really enjoyed the class with Shelley - she’s an excellent teacher and the pre course info was also really clear and useful so that I could get the most out of the session. This is a brilliant skill to learn and Shelley is a true expert.

I took a Zoom class with Shelley after seeing her visible mends on Instagram. She was a great communicator and the class was easy to follow. It’s best to start with something basic like a scarf but now I’ve progressed to my cashmere sweaters which was the end goal.

Absolutely great experience by an amazingly talented teacher.

I had a class with Shelley a few months back and even despite a worldwide Zoom outage we managed to have a great fun class. Shelley gave really clear instructions and great feedback on my work via WhatsApping pictures. Highly recommended!

I'd seen Shelley's beautiful jewel-like mends on instagram and really wanted to have a go and salvage some favourite sweaters. The class was a lot of fun, with each step of a basic mend explained as we went along, with Shelley checking our progress via WhatsApp and giving lots of feedback, as well as pointing out pitfalls! I'd definitely start with something simple and easy to handle, to get your head around the technique. Since then, I've practised on socks - sweaters next! Thanks Shelley, it was great. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed my visible mending class with Shelley and was able to learn a skill I’d admired for a long time but had no idea to go about doing. The class was small with lots of interaction and the ability to show Shelley our progress and get her feedback was great. Since the class I’ve mended a hot water bottle cover and a blanket and can’t wait to try more.

I found Shelley on Instagram through her beautiful work for Alexandra Tolstoy. The class was very down to earth and easy to follow. I enjoyed meeting her and my virtual classmates in the UK. I am in the States so it was a fun experience to try. The only suggestions I would offer would be to make sure you have What’s App already installed on the device you will be using for the class, to start with a piece of knitwear the size of a handkerchief rather than a bulky item of clothing with a difficult to access repair spot and to leave your loose threads on the side facing you rather than underneath to avoid tangles that are difficult to fix once you get going. These things tripped me up a bit but I still had a great time and learned a fabulous technique too!

This was a fun and inspiring workshop to bring new life to much-loved garments. Lots of one-to-one attention too, and very clear instructions, in the small group on Zoom.