FAQs

This is at the top of the list because it is the number 1 question we get asked. And the answer unfortunately is No. 

As a self taught sewer, alterations are not a skill Lexy has picked up (yet). They can also vary greatly in the complexity and time taken so we do not always have time to fit them.

We try our best to vary the times and days of our courses to suit the local community. Below is a rough guide

• Evening Courses - run 6-8pm (Winter) or 6.30/7-8.30/9 (Spring-Autumn) 

• Day Courses - usually run late morning (11am) to early evening (5pm) 

• Full Day Workshops - mainly held on weekends 10am-6pm 

No - we have a range of machines (including overlockers) available to use for all sewing workshops, courses and our social sessions 

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If you do want to bring your machine in - for example, to learn a particular skill on it - it must be PAT tested by an electrician. Most offer this service for a low cost & many local organisations including Caberfeidh Horizons and Cairngorms Repair Cafe have volunteers who can provide these services for a small charge. 

 Some materials are provided but some you will need to buy prior to the course beginning. Each course or workshop will include information about what you need and we send further details once you are booked. Below is some helpful information 

• What's a Fat Quarter (FQ)?: This is a common sewing term referring to the size of a piece of fabric. Fabric is usually cut into ½m pieces, which is then cut in half to may a FQ. They can often be bought in co-ordinating bundles from fabric stores, Hobbycraft or Aldi

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• What is directional fabric?: Many fabrics have different patterns and prints. Some are non-directional i.e. the print is randomly placed & there is no right way up. Others are directional i.e. the print needs to be a certain way up to look correct 

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• Is it ok to use acrylic yarn?: Acrylic yarn are made from synthetic fibres and can sometimes have a bad reputation as they are not eco-friendly & can often have a strange texture. However, they are also cheaper than natural fibres. When it comes to yarn based crafts we want to be as inclusive as we can so if acrylic yarn is in your price range and you like it then please do use it! 
   

There are a number of large retailers who sell craft supplies but we really do want to encourage you (wherever possible) to shop small & local!

Fabric: 

• Wee Fabric Shop, Inverness - Maurice & Fiona are really fantastic and have provided fabric for a number of our students. I will be sending them a copy of this booklet so they are aware of what we’re making so they can help you if you choose to shop with them. 21 Tomatin Rd, Hilton, Inverness IV2 4UA https://theweefabricshop.co.uk/

• Online Retailers - there are a number of websites listed below who we quite often shop with. They are all small businesses and the people running them are super responsive to emails and great at finding matching fabrics :

  • 1st for Fabrics https://www.1stforfabrics.co.uk

  • Poppy Bear Fabrics https://www.poppybearfabrics.co.uk

  • Moonbow Fabrics https://www.moonbowfabrics.co.uk

  • Custom Fabrics https://customfabrics.co.uk

  • Jelly Fabrics https://www.jellyfabrics.co.uk

Yarn 

• Us! We do stock a limited amount of yarn - which will shortly include some hand dyed yarns from Scottish retailers 

• We highly recommend Wool Warehouse as an online wool retailer https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/ 

We have tutors who can do their best to help you with sewing, knitting and crochet patterns. Please visit our 1 to 1s & Small Group page for more information 

Currently we stock the following: 

• A mixture of Stylecraft & King Cole yarn (limited supplies) 

• A selection of tools - scissors, rotary cutters, rulers etc

• Sewing machine thread

• Handmade craft storage bags 

• Knitting & Crochet patterns via Ravlery in Store

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We will soon be stocking 

• Hand dyed yarn 

Ravelry.com is an online database of knitting & crochet patterns. You can set up an account and have access to 1000s of patterns, forums and information. 

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Some patterns are free but many are paid for. Ravelry in Store allows us to sell these patterns in the shop - we make a small profit and the Designer is paid for the pattern. You can pay by cash or card and then the pattern can be added to your Ravelry account, emailed to you or printed here in the shop

Yes! We offer a monthly shelf rental service - please email us for information

At the moment, no. We have recently had a large donation of both yarn & fabric and have plenty or our current projects