Month: April 2023

Learn With Coles
Classes · Sewing

Learn With Coles

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Sewing is a great way to learn new skills whether you enjoy making garments for yourself or creating a beautiful quilt or if you’re like me and like to dabble in lots of different stitch projects.   

Increasingly, research shows that craft activities like sewing release the feel-good hormone dopamine, provide a distraction from worries, give people a creative outlet and sense of accomplishment and help people feel happier.

People enjoy sewing and socialising with like minded people and our face-to-face classes provide somewhere to do just that, over the years we have seen many new sewing friendships formed!

There are many ways to learn with us, as well as our face-to-face classes, we have recently added zoom classes and now have an online learning centre.

We also have a YouTube channel where we post short instructional videos and if you subscribe to our channel (it’s free) you will get notifications when we upload new videos and add items to our community page.      

Coles Learning Centre – Online learning – an extension of our classroom online!

Our classes are designed to take you from complete beginner to confident sewer and even the most experienced stitchers will find something new to learn. As well as our internationally renowned classes for Husqvarna Viking machine owners, there are project classes for both sewing and embroidery, overlocker owners and some free classes for you to try before you buy! 

Our classes are recorded so that you can watch them over and over again, pause, stop and rewind!

Visit www.coleslearningcentre.com to see what we have on offer!

Reusable makeup wipes are just one of the free short classes we have available

Zoom Online Learning

These classes are live zoom sessions, designed for you to watch, take notes, and ask the tutor questions – a great opportunity to attend a class from the comfort of your own home, wherever you are in the world, and we won’t know if you’ve got your slippers on! 

You will be sent a recording of the class within 48 hours so you can watch it again at a time that suits you.

You can make one of these beautiful projects with the skills you’ll learn during Pat Lumsdale’s Strip Quilt Using Quilt As You Go Zoom class

Classroom Learning – face to face in Nottingham

We also run a huge variety of classes in our classrooms. These cover all aspects of sewing, including dressmaking, quilting, patchwork, embroidery, overlocking and computer embroidery software, our classes are all led by expert tutors.

You can book these courses online by clicking here, or call us on 0115 9881550.

Dressmaking is one of the many skills you can learn in our Nottingham classroom

Helping us with our learning centre and YouTube channel

Ishrat Chowdhury is a current second year Law student at Nottingham Trent University. As a part of her course this year, she was required to take on a twelve-week placement to complete her module and learn about working in a professional environment. Ishrat has been working with us and helping with the social media side of the business by filming and editing for YouTube and updating the online learning centre.

On completing her placement Ishrat said, ‘Although there have been challenges along the way, I have been able to overcome them with the help of the Coles staff, I can confidently say that I have gained skills that I did not apprehend, such as IT ones. But I have also learnt what it is like to work in a professional setting and adopted skills from the staff around me, such as effective communication. It has been an amazing opportunity for me to conduct my placement at Coles Sewing Centre and gain experiences that I will be able to apply to my degree and onwards.’

Pop over to our website for information on our face to face and zoom classes, you’ll also find class pictures and requirement lists. You can book a zoom class or face to face class on our website or by giving us a call, however we do recommend early booking otherwise you may be disappointed! 

We did it!
Events · Staff

We did it!

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As you may know, last month the staff at Coles took part in the Cancer Research UK Walk All Over Cancer challenge. We aimed to walk 10,000 steps a day for the whole of March with a target of raising £700 and I’m proud to say that we absolutely smashed it! Between us we walked 2,425,576 steps, which works out as about 1,091 miles – that’s enough to get us to Russia, Mali or even Greenland! Altogether we raised £1,408, which is more than double our original target! Thank you so much to everyone who supported us and donated so generously, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Between us we walked over 1,000 miles! Map created on milesofme.com
Husqvarna Viking · Sewing

Springtime Sewing with Husqvarna Viking Machines

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Spring is a time for new beginnings, and what better way to welcome a new season than by sewing a beautiful gift for your loved one? A handmade gift is one of the best ways to show someone how much you care about them.

And thanks to the latest cutting-edge technology from Husqvarna Viking, sewing has never been more enjoyable. In this blog, we take a look at some pattern ideas for springtime sewing before providing a guide to Husqvarna Viking machines and why you should invest in one.

Pattern ideas for spring sewing

You can make a whole range of items for springtime, from Easter accessories to dresses and pinafores for children. Or you can just whip up some new clothes for yourself! Either way, there are lots of great sewing patterns out there to help bring your ideas to life.

If you’re sewing for someone else, you want to make sure the item reflects their personality as well as your relationship with them. Here are some pattern ideas for your next spring sewing project:

Children’s Dress, Top, Pants, Purses & Headband

The Simplicity Pattern S9559 is for a dress with a lined bodice and back buttons, which is perfect for casual spring or summer days. It’s a below-knee length dress with the option of sleeves or no sleeves. The skirt has an empire waistline seam, fabric ruffles and a button trim. This pattern also includes a sleeveless, hip-length top that can be worn with jeans or shorts.

The pull-on cropped pants have elastic waistbands and fabric tie bows at the sides. They will look great with a T-Shirt or blouse. The dress with or without short sleeves has a below-knee length and is perfect for spring and summer. The lined purses have ruffles or bunny details and look adorable when attached to a belt loop! The ruffled headband is also included in this bundle pack.

Child’s & Girls’ Dress, Top, Pants & Camisole

The Simplicity Pattern 8621 is a collection of easy-to-sew pieces will have you really looking forward to the warmer weather. The Child’s & Girls’ Dress, Top, Pants & Camisole pattern includes a dress, knit camisole with lace overlay, and ankle-length pants, great for sister Easter looks or anything summery! The Child’s & Girls’ Dress, Top, Pants & Camisole pattern makes it easy to sew up some great outfits for the little ones in your life in just one afternoon!

These patterns are from Simplicity, whose patterns are all 50% off from Friday 7th April to Sunday 23rd April 2023 – snap up this bargain while you can!

A guide to Husqvarna Viking machines

Husqvarna Viking sewing machines have been helping sewers create their best projects for years. They are versatile, easy to use, and offer the best sewing machine experience out there. Whether you’re looking to make your first project or you’re an experienced seamstress, there’s a Husqvarna Viking machine that will be perfect for your needs.

Benefits of Husqvarna Viking machines

Springtime is a great time to get your sewing machine out because it’s the perfect excuse to make something new! The new Husqvarna Viking sewing machines are engineered and manufactured to the highest standards, with cutting-edge technology to ensure you get the best sewing experience possible.

Husqvarna Viking offers a range of models from basic to advanced, so you can choose the model that best fits your needs. One of their most popular features is the automatic bobbin winding system, it alerts you when the bobbin thread runs out, so you don’t have to worry about losing your project halfway through!

The machines are designed to give you the best performance, whether you’re sewing large quilts, home dec projects, or garments. You’ll love how easy it is to use these machines, whether you’re just starting or have years of experience under your belt. You can rely on their precision, ease of use and beautiful results every time.

Buying a Husqvarna Viking sewing machine

We know that when you’re ready to buy a sewing machine, you want one that’s easy to use, reliable, and comes with the accessories you need to get you started. That’s why we recommend Husqvarna Viking machines. Not only are they easy to use and come with a variety of features, but they also have a stitch selection that allows you to completely customise your projects whether they are creating clothes or making decorations for your home. They are simple to thread and reliable machines will provide you with years of sewing enjoyment.

You can buy with confidence from us as we offer 30 minutes of free in-store tuition with a range of our mechanical Husqvarna Viking sewing machines. In addition, many of our new sewing and embroidery machines come with a free online class on Coles Learning Centre, while new overlockers come with a free one-day in-store class.

For peace of mind, our Husqvarna Viking sewing, and embroidery machines come with a five-year warranty covering parts, electrical and electronics and a two-year warranty covering labour. Whilst our mechanical machines and overlockers come with a two-year parts and labour warranty.

So what are you waiting for? Browse through our website to discover our Husqvarna Viking range. Not only do we offer Husqvarna sewing and embroidery machines but also, overlockers and even demo and pre-owned machines if you’re shopping on a budget. Why not get in touch today!