Salford Slow Fashion: Begin To Sew at Islington Mill

Slow down, get hands-on and learn something genuinely useful in this small-group sewing workshop at Islington Mill. Designed for beginners but welcoming all abilities, the session offers a practical, confidence-building introduction to the sewing machine.

Led by designer and educator Jessie Stringer-Fewtrill, the workshop demystifies the basics: threading up, filling the spool, adjusting tension, hemming, reverse stitch and more. You’ll put those skills straight into practice by making your own envelope pouch using a simple pattern, learning how to properly pin, cut and sew fabric.

All materials are provided, though you’re welcome to bring your own fabric if you have something specific in mind. By the end, you’ll leave not only with a finished, hand-made pouch, but with a solid grounding in core sewing skills you can take away and build on at home.

Jessie is co-founder and director of Salford Slow Fashion CIC, a community interest company using fashion and textiles as tools for empowerment, education and storytelling. With over a decade of experience in dressmaking and pattern cutting, her practice spans bespoke design, collaboration and community-led workshops across the North West.

With a maximum of five participants, this is an intimate, supportive space in which to learn, ask questions and reconnect with making – slowly, thoughtfully, and by hand.