At Liberty to make frilly pinnies

Continuing my exploration of all things crafty, which began in August (read more here), yesterday I spent the afternoon at the illustrious London department store Liberty learning how to fashion myself the frilliest and girliest apron known to mankind.

Under the calm and careful tuition of seamstress extraordinaire Nicole Wilson, I successfully sewed a ruffle around, a pocket onto and a lining into a semi-circle of one of the famous Liberty print fabrics, the evocatively titled ‘Meadow’.

After a couple of hours of frantic stitching, pinning, machining and (inevitably) unpicking, pinning and machining again, the rather retro clothing protector looked extremely fetching. It is what my grandmother would call “A party apron”.

You can see the fruits of my (and Nicole’s) handiwork pictured. It is considerably neater and more even -absent of my trademark tatty bits of thread and jaggedy edges- than my usual dressmaking efforts, although I’m no Singer sewing machine novice. The experience was a taste of what the Liberty sewing school has to offer.

Next week sees the commencement of weekly knitting classes, patchwork quilt lessons, crochet sessions and more from now until Christmas.

There is also a one off sewing class on 25 September to celebrate the publication of the Liberty Book of Home Sewing by Lucinda Ganderton at which attendees can make pinnies like mine.

A beautiful coffee table object (click here for a sneak preview), the book exudes sumptuous patterns and colours and (most excitingly) hand drawn step-by-step guides to help you make blindingly kitsch cushions, corsages, bags and door stops.

A class or a flip through the book will arm you with the skills and inspiration to make presents and accessories that are not just cheap and easy to do, but which look really lovely and would cost a lot to buy ready-made.

The whole concept is extremely fluffy and is definitely a chance to sit around needle in hand to have a natter with like-minded women. And it is only women. “In all my years as a teacher I’ve never had a man in one of my classes,” Nicole told me.

Needless to say after I’d completed my pinny Nicole who should have been a Blue Peter presenter and had one she’d made earlier) and I tied them around our waists and surveyed the results.

I liked mine so much I left the shop wearing it, gaining many an admiring glance on my tube journey home.

The next Liberty Book of Home Sewing class is Sunday 25th September, Heritage Suite, 3rd Floor, Liberty, Great Marlborough Street, London, W1B 5AH, 12.30pm -4.3opm. Price of workshop: £75

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