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Posts Tagged ‘The Sewing Room’

Meet Jennifer Serr from The Sewing Room in Alameda

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 7, 2018| 3 Comments »

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Me on the left and Jennifer Serr at The Sewing Room. (On the far right is a 1990s coat that Jennifer is altering into a 1930s silhouette.)

I first met Jennifer Serr several years ago at the Art Deco Society of California’s Gatsby Summer Afternoon. Jennifer and her mother caught my eye, sitting in their charming picnic site enjoying the day together. So I struck up a conversation and it turns out that Jennifer had created her dress out of a vintage tablecloth made of a lightweight embroidered silk. Further chatting revealed that she runs a sewing school in Alameda called The Sewing Room.

 

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Jennifer made this dress for Gatsby Summer Afternoon 2017.

Since then I have been following Jennifer on Instagram watching her whip together all kinds of fabulous vintage style fashions, many inspired by the popular television series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

Jennifer has been sewing since she was seven years old. “I loved clothes and my mom was single with a very limited budget,” she explains. “My grandfather funded my sewing, which empowered the new clothes desire and thus enabled me to create whatever I wanted.” She was, however, only allowed to keep going with the sewing if she maintained at least a 3.5 GPA in school. “I made sure that would happen.” Smart and creative!

Keeping up with her affection for clothes, Jennifer says she makes 90 percent of what she wears.

Learning those skills at an early age has served Jennifer well, at one time working for The Gap and now teaching kids. It’s been five years since she opened The Sewing Room where she has taught many a budding seamstress/designer the basics of sewing, pattern making, and beyond.

IMG_0997 (2)But The Sewing Room isn’t just about kids! Adults are also welcome for classes, workshops, and sewing camps. This summer, July 23-27 Jennifer is planning a special adult camp – a week of sewing and fashion. Here’s her description: Students will spend the week escaping their day-to-day life, delving into the exciting world of Fashion and Sewing. Over the course of the week, students will work on apparel projects as well as explore different aspects of the Sewing World – Textiles, Color, Garment Construction, Mood Boards and more!

Students bring their own projects to work on, there will be a special guest or two and on the final day of camp – lunch! A total immersion in all things fashion. Sounds like heaven to me.

Click here for more information on Sewing Camp for Adults. 

The Sewing Room 2434 Webb Ave., Alameda is open during class times and by appointment.

Thanks, Jennifer. I look forward to seeing your creation for the upcoming ADSC Preservation Ball. 

 

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Emily Payne’s Draping Class at The Sewing Room in Alameda

Posted in Events, Fashion, tagged , , , , on October 2, 2015| 1 Comment »

Make your own Mega-Hoodie designed by Emily Payne. Photo courtesy of The Sewing Room.

Make your own Mega-Hoodie designed by Emily Payne. Photo courtesy of The Sewing Room.

One of the many things I enjoy about attending Gatsby Summer Afternoon is all the creative and interesting people I meet. This year I crossed paths with Jennifer Serr when she and I stood next to each other on the dance floor waiting to parade for the costume contest. (Later we commiserated that neither of us made the first cut. Ha!)

But no matter, my prize was chatting with Jennifer who with her mother set up a charming picnic table for two. Turns out that Jennifer is an accomplished seamstress and proprietor of The Sewing Room in Alameda.

The Sewing Room offers sewing classes, camps, and workshops, particularly for kids, but for anyone new to sewing. Interested students can learn it all from how to use a machine to hand sewing to alterations to how to work with a pattern and much more.

There are also special workshops and one coming up on October 18, 2015 is The Mega-Hoodie Drape with Emily Payne, Project Runway Season 13 contestant. Students will drape and sew (time allowing) the best-selling Mega-Hoodie with fabric provided by Britex and with the guidance of Ms. Payne.

Jennifer says of the workshop, “Emily simplifies the process of fashion draping, allowing the student to access a system more often limited to those in the fashion industry. She is a gifted instructor and designer and is very excited to work with new students!”

What an opportunity to meet and work with Emily Payne and Jennifer Serr. The Sewing Room, 2434 Webb Ave, Alameda. October 18th, 2015, 1-4. Fee is $125 and includes fabric from Britex. Click here for more information.

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