UP CLOSE: Sidmouth Fabrics & Haberdashery

The art of sewing and dressmaking is alive and well in Sidmouth, with an enthusiastic community of people making their own clothes and patchwork. And you could say that the community is stitched together by Julie Steeples, who owns a shop selling everything they need for their creative crafts, and teaches the necessary skills.

Julie, a dressmaker by trade, opened Sidmouth Fabric and Haberdashery six years ago. She was already running dressmaking classes and also running a business called Overly Gorgeous, designing and making clothes for larger ladies.

She recalls: "Someone said it would be really nice if you had fabric out on display, and they could choose and buy the fabric and then you make the dress. And within 24 hours I'd decided I needed a fabric shop and haberdashery - and that's what I did."

Beautiful displays of fabrics, braids and trims

Stepping inside Julie's shop, you're surrounded by colourful bolts of cloth in all kinds of patterns and textures; shelves of ribbons, braids and trims in vibrant jewel tones and soft pastels; buttons and other fastenings, needlework accessories, and a new display of yarns.

The shop is also home to a workshop space with a large table, where Julie teaches dressmaking, patchwork and making tuffets – a low padded cushion-type fabric seat, traditionally associated with the nursery rhyme character Little Miss Muffet. Those classes and workshops were on hold during the Covid restrictions, but are now up and running again.

The rise in sewing and dressmaking during the Covid pandemic

As a professional dressmaker, Julie isn't at all surprised at the boom in sewing that began last year. Following the start of the coronavirus crisis and the subsequent lockdowns, people needed something calming and productive to do at home.

She said: "It's very tactile and it's very good for the soul. During the pandemic a lot of people started sewing again because they had time and they really enjoyed it, so they've started up again. Or people have started doing something completely new. It's coming back.

"We've got people wanting to make clothes, people wanting to do crafts and people who love patchwork . Patchwork's never died, it's always been a big thing, but dressmaking did because you could buy clothes so cheaply - but for some people that's not what they want at all – they want individuality, and they want clothes that fit well. There are a lot of dressmakers out there."

What classes does Julie run at the moment?

Julie currently runs three dressmaking classes for adults, taking place weekly for two hours. "There are only six people in the class and they're very easy-going, you can come at any level, get help with patterns and with getting a good fit.

"Most people are terrified of patterns, and the instructions are gobbledy-gook so we have to work around that, but it's lovely. A lot of people have been coming for years because you can't learn to dresssmake in six weeks, so it's very friendly and very sociable."

The patchwork classes are relatively new, having started four months ago, with the group learning a new 12-inch square 'block' every month. And with the new yarn section in the shop, there are now also plans for a knitting group: "It's all in the pipeline."

As well as her classes in the shop, Julie organises a one-day textile festival at Exeter Racecourse, taking place this year on September 12. She also runs weekend sewing retreats, where participants learn textile art techniques on one day, work on their own projects the next, and relax with a glass of wine in the evening.

Sidmouth Fabric and Haberdashery can be found at 38 Mill Street. For details of classes, workshops and sewing retreats, contact the shop on 01395 513209 or email [email protected]