Once an everyday skill, recent generations have lost the love for sewing – but now, fuelled by TV’s The Great British Sewing Bee, it’s coming back. Sarah Millington meets an enthusiast

IF anything is likely put you off sewing, it’s working in a factory – that’s the view of Sharon Robins. And she should know. Having expressed a preference for it at school, she was promptly dispatched into factory work – and having endured the monotony for a year-and-a-half, gave it up, vowing never to return.

She put away the sewing machine she’d been given as a teenager and thought that was that – she’d never embroider another thing.

Then, years later, when her two daughters needed Halloween outfits and she could find nothing suitable in the shops, Sharon dug it out again. She found some fabric she liked and, before she knew it, she’d run up a couple of capes. It marked a turning point for the 49-year-old, who lives in Houghton-le-Spring, near Durham.

“I gave it a good clean and had it serviced,” she says. “I taught my daughters how to make cushions and they made a few bags but then they lost interest. In 2013, I joined the Durham Quilters. I was looking for people to sit and sew and have a good gossip with.

“I thought it was going to be a quiet sewing session once a week but there’s so much going on. I’ve never been so busy in all my life.”

Though fairly new to quilting, Sharon began adapting patterns to create her own. This developed into a collection, which she sold through the online shop Etsy. Then changes to tax rules made this more difficult so Sharon started using the patterns to teach at local fabric shops. The downside was that she had to transport her material, prompting Sharon to look for her own place. She found Vane Tempest Hall in Gilesgate, Durham – where, as luck would have it, a tenant was moving out of a double room – and, a year ago, founded the Raggy Robin Sewing Room.

Now Sharon offers classes for all ages and abilities in everything from hand sewing to repairs and alterations. She has her own trademark style.

“I tend to use the smallest pieces of fabric – hence the ‘Raggy’,” she laughs. “I did a degree in environmental studies. I suppose that’s why I save all my scraps. I’m very conscious of waste. Everything is connected.”

With six sewing machines and classes of no more than that, Sharon gives everyone a high level of attention. The emphasis is on having a go – it doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect – and tea and a chat are obligatory.

“We drink a lot of tea,” laughs Sharon. “I have a sewing bee on a Wednesday afternoon and it’s a sort of sit and natter, have a long cup of tea and put the world to rights. In the summer, I text them to say, ‘Come a bit earlier and bring some sandwiches’ and we’ll sit outside and have a picnic. There’s always a tea break in every lesson.”

Sharon offers classes for those aged 16 and older during the day and in the evenings, rotating them to enable different people to attend. Her clients are all female – though she would also welcome men – and of every generation.

“I’m getting some young ones who haven’t got anyone in the family who can show them,” she says. “I’ve had mothers and daughters coming together and a lot of the older generation who have retired, plus a lot of people who have been anxious to go places before. It’s quite a quiet environment – relaxing and good for mental health issues.”

Many of those coming to classes for the first time have little or no experience, yet, with encouragement from Sharon, they develop a wide range of skills.

“The majority of people who come to the very first machine class have never put a button on before,” she says. “I’ve had mothers come because they wanted to learn how to make clothes for their children and people who were getting married and they’ve made bunting for the wedding. Learning how to do repairs and alterations can save people a fortune.

“There’s a nice bunch who have found me in the first year. They were complete beginners and now every time I bring out a new class they seem to be the first to try it.”

Much as she enjoys sewing, Sharon recognises that it has suffered a decline, with skills that were once commonplace now relatively rare. She feels, however, that classes like hers and the TV show, The Great British Sewing Bee, have made a difference.

“I think the internet has helped as well,” she says. “Quilting alone is massive in America, Japan and Russia. The North-East used to be renowned for it. Durham quilting is respected all over the world. I just think it’s a shame that it’s dying out.

“My website came about because I wanted to promote sewing in the North-East again and give people somewhere to find out information about it. My most viewed posts are in a section called ‘Where are all the fabric shops?’ The Great British Sewing Bee is due to come back and I always get more enquiries when that comes on.”

Now that she has established her core classes, Sharon plans to diversify by offering things like baby showers and other one-off events. She recently hosted her first hen party, which was 1920s-themed and involved the bride and her guests making headbands.

For Sharon, the key is enjoyment – and if people come out of a class with something they’re proud of, it’s a bonus. “I tell everyone they can come and work at their own pace. It doesn’t matter if it’s not right. It’s just relaxing,” she says.

raggyrobin.co.uk