Laura Rae Craft Co. Teaches Sewing
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Fun, friendly and insightful sewing workshops, masterclasses and courses to suit all skill levels. Like many people, I found sewing in some of my darkest hours.
Based in the Peterborough, Rutland and Lincolnshire community. My mum lent a sewing machine and gently nudged to give it a go whilst recovering from a family trauma - I became instantly addicted. There was something about the creativity married with the mathematics and logic that drew me down its rabbit hole. Desperate to know more, I went to college where I studied sewing technique, garment making and fabric fundamentals. I was trained to pattern cut and to design clothing from block. I started Laura Rae Craft Co. in 2018, mostly hiring bunting to weddings, but began retailing during the pandemic as the wedding market crashed. I now work full-time sewing and am blessed that my hobby has become my livelihood. My business predominantly makes reusable fabric bags. In the past 12 months I have worked with companies such as the Royal Scotsman to repurpose their old uniforms, I also design make up bags for the English Mineral Makeup Company. I like to make clothing when I am not sewing for work. I design and make outfits for all the little people in my life. I enjoy costume design and I also love to rummage through a good charity shop to find preloved clothes to alter. Sewing is my life, and to have the opportunity to gift the pleasure of this pastime to others is a privilege.
11/10/2026
🪡 SUNDAY SEWING CHECK-IN ✂️
Confession time… did your sewing project go exactly to plan this week? 👀
We’ve all had those moments when the seam ripper gets more use than the sewing machine! 😅
So this Sunday we’re asking:
🧵 What challenged you most with your sewing this week?
A tricky zip?
A pattern that didn’t make sense?
A fitting problem?
Fabric that simply refused to behave?
👇 Tell us in the comments — you might discover you’re definitely not the only one!
And if you’ve got a question about it, leave that too. It might make a great future Ask Laura question. 💬
08/10/2026
✂️ Understanding Sewing Pattern Pieces & Markings | Pattern Variations Explained
Understanding pattern variations and pattern pieces can be confusing. In this video, Laura guides you through the different pattern markings and their corresponding instructions, helping you understand how each piece is used during construction.
This tutorial covers:
🧵 How to identify different pattern pieces
🧵 Common pattern markings and what they mean
🧵 How markings connect to pattern instructions
🧵 Tips for avoiding common pattern-reading mistakes
✨ Beginner-friendly sewing tutorial
✨ Essential for garment sewing and pattern cutting
✨ Helps build confidence when following sewing patterns
By learning how pattern pieces and markings work together, you’ll be able to follow sewing instructions more easily and sew with confidence.
Understanding Sewing Pattern Pieces & Markings | Pattern Variations Explained ✂️ Understanding Sewing Pattern Pieces & Markings | Pattern Variati...
08/10/2026
CALLING ALL KNITTERS & CROCHETERS!
We need your help!
As part of our Charity Sewing Bee 2026, we’re creating handmade Christmas stockings to support Peterborough Foodbank – and we’d love to fill them with cosy winter warmers for children of all ages.
We’re looking for handmade:
• Socks
• Hats
• Scarves
• Gloves & mittens
• Any other cosy winter warmers!
Whether you make one little hat or a whole bundle, every single donation will be gratefully received and will help bring some extra warmth and kindness to a local family this Christmas.
So grab your needles, pick up your hooks and help us spread a little handmade love!
Find out more about the fundraiser:
https://www.lauraraecraft.com/sewingbee2026
Please share this post with your knitting and crochet friends – the more makers we can reach, the more stockings we can help fill!
07/10/2026
🪡 WHAT’S YOUR SEWING QUESTION? | ASK LAURA ✂️
Ever wished you could quickly ask a sewing teacher when something doesn’t quite make sense?
Here’s your chance! 🙋♀️🧵
Maybe your stitches keep puckering, your garment doesn’t fit as expected, you don’t understand something on your sewing pattern, or you simply want to know the best way to tackle a particular technique.
👇 Ask Laura in the comments below.
Laura will pick questions from the comments and answer them in our Thursday Sewing Teacher Q&A.
Beginner or experienced dressmaker — all sewing questions are welcome! ✨
💬 Leave yours below!
07/10/2026
🪡 WORK IN PROGRESS WEDNESDAY — LITTLE WINS EDITION! 🎉
Today we’re NOT waiting until something is finished before we celebrate it.
Did you finally get that zip in? 🎉
Make your first buttonhole?
Get two seams to actually match? 🙌
Understand a pattern instruction that looked like complete gobbledygook yesterday? 😂
THAT counts!
Tell me one little win you’ve had with your current project this week — and if you fancy it, share a photo so we can all have a nosy!
Sometimes we’re so focused on finishing that we forget to notice how much we’re learning along the way.
So come on… what are you proud of this week?
❤️ Laura
07/10/2026
🎄 A BIG shout-out to four very special businesses helping to make this event the best it can be! 🎄
Putting together a Charity Sewing Bee is a LOT of work, and I genuinely couldn’t do it without the amazing support I’ve had from local businesses.
So today, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to four businesses who have gone above and beyond to help me make this event happen.
🍪 Toria Creates
Thank you so much to Toria for her incredibly kind donation of festive cookie cakes — and if you’ve tasted her stuff before, you’ll know you’re in for a serious treat!
She’s also donated fairy wands for our Christmas stockings, helping to add a little extra magic for the children.
And she’s been working SO hard behind the scenes helping me promote the event and spread the word. I honestly can’t thank her enough!
🏠 Bedford Hall,Thorney
A massive thank you to Bedford Hall for kindly waiving the hire charge for this event. This means I can channel even more of the money raised towards the Foodbank, which is absolutely brilliant.
And they’re not stopping there — they’ll also be manning the bar on the day. Whoop whoop! 🍻
🧵 Seasons of East, https://seasonsofeast.co.uk/
Thank you so much to Seasons of East for kindly donating a sewing pattern for the raffle.
If you haven’t heard of her before, you really need to take a look. She creates outrageously beautiful sewing patterns, and I’m so pleased to have one included in the raffle!
🎈 Smiley Faces Day Nursery
And finally, a huge thank you to Smiley Faces Day Nursery for offering to donate tea, coffee and mince pies, as well as collecting stocking fillers and food donations for the event.
Oh, and they’ve also very kindly offered to lend us some party games for the day too!
Honestly, you are all AMAZING. ❤️ Having local businesses step forward and support this in all these different ways makes such a huge difference.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🎄🧵❤️
Please do go and show these wonderful local businesses some love — they absolutely deserve it!
06/10/2026
🪡 Double Fold Hem | A–Z Sewing Glossary
What is a double fold hem, and why is it such a useful sewing technique? ✂️
A double fold hem neatly encloses the raw edge of your fabric, creating a clean, durable finish that works beautifully on a wide variety of garments and sewing projects.
It’s a classic technique that’s well worth mastering — especially if you’re learning to sew or looking to give your handmade garments a more professional finish! 🧵
🎥 Watch the latest Laura Rae Craft A–Z Sewing Glossary and follow along as we explain sewing terms, techniques and tools one short at a time.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe for more sewing tutorials, tips and dressmaking inspiration. 🪡✨
Double Folded Hem Double Fold Hem | A–Z Sewing GlossaryMaster the classic double fo...
04/10/2026
✂️ SUNDAY SEWING CHECK-IN 🧵
How has your sewing week gone?
This week we want to know…
🏆 What was your biggest sewing win?
Maybe you finally mastered that technique you’ve been avoiding, got the perfect fit, finished a garment, tackled your first zip — or simply found an hour to sit at your sewing machine! 🪡
Big or small, a sewing win is still a win. ✨
👇 Share yours in the comments and let’s celebrate each other’s progress!
🧵 ASK LAURA – Ask the Teacher! ✂️
Welcome to the first in our Ask the Teacher series, where Laura answers your sewing questions and shares her expert tips and techniques.
This week, we had an excellent question from Jenn:
💬 “How do I get my facings to lay flat?”
If you’ve ever struggled with facings that just won’t sit nicely, this one’s for you! Laura talks through the techniques you can use when inserting facings to help achieve a neat, professional finish.
🎥 Want to learn more? Watch our full tutorial here:
https://youtu.be/bESX38-9sHg?si=XFuuuWnPbJ2zc4f3
And if you have a sewing question you’d like Laura to answer in a future Ask the Teacher, pop it in the comments below! 👇🪡
02/10/2026
🐝🧵 CHARITY SEWING BEE FUNDRAISING UPDATE! 🎄❤️
We’re making brilliant progress with our 2026 Charity Sewing Bee, raising money for Peterborough Food Bank Trussell — and it’s wonderful to see the community starting to come together! ❤️
So far we have…
🧵 15 of our 25 contestant spaces filled!
💼 3 businesses supporting us
💷 £365 raised already!
And we’re only just getting started! 🐝
There are still 10 contestant places available, and plenty of ways to get involved even if sewing isn’t your thing. You can donate, provide stocking fillers for a child, bake goodies, make a stocking, volunteer your time, donate materials or prizes, or encourage your workplace to support us.
Every contestant who signs up, every business that gets behind us and every pound donated takes us another step towards making a real difference this Christmas. 🎄❤️
Our goal is to bring sewists, businesses, friends, families and our wider community together for a day of sewing, fun and festive giving — all while supporting our local food bank.
📅 Sunday 13th December 2026
👉 Find out more, become a contestant or get involved:
www.lauraraecraft.com/sewingbee2026
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has already signed up, donated or offered their support. Let’s see how far we can take this! ❤️🧵🐝
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