Sew your own Wardbrobe (Improvers)

Description

Come and make your own clothes. You will learn the art of reading a pattern, cutting, making, stitching and how to get the best from your sewing machine. Previous experience in machine sewing is needed for this exciting course. Limited spaces.

Testimonials:

Delightful way Karen shares her expertise; lovely friendly, supportive group. There is nothing about dressmaking Karen does not know - meets my every expectation!

Karen's unwavering patience and understanding that mean I feel more confident with my projects.

Lovely fellow sewers. Lovely tutor. Learnt plenty. It was just how I imagined.

Materials List

Students enrolling on this course should have some sewing experience already. They should be able to thread a sewing machine, understand the basics of how they work and be able to sew in a straight line. If you think it might be too advanced please take a look at our Sewing for Beginners course.

Please bring with you:

Dressmaking scissors

Pins (these strong and have coloured ends)

Assorted sewing needle

Tailors chalk/pencil

Seam ripper (unpicker)

Tape Measure

Notepad and pen

Seam Gauge (optional)

Pincushion (optional)

Trimming scissors (optional)

You will also need to bring a pattern along with you that you feel confident to do. If it is your first time using a pattern, stick to something simple. You can progress to making more complicated stuff once you have worked out how to use a pattern. The patterns that are good for first-timers are Vogue, Simplicity, McCalls, Butterick and Newlook. All of these can be bought in Fabric land.

Suitable fabric for your pattern. Please make sure the fabric is pre-washed before class.

Please get in touch if you have any additional needs that would be helpful for us to know about, and we will try to arrange adjustments for you to better access the workshop. If you need to bring a carer with you, please let us know in advance so we can ensure there is enough space. Email us on admin@bristolfolkhouse.co.uk or call us on 01179262987.

Fees & Further Information

Please note:

You must be over 18 years old to attend a course or workshop at the Bristol Folk House.

All our courses and workshops are non-accredited, students will not receive a certificate for attending.

Fees

• You will need to have paid in full for your course or workshop to guarantee your place.
• We do offer an option to pay for your course or workshop in installments, but you will need to have paid in full at least 14 days before your course or workshop start date to guarantee your place. The payment plan increments will depend on how far away the start date is. Courses and workshops are becoming increasingly popular, so please book early to guarantee your place.

• Course fees offered: Full price, Over 65's, Student, NHS (Blue Light Cards) and Benefit rate (Universal Credit) or full-time carer. 
• Some courses may involve additional costs for materials. If there are additional materials to bring, these will be outlined on the website under the materials list section.
• Course fees are based on reaching a minimum class number. We may need to cancel or postpone a course or workshop if we do not recruit the minimum number. We will offer you a full refund or transfer to another course or workshop if we cancel a course. We will contact you two working days before the start date, or at least 24 hours before a day workshop, to let you know if your course is cancelled.
• We reserve the right to postpone a course if it does not reach the minimum capacity. The course will then run one week later than the advertised dates. If you cannot make the last session, you will only be entitled to a refund for the last session, not the entire course.

Concessions

We are committed to keeping our course prices low. We do offer concession rates for anyone over 65, Student, NHS or claiming the benefits listed below. As we are a self-funded organisation, we receive no financial support in order to offer these rates. 

Over 65, Student and NHS

Proof of these will be required when you attend your first class. If you cannot provide evidence you will be asked to pay the full fee.

Benefit Rate

For those whose sole source of income is from a state benefit. We accept Universal Credit, Income Support, Job Seeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance. Please show a recent letter or statement stating your benefit when enrolling. We will need to see this proof of benefit each time you enrol. If you can afford to pay the full price, please do not ask for a concession as we are a charity and rely on student fees to keep us going.

Attendance

• You may join a class once it has started if there are places available. However, this is only possible where the class structure can accommodate late arrivals.
• You must make sure you can attend the full course. Missed classes due to a change of circumstances i.e work, cannot be made up or refunded. Some tutors may offer homework for the missed session.
• We may need to contact you before or during your course. Please make sure you contact us if your contact details change. Only if you give us permission will we add your email to our mailing list. Your tutor may need to contact you before or during your course. This will be via the email or phone details you provide.

Waiting Lists

• Waiting lists are used to indicate your interest in a course but it does not guarantee you a place and you are not obligated to enrol. People on waiting lists will be informed if an enrolled student cancels and/or we put on an extra course. We will contact you via telephone, or email. If you do not respond or book in the allocated time stated in our email, we will move to the next person on the waiting list. If there is not much time left to fill the space, we will contact everyone on the waiting list and offer the space on a first-come, first-served basis.
  
  

Transfers

• You may transfer to another course or workshop up to 14 days before the start date. You can only transfer between terms if bookings are available for the following term. A 15% admin fee will occur. We can only transfer you to a course with available space. If the course or workshop is more expensive, you will need to pay the difference.
• You can transfer your booking to another person at any time before the course or workshop has started; a 15% admin fee will occur.

Latecomer

If a course has already started, please call the office, as it may be possible to join after the start date. This may only be possible if the course is not already full, if it is not disruptive for the other students, and you are aware that you have missed a percentage of the course and the tutor will not have time to catch you up. This will be at the discretion of the Folk House and the tutor. We run our courses termly, so it might be best to start at the beginning of the course.

Levels

We offer a range of courses at all levels and our tutors make every effort to accommodate your individual needs. Before choosing, you may want to speak to the tutor to make sure the course is right for you. Please contact the office. Tutors are not responsible for enrolments and will only be able to advise you on the course content, not on availability.

To join all of our courses, you must be able to follow written and verbal instructions, and you may be invited to take part in group discussions. Please look at the rest of the course outline carefully to decide if you may benefit from any additional support to help you to take part in this class. Please contact the office if you require any further information.

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or mental health issue which may affect your participation in your chosen course, please contact the office prior to enrolling. If you will need to bring a carer or support worker with you to the class, please inform the office when enrolling so we can make arrangements.

If you think that your course is the wrong level for you, please do speak to your tutor as soon as possible. If we agree that the level of the course is too high or too low, we’ll try to transfer you to a more suitable course at any time, as long as one is available.

For language courses, please email folkhouselanguages@gmail.com with the language as the subject heading and a bit about any experience you have with the language, and one of our tutors will respond within a few days.

Changes to the programme:

The Bristol Folk House reserves the right to change tutors, courses and times after the publication of the programme. We are unable to grant a refund on the grounds of a change of tutor. The tutor may have different teaching styles; however, we guarantee consistency in the quality of the teaching. Make-up classes will be arranged if a tutor has to miss a class. If this make-up class cannot be arranged, you will be refunded for this class. We will contact you by phone and email to let you know if a class has been cancelled. If, on the rare occasion, we have not been able to contact you, we will offer you a hot drinks voucher for the cafe.

Gift vouchers:

Gift Vouchers can be purchased from the Bristol Folk House reception or by calling 0117 926 2987 or online HERE. 

• Gift vouchers are valid for one year from the date of purchase.
• They can only be used on courses, workshops and in-house live events. They cannot be redeemed in the cafe.
• Gift Vouchers can be purchased for an amount of your choice or you can book someone onto a course or workshop of your choice.
• Gift Vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash.
• Gift Vouchers cannot be returned or refunded.
• Each voucher will have a unique code and will be listed under the recipient's name.
• A digital gift voucher will be sent automatically to the email you provide
• You can choose to pay an additional fee to have a physical voucher sent in the post (1st or 2nd class) or you can pick up a physical voucher from reception
• Gift Vouchers may be used to purchase a course of a higher price than the value of the Gift Voucher and the difference will need to be settled. If the course is of a lower value, the difference can be used at a later date.
• Under no circumstances can you extend the validity period of the voucher.
• If a course you purchase with a Gift Voucher is cancelled, you may transfer to another course. We may offer you a refund in the form of a new Gift Voucher.

If you booked someone on to a course or workshop and they are unable to make the dates, our general terms and conditions will apply.

Refund Policy

Cancellations

• If we have to cancel a class before the start date, and an alternative course or date cannot be found, a full refund or credit will be offered. 
• If a course is cancelled prematurely, and the classes cannot be made up, a partial refund will be given.
• We aim to inform you 2 working days before the start date, or at least 24 hours before a day workshop if the course is cancelled.
• We process refunds as quickly as we can. Cancelled courses are prioritised. We will refund you using the same method of payment (if you paid with Credit or Gift voucher, a new voucher will be issued, or your account will be credited).

In the event that you have to cancel or stop attending your course or workshop:

• You must inform us up to 14 days before the start date of your course or workshop. In this case, you will receive a refund minus a 15% admin fee.
• If you give us less than 14 days notice or your course or workshop has already started a refund will not be given.
• If you can no longer attend due to an illness, medical condition, disability or injury that will prevent you from participating in the course or you are the full-time carer for someone and their health has enabled you to not attend, we will consider a pro-rata refund for the sessions you haven't attended or transfer you to a more suitable course.
• We consider all requests on an individual basis, depending on the circumstances and at the discretion of the General Manager. Medical notes/Isolation notes will need to be seen before we can make a decision. 
• If your refund request doesn't fall within the areas listed above, it's possible that you're not eligible for a refund.
• We cannot give refunds for circumstances beyond our control e.g. war, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, bad weather, fire and flood.
• If your circumstances change e.g. due to work commitments, childcare issues, moving away etc. a refund will not be given.
• You may only request a refund for the current term. We can't offer refunds retrospectively for previous terms. Please contact us as soon as you know you will not be able to attend a class.

Access/ Parking

Much as we would like to provide access for all, the Folk House has no level access or accessible facilities. This is something we are working on, but it will take several years to complete - check our website for more details.

We have no onsite car parking but there are many paid parking spots in the area.

Please ask us for details on parking, bus and bike routes or visit our Contact Us page for more details.

Blue badge holders can park on Park Street.

Please see the latest information on the Bristol Gov website. https://www.bristol.gov.uk/parking/where-you-can-park

If you would like more information about accessing our building, please contact admin@bristolfolkhouse.co.uk or call 0117 926 2987. We would be happy to help. 

Accessible Toilets

We do have an accessible toilet but there is no step free access to the toilet.

Guide Dogs and Hearing Dogs

They are more than welcome in the building. If you require any assistance, please speak to a member of staff.

Deaf, hard of hearing

Currently, we do not have Induction Loops in our reception or classrooms.

Some classrooms have been fitted with red flashing light fire alarms. 

Attending Courses and Events

If you have any access requirements, please do get in touch with our Administration team. We can make specific arrangements, including reserved seating, building/room tours, contact with the Tutor/organiser before the course or event, large print etc.

Feedback and complaints

If you want to give feedback about a course or workshop, please click here.

(or use this link https://forms.gle/Ry84j1YWFD7EbcFB9)

If you would like to give general feedback about the Folk House please click here.

(or use this link https://goo.gl/forms/JEH2Vv5xVO6ypcpf2)

For a direct response, please use the enquiry form below or email admin@bristolfolkhouse.co.uk.

We will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.

A copy of our complaints policy can be found here

Data Protection and Privacy

The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government.

The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK' implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules called 'data protection principles'.p>

Compliance is crucial due to the impact that personal data processing can have on people's lives. GDPR revises and enhances the requirements on organisations to consider data protection and accountability, providing individuals with new rights over how their data is used. You can find out more about how we use your data and your rights here.