New Shorter Classes for Busy People - Term 2 2023

With everyone trying to get as much as they can out of their time, we’re offering new classes starting from Term 2, 17 April to 2 July, 2023.

For those new to CAFA, we offer flexible attendance options for all our studio classes. with half day (3.5 hours) and full day (7 hours) options available. We also have slightly shorter full day classes on Thursday (5 hours) and Friday (6 hours).

For the first time in Term 2 2023, we’re offering a shorter class of 2.5 hours on Thursday mornings, Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings. These classes are perfect if you need to start later in the day, have limited time, or you just want to try a single class before committing to longer term study.

A term of 11 weeks will cost $670 and is the ideal introduction if you want to improve your sewing and pattern making skills.

Wishing you Happy Easter holiday from all of us at CAFA - hope there’s time for a little creativity too : )

CAFA

202 Masks Later | What I've Learnt

Have you been asked to make masks for your family or friends? Our guest blogger, talented fashion design student Ashleigh Kok, had sooo many people ask that her that she turned into an unexpected sideline.

HEYYYYYYYYY

After sewing around 200 face masks, I’ve picked up a couple tricks that help me and I’d love to share these with you.

First of all, don’t get hung up with perfection. Make a prototype (from one of the many patterns online) and just accept that there’ll be some trial and error to start with.

On the subject of patterns, choose one with a seam down the centre front, as this will really help with fitting. Don't be afraid to make your own design changes - we're all learning and improving.

Fabric choice. We all love a vibrant, out there print, but will u actually wear it if it doesn’t match your current outfit? Thats why I make my masks reversible - this lets people have the choice of a 2 IN ONE! A fun bright fabric on one side and a solid colour on the other!

There are so many fun options at your local Spotlight store. I would recommend choosing from the quilting section as most of these fabrics are 100% cotton, breathable and perfect for a face mask.

Don’t forget to grab a little extra fabric of your plain colour to make a third inner layer for XTRA PROTECTION WOOO!!

If you cant find any elastic at ya local, as i know it’s currently in VERY high demand, don’t FRET. You can can buy some bias binding or make your own fabric bias strips and use them as ear ties instead.

I’ve also found this works well for making kids masks, as it makes the ties a lot more adjustable and stable for them as we know kids cant always stay still!

A top-stitched edge in a contrasting thread colour is the perfect finish as it secures the elastic or ties in and gives your fabric an extra pop! It also makes the mask sturdier and stronger so that it will stand up to more washing and re-use.

Cant be bothered to sew your own? Head over to my Instagram and shoot me a message to purchase one from me.

Stay safe.

ASHLEIGH KOK 
https://www.instagram.com/dreamm.girl/

New Classes & Formats | Our Studio is Open

Those of us who enjoy creative pursuits have come to appreciate these more than ever in recent times. To be able to focus on a sewing project and experience the pleasure and satisfaction of making something useful or beautiful with your own hands is quite profound.

Many of you have been asking about our class times and are keen to pick up where they left off. We’ve also had many enquiries from newbies wanting to enrol in beginner classes. To this end, we've reconfigured our studio and are offering our most popular classes in a few new formats. While we'll have fewer students in each class, everyone will have a designated work area and ample space to sew at a distance from others.

We're also ensuring that each student brings their own equipment (no more shared scissors or tape measures and the the like) and we're throughly cleaning our sewing machines, overlockers and work spaces between each use. 

We’re running more Dressmaking Classes for both beginners and intermediate skills levels. Choose from morning, afternoon or evening classes - 2.5 hours or 3.5 hours per week.

Keep an eye out for our Fabric Stash | Sell, Swap & Share project. During my weeks in isolation, I confronted my ever-growing stash of fabric treasures and have decided that now is a good time to start to move some of it on to someone who may actually sew with it! I’m certain I’m not the only one.

Kind regards

Gaylene