Two-week Upcycling, Alterations and Repair Course

Recent reviews of Two-week Upcycling, Alterations and Repair Course

• 5/5 from Shelley Skail, attended Sep 2026: What an empowering class! Olive helped me adjust a beautiful but far too large skirt, resizing it and creating a fitted waistband instead of the original elasticated waist. There were a small number of students which meant Olive could get round everyone, helping people with their individual projects. Such a lovely atmosphere and genuinely useful class.
• 5/5 from Alison Bowyer, attended Sep 2026: A lovely class helping a varied group of people alter their clothes. The tutor was very helpful and encouraging with good ideas on how to achieve the end result we wanted. She also had any haberdashery items we needed and explained how to finish things at that we hadn't completed. This was my second course with Jen and won't be the last.
• 5/5 from Gina McGauley, attended Jul 2026: Very helpful, friendly and encouraging class. I plan to sign up again when I have more projects.
• 5/5 from Lucy Harding, attended Jul 2026: Another great class with Jen - we went through various ways to upcycle clothes and I feel so much more confident altering and reworking clothes now. Thanks Jen!
• 5/5 from Phil Dalgleish, attended Jul 2026: Great class with a really useful variety of skills and knowledge provided by Jen. Plenty resources for projects or to enhance your own project. Relaxed atmosphere to try or continue a piece of work. I learned new options to repair and reuse old garments and got great advice to finish off a bag I was stuck with. Thanks again.
• 5/5 from Diana Jerome, attended Jul 2026: Jen gave great 1-1 instruction. The class had a lovely atmosphere and was Very useful
• 5/5 from Lindsay Palomino, attended Jul 2026: Great class. Super inspirational. Jen provided great examples of up-cycling ideas, and was very encouraging. She gave excellent guidance along the way. We did the 30 minute sewing refresher, which was helpful.
• 5/5 from Gina McGauley, attended May 2026: Very helpful and friendly atmosphere. I was impressed by the of projects each of us was able to complete. Unstructured format means everyone gets the one on one time they need
• 5/5 from Sara Teles, attended Apr 2026: You can easily fix a couple of clothing items in this course. Jen is a great teacher and she has lots of resources available and ideas to modify your items and create the effect you want!
• 5/5 from Abby Donnelly, attended Apr 2026: Jen gave amazing guidance so I could change some dresses to fit me better and mend a broken strap. I definitely recommend Jen's classes to beginner sewers like me, who want to start making their wardrobe work for them!
• 5/5 from Angela Barnacle, attended Jul 2025: I really enjoyed my Upcycling course with Jen. Fun atmosphere and lovely fellow students too. I definitely progressed in my sewing as a result and am planning on doing the 6 week course later in the year. Kind and supportive tutor in a lighthearted environment.
• 5/5 from Kizanne James, attended Jul 2025: Amazing Jen is wonderful. I 100% recommend this class I learned new skills and gave my sweater a second life.
• 5/5 from Erin Shepherd, attended Jul 2025: Jen was patient and knowledgeable which is great considering I'm a complete beginner. I loved that you could work on any project you wanted and everything you could possibly need was provided. I took in a top and learned to darn over moth holes in my favourite jumper. Wish there was a couple more weeks to go!
• 5/5 from Jay Clare Whittaker, attended Apr 2025: Jen was super welcoming and helpful. I was looking for advice on how to take in a pair of trousers; Jen suggested a much simpler way than I thought (I was completely over thinking) and they fit perfectly now! On the second class, I brought along an embroidered tablecloth I'd found in a junk shop and Jen helped me work out a good way to turn it into a top.
• 5/5 from Sandra Steel, attended Apr 2025: I really enjoyed attending this class. Jen is a knowledgeable and patient teacher. It was great learning new skills too.
• 5/5 from Lilian Kennedy, attended Apr 2025: Great sessions- I got so much done and Jen is really helpful in giving advice and talking through best approaches to projects. I've just saved a shed load of money repairing various household items than having to re-buy
• 5/5 from Victoria Thwaites, attended Jan 2025: Fantastic course, learned lots but also very relaxed and came away with some clothing i will wear!
• 5/5 from Karla Butler, attended Dec 2024: Jenifer is very inspiring in her approach to teaching, You leave the class with the confidence to apply what you learned to other projects and the class was small and friendly :)
• 5/5 from Robert Gillespie, attended Dec 2024: Very good class. Instructor was very patient, clear and helpful. All sewing equipment and thread was supplied and there was enough time for me to take in a pair of trousers and shorten jacket sleeves. highly recommended if you want an introduction to repair, upcycling or altering your clothes.
• 5/5 from Helen Beresford, attended Sep 2024: Jen provided design inspiration and guidance, and loads of material options! I added new ruffles to old trousers. Fantastic value, can't wait to come back!!
• 5/5 from Sunnah Khan, attended Sep 2024: Jen is patient and creative and full of ideas. I had so much fun and learnt a lot
• 5/5 from Anonymised ClassBento customer, attended Jul 2024: Jenifer has a bright and easy-going energy that makes you feel at ease. Group classes are small and everyone gets the chance to ask questions about their projects whether big or small. This class let me explore my creativity and gave me the confidence to upcycle my clothes in a sustainable way that otherwise would end up in landfills. The class environment is very inspiring with mood boards, fabric, sewing machines good music backgrounds and tea and coffee if you want to have a wee break. I strongly recommend this class and definitely will enrol in the next class available
• 5/5 from Hannah Boast, attended Jul 2024: I signed up for this course to build my sewing skills, in the hope of tackling my ever-growing mending pile! I have a lot of vintage clothes that often need minor repairs or don't quite fit. I'll feel much more confident doing small alterations and repairs by myself in the future, which was exactly what I wanted. Sometimes sewing feels a bit intimidating, so many instructions and rules, but this class made it feel much more accessible. It was great that the class was flexible according to what items students brought, and two weeks was a good amount of time to tackle a few smaller projects, or one big one. Jen was a brilliant teacher, patient and encouraging, and explained things so I could understand. I felt very comfortable and was able to ask all of my very basic questions! I also really liked that Jen used vintage materials - a great ethos, which also helped us produce much more interesting and beautiful repaired garments. Abbeymount Studios is a lovely space, too. I'd certainly take a class with Jen again and encourage friends to do so.
• 5/5 from Faye, attended Jun 2024: Loved this upcycling class. Jen is really talented and an excellent teacher - the studio is lovely too. Even as a complete beginner, in just two evening classes I got comfortable using a sowing machine and learned some really interesting sowing techniques. Delighted with my upcycled projects and looking forward to bringing more to life at home.
• 5/5 from Lara, attended May 2024: Absolutely loved this course! Jen is brilliant and so kind and helpful - already looking to sign up to another of her courses ◡̈
• 5/5 from Veronica Jean Royce, attended May 2024: Every time I take a class from Jen, I grow in my knowledge and confidence in sewing. She’s a great instructor and really helped me learn the basics. I came in as a complete beginner and Jen has taught me how to use a sewing machine, how to read a pattern, etc. I love that her classes are so flexible, so if you want to upcycle something, you can. If you want to use a pattern and make a garment from scratch, you can. Besides the fabric, everything is provided from use of the sewing machines, thread, elastic, etc. it was a great way to learn and test my interest in sewing before investing in a machine of my own.
• 5/5 from Katharina van Midden, attended Apr 2024: Highly recommend this course for anyone who is interested in improving their sewing skills, looking for tailored advice and help with their projects or even just looking for inspiration! Jen is extremely knowledgeable and gave every one the time and attention they needed.
• 5/5 from Abby Donnelly, attended Apr 2024: Absolutely wonderful! Jen is so knowledgeable and explains things very clearly. I hadn't sewn anything since school over 15 years ago. Over the two weeks I was able to fix a couple of rips, change the arm fit of two dresses and upcycle a tee with some lovely trim from Jens stash. I'm excited to continue my sewing journey!
• 5/5 from Usama Al Kindi, attended Mar 2024: This was exactly what I needed to fuel some confidence and inspire ideas about repairing and altering my wardrobe. Jen is a brilliant teacher and brings a warm and cheerful atmosphere to the class. I left feeling inspired and ready to take on some bigger DIY projects. Thanks Jen!
• 5/5 from Rebecca, attended Jan 2024: Jen is lovely, she is helpful instructive and understanding. The course was very valuable, all tools were available, and techniques were explained.
• 5/5 from Dawn McLaren, attended Nov 2023: Jen was a great teacher. So lovely and friendly, with really helpful suggestions and ideas.