Sew LA Teaches Fun and Fashion for the Modern Seamstress

Awhile back, I decided to stitch up some throw pillows. Armed with the free pattern I found online, I headed to a JoAnn’s Fabrics in search of cheap pillow stuffing. A few overworked employees were struggling through a growing line of customers, so I wandered fruitlessly around the store for a while. When I finally found the pillow stuffing, I took a look at their fabric section - a tired hodgepodge under a sign warning something about formaldehyde and cancer.  So I hopped in my car and drove across town to Sew LA. While sewing machines buzzed cheerfully in the background, I circled the shelves of bright and pretty fabrics for an embarrassingly long time, unable to decide which three to use for my pillows. I went to the store manager with my top ten fabrics, and he rightly set me straight with the advice to pick just one print and two coordinating solids. Then he looked closer at my pattern and advised me that I could get away with less fabric if I laid it out in a different way. And that is why I’ll be back at Sew LA long after I’ve taken all the classes.

Sew LA’s storefront-classroom is a breath of fresh air for aspiring Angeleno seamstresses. You won’t find frumpy patterns, scary synthetic fabrics or intensive quilting classes. At Sew LA, sewing is modern, creative, and totally doable.

Above all, Sew LA is a place to learn how to sew clothing. Cute clothes that you’ll actually wear and be complimented on. From the most basic Machine Intro class to the advanced level 1950’s Dress class, Sew LA offers a full curriculum to gradually build up your sewing skills. For those who don’t need the structure of a class, there are sewing machines for rent, fabrics and sewing supplies to buy, and it all comes with the expert advice of founder Shaerie Mead and her staff.

Shaerie is a self-taught seamstress with an eclectic background in bookkeeping, co-op bakeries, and a corset making business, Lovely Creature Corsetry. Shaerie found she had two unappealing options for expanding Lovely Creature: work 80+ hours per week or outsource to the downtown LA sweatshops. At the same time, Shaerie was teaching a few sewing classes around LA and loving it.  She realized there was an untapped market for classes in clothing construction, because most fabric stores focused their classes on quilting or home décor.

With this new vision in mind, Shaerie put together a business plan and went to the Women’s Business Center, a part of the VEDC, for advice. They helped Shaerie edit her business plan, secure her first loan, and navigate the legal paperwork.  Sew LA began with a limited schedule of classes, all taught by Shaerie, and the bare minimum of sewing supplies. In January 2009, Shaerie moved Sew LA to a bigger space, hired a few teachers, and reached out to independent suppliers and designers to fill the store with unique fabrics, patterns, and sewing supplies.

Near the end of our conversation, I asked Shaerie to sum up her vision for Sew LA. She laughingly explained that she wants people to go off and sew on their own and not need to take more classes - much to the dismay of her accountant. But this model seems to be working well for Sew LA. Beginners continue to funnel into Sew LA’s frequently sold out Machine Intro classes and move up through the intermediate and advanced projects. The classes may be Sew LA’s bread and butter, but the store experience keeps people of all skill levels coming back.

Learn more about Sew LA at http://www.sew-la.com
Sew LA's online store: https://www.sew-la-fabric.com/
Sew LA's blog: http://sew-la-fabric.blogspot.com