about us
the topstitch journey
My own sewing journey started in 2006 but I didn’t attempt to make clothes until 6 years later even I though I daydreamed of being able to sew clothes all the time!
It just seemed so intimidating–from how to read a sewing pattern, to choosing the right fabrics, to getting the right fit.
about us
the topstitch journey
My own sewing journey started in 2006 but I didn’t attempt to make clothes until 6 years later even I though I daydreamed of being able to sew clothes all the time!
It just seemed so intimidating–from how to read a sewing pattern, to choosing the right fabrics, to getting the right fit. Sound familiar?
When you’re trying to learn to sew clothes–and get better at it–I know from experience that it’s really hard to learn alone!
I remember sewing my first pair of jeans, by myself, and sewing the zip fly wrong 3 times! Argh. I had been sewing clothes for about 3 years at that time and thought I was totally ready to dive into sewing jeans solo. But then I found myself about to throw my sewing machine out the window(don’t do this!) I went down a Googling rabbit hole, but none of the tutorials I found were like what the instructions seemed to be telling me. Was it me? Was it the instructions? What to do?...
I called a local sewing studio… “hey, I’m stuck on sewing this F*ing fly (okay, I didn’t say it exactly like that)... if I email you some photos do you think you could help me?” They said they were happy to help in a $150 private lesson. Did I really want or need a two hour private lesson for just this part? And was it worth $150 to me, after I already paid for the denim, the pattern and the supplies, just to figure out that step? I didn’t think so, especially since I would have needed to take two buses and one train AND hire a babysitter to get to that lesson (this is when we lived in London and we didn’t have a car so just getting to a sewing studio was not exactly a snap.) But I did want to sew that freaking fly right! After more trial and error, I got it right. After I got it right and finished sewing my jeans, I wanted to shout from the rooftops. I MADE JEANS!! I MADE FREAKING JEANS!! (But I just shouted that to my husband at the time.) They definitely were not perfect, but I did it and I was so jazzzzed.
I wondered, though...
should it really be this hard?
It would have been SO MUCH easier–and so much more rewarding–if I had had a community of people to turn to during my journey to sew those jeans, and soooo many other projects along the way.
Countless times in my own sewing journey I thought…
the good newS?
I created this online community for you to be the answer to those desires above–so you’d always have someone to turn to as you’re beginning or expanding your sewing journey!
Since 2017 we’ve taught hundreds of people how to sew and level up their skills, both in person and online–from very beginner classes to learn to sew a simple pullover shirt, to advanced classes to learn to sew jeans. And since 2020 we’ve hosted more than 200 virtual sewalongs, workshops and live events inside Topstitch Makers on projects ranging from garment sewing to shoe making and so much more!
Curious about the whole Topstitch Journey?
the good newS?
I created this online community for you to be the answer to those desires above–so you’d always have someone to turn to as you’re beginning or expanding your sewing journey!
Since 2017 we’ve taught hundreds of people how to sew and level up their skills, both in person and online–from very beginner classes to learn to sew a simple pullover shirt, to advanced classes to learn to sew jeans. And since 2020 we’ve hosted more than 200 virtual sewalongs, workshops and live events inside Topstitch Makers on projects ranging from garment sewing to shoe making and so much more!
Curious about the whole Topstitch Journey?
Whether your interest in sewing clothes is to have more creative possibilities in your wardrobe, you want clothes to fit your unique body, you want to have a more sustainable wardrobe or you want to have deeper connections with fellow sewists...
we’ll unlock a world of possibility as we
expand your sewing journey together.
Hi, I’m Jaszmine!
I’m your Sip-n-Sew host and overall vibes curator here at Topstitch Makers! As a fat sewist, I am here to encourage any and all bodies to sew in a way that makes them comfortable while challenging you to step out of your box every once in a while.
Since joining Topstitch Makers as an employee in early 2021, I have also been serving as a community liaison, bridging the ideas of the community to the values Topstitch strives to achieve. Call me, beep me, if you want to reach me here at Topstitch Makers. I am happy to help achieve your sewing dreams!
Hi, I’m Kari!
I’m a textile designer specializing in block printed textiles, serving the interior design trade, and I’ve also been an instructor with Topstitch since 2017. I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl and I love to sew so many things, from home decor, namely pillows, to sewing everything imaginable for my wardrobe.
I’ve taught hundreds of people how to sew at Topstitch, from simple shirts to jeans and jackets, and I love teaching and sewing with our awesome Topstitch Makers community every month. I also love sewing for my mini models, my two daughters, Orly and Millie.
Hi, I’m Jaszmine!
I’m your Sip-n-Sew host and overall vibes curator here at Topstitch Makers! As a fat sewist, I am here to encourage any and all bodies to sew in a way that makes them comfortable while challenging you to step out of your box every once in a while.
Since joining Topstitch Makers as an employee in early 2021, I have also been serving as a community liaison, bridging the ideas of the community to the values Topstitch strives to achieve. Call me, beep me, if you want to reach me here at Topstitch Makers. I am happy to help achieve your sewing dreams!
Hi, I’m Kari!
I’m a textile designer specializing in block printed textiles, serving the interior design trade, and I’ve also been an instructor with Topstitch since 2017. I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl and I love to sew so many things, from home decor, namely pillows, to sewing everything imaginable for my wardrobe.
I’ve taught hundreds of people how to sew at Topstitch, from simple shirts to jeans and jackets, and I love teaching and sewing with our awesome Topstitch Makers community every month. I also love sewing for my mini models, my two daughters, Orly and Millie.
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