WE ARE NOW CLOSED
From everybody here at Eastleigh Sewing Centre we would like to say a heartfelt thankyou to all of our fantastic customers. Without your loyal support of your local shop we would not have been able to keep going for the last 14 years, we will miss all our lovely customers and the time we've been able to spend with you.
This has been one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make, but with the ongoing increases in rent and rates and the surrounding costs of running a business on the High Street, we feel we have had to make the right decision for us.
With the owners now collecting their pensions, they are looking forward to enjoying retirement after a long, hard, working career.
x Linda x Steve x Helen x Wendy x Lin x Heather x
About us
Here at Eastleigh Sewing Centre we have a real passion for what we do, We are a small family run business in the centre of Eastleigh, Hampshire. Since opening in July 2005 we have gained a very wide customer base.
We have fabric for dressmaking and crafts. with a speciality in Patchwork and Quilting. We stock patterns for dressmaking and knitting, wool, haberdashery, Guterman threads, and on top of that we have a range of sewing machines from a simple beginners first machine to the top of the range models with embroidery functions.
We are authorised dealers for Brother, Janome, Bernina, Husqvarna, Elna, Singer and Babylock.
We are also an official service centre, for service and repair of all models of sewing machines regardless of age or wear!
Meet our Team
Hi there, I'm Helen, we're very lucky that we have such a fantastic team of staff here at the shop, so I just thought I would give you a little insight into the team of people that make Eastleigh Sewing Centre so great!
Linda
The Boss (My Mum!)
Linda has been sewing since she was a child and she used to make all my clothes as I grew up, some of which I'd rather not talk about! She then took it to a new level when she completed her City and Guilds in Patchwork and Quilting in 2000. After being "forced" to work in the kitchens of our family run pubs for years on end, she finally escaped the chains and started working as a mobile demonstrator for Brother Sewing Machines. She has never looked back, and now sewing and everything that goes with it, is her life. Linda is our resident expert on pretty much anything, especially all types of sewing machine. I think most of them are scared of her, and if they've been misbehaving they always seem to work perfectly once placed on her desk! If you ever need any advice on machines and which one you need, Linda is the lady you need to talk to.
Linda’s main passion is for Patchwork and Quilting for which she runs the classes for beginners and runs day courses in all different aspects of the craft. She also has her resident Patchwork and Quilting group who all meet here at the shop once a fortnight. This has been going for 7 years, she ran the first beginners Patchwork and Quilting Group and then couldn’t get rid of them!! The group has now grown so big that she has had to start another one on a different evening.
Sharing her knowledge and expertise keeps her happy, and she loves nothing more than people bringing in their items so she can see what they’ve achieved.
In her spare time, Linda is a pretty awesome cook. She loves her garden and gardening and she has just started up photography.
Wendy
The Dressmaker
Wendy is originally from Portsmouth, but we have forgiven her for that! She has been at the shop for 12 years, since the day we opened. She obviously has a very high tolerance level!
Wendy has been sewing since a very young age and enhanced her skills with a City and Guilds in Fashion and Design, which she started in 1995. This took 3 years to complete and because of her love for the subject she carried on to do a further advanced course for a further 10 years! This passion for sewing really shines through in any garments Wendy constructs as she has a real eye for detail and a bit of an obsession for perfection!
She is also our resident fabric expert, if Wendy doesn't know what it is and what can be done with it then none of us have a chance! She runs our beginners dressmaking classes here at the shop, which have been very successful. Her teaching first started in the 80's when she used to teach English as a basic language, so her teaching capabilities range far and wide. Wendy is a member of many forums and blogs online and keeps us all up to date with whats new in the dressmaking world, and what we need to do to keep up with the trends.
Heather
The Cook
Heather started in the shop in February 2015, to help out and cover a few shifts. Well she fitted in so well that we wouldn’t let her go, and has now become a valuable member of our team.
She is born and bred in Eastleigh and has lived here all her life, which means she seems to know pretty much everybody! Heather is our chief cake maker, and has made numerous cakes for events and Charity days (they are amazing by the way!) She is also a coordinator for ‘contact the elderly’ which she hosts tea parties for on a regular basis.
She did GCSE needlework at school, and that’s where the passion started. Heather completes a lot of projects, including machine embroidery items, quilts, bags, and Christmas decorations, how she has time I will never know!
Heather is very creative and imaginative so will be able to help you out with most projects from dressmaking to patchwork to bags.
Helen
Linda's Daughter (me!)
It's always hard to write something about yourself, but here goes!
I started in the shop in 2009 after managing nightclubs and bars for 12 years. It's a definite change of pace! I originally just covered a few shifts to help out, but that has turned into a full time position managing most aspects of the shop including the back office and this website. You will catch me in the shop a couple of days a week, but most of my time is spent in the office trying to keep everything running smoothly. I have always enjoyed anything crafty so always enjoy seeing peoples creations and projects. I also do the machine embroidery in the shop which i really enjoy.
Henry
The Hoover
Well no workplace would be complete without a Henry. I thought he deserved a mention for all the pins and needles that he manages to deal with on a daily basis along with all the threads and fabric ends! Thankyou Henry!
Lin
The bit of Everything
Lin started with us in December 2005, initially just to help out over Christmas, but with her being so great we've not let her go.
Being an army wife, Lin made a lot of her own clothes for the children and was taught simple pattern cutting and making new from old at an early age. She is still always making something for one of the family members, whether it be a little dress for the grand-daughters or a top for a night out for one of her daughters! Her skills are very wide ranging and she is very creative.
Lin has completed higher education courses in Cake Decoration and Beauty at Eastleigh College, and was also a registered childminder, which again her girls take full advantage of!
She often attends craft fairs with her daughter, selling beautiful childs embroidered bits and bobs. She loves her animals and we have to hide any fabrics shown to us with animal prints aswell. In her spare time you will find Lin relaxing at her fantastic caravan.(she would rather be there than at home!)
Lin can help you with pretty much any project with her imagination and ideas.