JOIN US IN Creating
Handmade Clothing That fits Your life
Whether you are interested in thrifting and upcycling or beginning work on your own handmade wardrobe, we have classes for you. Learn new skills and meet others who share your interest in natural fibers and fashion.
Our VISION
STITCHING TOGETHER a cOMMUNITY
Threaded Workshops is a growing community of makers using slow fashion to help save the planet. That means we make clothing out of earth-friendly fabrics and share ideas for making and mending. We all want clothes that make us feel good and confident. At Threaded, we believe that sewing is also an act of self-love, where we take time to nurture our creativity and unplug from our hectic world.
Through a series of workshops, we can help you build a wardrobe of unique, well-made pieces that last through the years. Even a novice sewist can build the skills from a single workshop to begin reimagining their relationship to clothing and representation.
Tell us about your own makes and how we can support your goals. We’re all in this together.
earth-friendly fabrics
Linen, hemp, and cotton – good for the planet and for letting your body breathe.
High Quality
Learn the finishing techniques to make beautiful clothes that last.
CONFIDENTLY BEAUTIFUL
Nothing creates confidence like clothing that fits your unique curves.
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Our WORKSHOPS
UPCOMING CLASSES
Most classes held in beautiful downtown Santa Barbara at The Crafter’s Library, an historic building with
two-story windows and all the tools and space we need to make visions into reality.
FULL cLASS ROSTER
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a handmade revolution
Helping the Planet, One Cute outfit at a Time
So many of us are unhappy with the fashion industry. We are pushed to buy more, churn through new and cheaply made clothes, and look away from the worldwide waste and abuses of the second-most polluting industry in the world.
What are our choices? Is making your own clothes really feasible?
In Threaded Workshops, we not only explore how to create garments, but also how to fit this practice into our busy lives. We are not advocates of a skirt-in-an-hour sewing. Sure, it is possible, but we prefer a mindful approach that looks closely at how you want to dress, adjusting patterns to fit your body, and doing a little at a time. This should be a joyful process, where we stoke our creativity and put our worries to the side while we make useful items with our hands.
Using natural fibers that allow the body to breathe – linen, hemp, cotton – and wearing clothes that fit changes how we feel in the world. It also allows us to show who we choose to be, outside of ready-to-wear trends and gender norms. And you’ll feel the pride when you say to an admiring friend, “Yes, I did make this outfit.”
We are committed to supporting every sewist on this journey, sharing what we know about where to buy quality fabrics, tools, and notions. This does not have to be an expensive pursuit, especially when you can benefit from the experience of others on this path.
Our mission is to help this planet and ourselves, one cute outfit at a time.
Nothing else feels like handmade
Recent Makes
“Craft is the vehicle for expressing your vision. Craft is the visible edge of art.” – David Bayles
Tips, tricks and advice
From the blog
Want a Free t-shirt Pattern?
After our most recent t-shirt workshop, we realized there are even more free patterns out there from really great, reputable…
The Button Trick
For me, the beauty of sewing is in the details. When I see a garment taking shape beneath my hands,…
Your Closet is a Bucket Line
Sometimes, when I’m feeling anxious about climate change and environmental damage, I picture this: all of us, reaching into our…
your instructor
Emily Adams
Threaded Workshops is the passion project of Emily Adams, a California native and life-long maker. She learned to sew on her great-grandmother’s foot-powered Singer as a child and began building her own wardrobe in 2007. At the time, she was a freelance writer and quickly discovered the meditative and calming influence of a regular sewing practice.
When life got in the way and she needed to move, and move, and move again, she made curtains and pillows and roman blinds for her homes. Settled now in beautiful Santa Barbara, she made a commitment in 2018 to start sewing her own clothes. In 2019, she resolved to stop buying clothes and has never had to go back. During the pandemic shutdown, she rediscovered the tonic of making. It is a shield from the anxiety that has crept into so many lives.
It is this, plus the beauty of natural fibers, that she seeks to share with her students. Sewing your own clothes is an act of self-love and when we use natural fibers, we love the planet, too.
Have a question?
Contact Us!
Maybe you’re hoping to make a particular dress or want to make something with a special group of friends. Tell us what you’re dreaming about and we will try to make it come true.