Christine Haynes

I took Intro to Sewing with Christine at Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica and it was great! Christine is super sweet, patient and knowledgable. We made totes in her class, which was really easy to follow & I feel like I learned so much. She designed the class to really reinforce certain skills and gives a great overview of sewing. She is definitely a great lady & I will be taking a class from her in the future.

Just took her Intro to Sewing class at Urban Craft Center last night and I had so much fun I couldn’t believe I’d actually been there for three hours by the time we were done. I would be surprised at how well my project (market tote) turned out except for the fact that she was a great instructor and I can’t wait to get started on projects around the house. Making my own curtains will be a piece of cake.

I took an intro to sewing class with Christine at the Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica. I was very nervous about learning but Christine was so much fun and easy-​going that my fears and nerves quickly disappeared! I loved the class, and Christine’s warm and welcoming way of teaching. The instructions and step-​by-​step way of teaching made the project and class simple and easy to follow. I couldn’t believe that after the three hours were over, I had sewn MY very own market tote! I had a lot of fun and I am looking forward to taking many more classes with her very soon. :)

i first took a class from Christine at the fabulous Urban Craft Center (see my review), her Intro to Sewing class. in just three hours, she ran us through all the basics of the machine, tools, terminology, and techniques. at the end, i had a throw pillow and a refreshed love for sewing!
i was so happy with her straightforward, friendly teaching style, i signed up right away for another class with her at UCC; the reversible wraparound skirt. again, i had a great time, successfully made an adorable skirt, and then went home and promptly cranked out three more as gifts, showing that yeah! i did learn plenty after all! (and i should mention — Christine kindly mailed me an extra pattern in another size when i told her what i was doing.)
so imagine my happiness when my dear husband managed to arrange TWO private lessons with her as my Christmas present! seriously, it is one of the best prezzies ever. we figured out dates that would work for us, and went for it. she came to my house, and in each 5-​hour session, she took me through making a complete garment, from fabric cutting to completed piece. you have no idea how empowered i feel now with my ancient workhorse inherited-​from-​mom sewing machine!
what makes Christine a 5+ star teacher is several things. first, she’s patient AND has a sense of humour — she never makes you feel silly or bumbling; she simply demonstrates or explains again. next, she’s great at walking that fine line between doing too little and doing too much. she’ll do enough to get you started, but you never feel she’s taken over the project, and she won’t do so little that she lets you make mistakes unnecessarily, or let you get frustrated. her explanations are simple and clear; she’s good at putting concepts into words, and has a knack for dropping sewing tips and techniques on you exactly when you need them. but most importantly — and this is because i come from a family of teachers & am one myself — she LOVES to teach and you can feel it. you can see her genuinely share your excitement when you understand something or execute a step in the process well. it’s amazingly motivating.
whether you’re a beginner or advanced, you will definitely learn from Christine — and enjoy every minute! do a private lesson if you can, or check her website for her class schedule at UCC or Sew L.A. you will not regret it!