The Sewing Studio

I just finished the shift dress 4-​week intro class with Cynthia. Our class was very small, just myself and one other student, which I loved because it was almost like having a private lesson. I have been wanting to learn how to use a sewing machine but was very intimidated by it. Cynthia’s class was perfect for learning the basics– how to thread & use the machine, how to read an easy pattern and adjust it for my measurements, etc. Cynthia is a patient, approachable, and attentive teacher who is passionate about what she does and really cares about her students. I appreciated her «insider» tips based on her expertise and experience – things that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise – and I left the class feeling inspired to keep sewing. I do recommend taking careful notes and even pictures during the class, for future reference. After the third week of class, I was able to also start my own side project at home, an apron and oven mitt for my toddler. I was proud that I could read the apron pattern comfortably and finish the project well, based on the things I’d learned from Cynthia’s class. Having taken the shift dress class, I feel confident and inspired to tackle more projects to build on the basics I learned. The studio’s website is called «for the love of sewing,» and I really do feel that I not only learned sewing basics, but also gained a love for sewing!

I bought a groupon for this place. I really wanted to like this place, it being so close to me and the people are nice. Getting a response is horrible. Once you get into the building, they have to send the elevator down cause there is no button. I spend about 15 – 20 mins waiting for it, despite the fact that I kept on calling and telling them it wasn’t coming down despite what they told me. I will give them this, that the teacher and owner has great sewing skills but teaching skills, is anther story. They really need to get a system down.
Parking in the area sucks. Make sure that you have change to pay the lot box or the meters.

Bought a groupon for the basic sewing class. It is located a few stores down from the new Color Me Mine on Green. No free parking.
The class is very personal, there were only 6 students and Cynthia likes it that way so she can be more attentive, which is good.
The groupon covered the sewing machine rental but didn’t cover the sewing kit. It was $ 11. It comes with mini spools of thread, scissors, pins, measuring tape, ruler, basic sewing needs I guess. You learn the basics and practice sewing on paper and scraps. It is very helpful for people who have never seen or touched a sewing machine before (me!). Some ladies in there were just there as a refresher but it was probably boring for them. I think they might have expected to at least make something simple and basic. I did, but I learned a lot regardless. After the class, it made me want to start sewing. Maybe, after I actually practice sewing and making something, I’ll take an advance class with Cynthia. She is a good teacher.

I’ve just last night completed my second beginner class with Cynthia — I took the tote bag first and then moved to the shift dress, and already signed up for my third class — the little black dress.
While I have spent a majority of my life around fabric and sewing machines — I had never wound a bobbin, never set up a sewing machine, never cut a pattern or completed a project — start to finish — on my own. For many years I’ve been incredibly intimidated by the machine, but coming to the Sewing Studio and diving into an actual project was the best cure ever!
Cynthia has a deep passion for sewing and fashion and a gift for teaching — she is a calm communicator, she has a very kind way of letting you know you’ve made a mistake, she is not at all a perfectionist (especially lovely for beginners and children) and while she is there to help every step of the way — she isn’t going to do it for you. I loved seeing a little girl in her Kids class (which ends just as ours starts) Watching her tackle her sewing machine and projects without fear is quite inspiring. Cynthia also has a small selection of supplies on hand and will help you select appropriate fabric and notions from her stock if you forget anything.
I’d like to say a few things in response to some of the other reviewer’s comments, because my experience after spending 8 weeks working in classes with Cynthia was VASTLY different.
This is a sewing CLASS. Hopefully, you are coming in to learn. As with most classes, students will be at different levels and will learn and grow confident with their skills at different paces. In both of my sessions we had students going ahead and some (including myself) still behind; Cynthia worked with each of us individually and still brought us together collectively when showing something new or particularly confusing. She expected us to pay attention, and take notes, but never showed any frustration or irritation repeating instructions or helping any of us with an individual issues if we fell behind.
To set expectations appropriately — If you are looking to expertly craft a garment or bag with the ease and perfection of a seasoned seamstress after one 4 week class, you will be disappointed. Similarly if you are expecting this beginner class to be super slow, reviewing straight stitches and machine set up for long periods of time each week, you will be equally disappointed.
However… if you are willing to take notes, use your seam ripper, to sew something crooked and forge on — and learn to sew by actually sewing, you will walk away with some solid basic skills, some new friends and enough confidence to take another class.
My quick tips — Tote Class was definitely easier than shift dress, I am thankful I did them in that order. While the shift dress pattern came with instructions, it was a VOGUE pattern and instructions (though intended for beginners can still be complex for advanced students) were hard to sift through — bring a notebook and take your own notes from Cynthia’s instruction — Draw pictures you’ll understand and make notes when you make mistakes you’d like to fix next time.
Best advice from Cynthia — as soon as you finish the project, make it again. The second time around is definitely better than the first!

I had been searching online for a place that will teach me how to make a project in one class and I found it at The Sewing Studio. I made an awesome «Sew Easy Bag» in 3 hours. Cynthia was a great teacher. She was patient, kind, and to the point. She adjusts to your pace and keeps you on track. I was very impressed with her knowledge of the sewing industry as well as fashion industry. She knows all facets of it and incorporates her knowledge in the class. Unlike the other reviews, I found it very easy to schedule my class online. I was contacted by email as well as by phone to let me know what I needed for the class which is helpful information to have before. I am looking forward to taking another one day project class. For those busy people that want to skip all the fluff and get down to sewing an item this is the class for you!

of course every business is going to say they value/​care about their customers. however, if that were true, these review would reflect that. many of these posts confirm my statement that there is no repetition or reinforcement but a very clear impression that ANY finished product is the ultimate goal. I want everyone to know that there were at LEAST 8 people in the class, absolutely not one less. maybe some classes are 6 – 8 people, but if you are the unlucky one in an overcrowded class, that alone is enough of a reason to look elsewhere.
as other Unilocalers have mentioned, cynthia came across condescending a majority of the time. I wasn’t going to mention this, but the fact that she came on here to address all the low ratings, I thought it needed to be said. sitting in the class there is a very clear impression that the students are seen as money signs. I know businesses want to make a profit, but that should never show, at least not blatantly. I know I am not the only one that felt this way because several of the other classmates mentioned this also.
The speed of the class goes as fast as the fastest student. Then of course, some trail slightly slower but still relatively quick. Then a good third of the class will fall behind and for those students you feel like you’re on your own. If you ask for things to be repeated because you were still playing catch up up until that point she will say «I already explained this». She will then give you a fast half hearted repeat and quickly walk away.
several people looking to also take classes have asked me where I took mine, I tell them and then tell them I absolutely do not recommend it and to refer to Unilocal for rating. All three people are now taking classes and none of them here. I’m glad there are sites like Unilocal that allow people to see what real opinions really are.

I was looking for a place to go and take some sewing classes. I thought what better place to look than on Unilocal.Even though the reviews were not 4 to 5 stars I took a chance, and I am glad that I did. I enjoyed my classes, after I finished my first, I enrolled in two more classes, and I am planning to take more. The owner «Cynthia» is very knowledgeable and very patient.
Also, I had the opportunity to see her working with kids, and I saw the kids working under her instructions having fun performing their projects and they seemed to be better than what I was able to do before I started taking the sewing classes.
My first class was the shift dress, then the clutch bag, and I just finished the little black dress.
The clutch bag is so easy to make and it teaches you how to do the French seam, it is the perfect gift for friends.
For the little black dress (found out it doesn’t have to be black), I picked a classic dress pattern, this time I went with green, but I am planning to make a black, blue, white, etc., dress, with the same pattern.
My daughter wanted me to make her prom dress, but for that it would take me more classes than just three. But definitely I can make some summer dresses for my daughters.
I really enjoyed this class, I have to confess that some days after a long day of work I would drag myself to the class but as soon as I started sewing I did not want to leave.

I can’t recommend this place for someone who doesn’t know how to sew.
They are very slow about responding to emails, if at all. Very bad customer service skills. But that’s not the main complaint.
If you are a beginner who wants to learn how to sew, this is not the place for you. My sister took the 4 week shift dress class — big mistake. There’s no repetition or reinforcement of any techniques. So you’re really just following along, but you don’t learn anything, and you won’t take anything out of the class other than a (perhaps) finished product. But there’s no way you’ll remember how to replicate all the steps.
There’s no repetition or practice for how to sew a straight seam, a curved seam, etc. Like another reviewer said, the emphasis is on rushing along to finish a product, but nothing on actually reinforcing a technique.
For instance: Threading the sewing machine. In the second class, she showed it once, you do it once, and then start sewing. No reinforcement. But in the next class, when my sister forgot how to thread the machine, and asked, Cynthia looked at her like an idiot and said you should know how to do it already. Those exact words. Yeah, right. When you only showed it once.
So by the end of the class, my sister had an amateur-​ly made shift dress, and no clue how to reproduce all the steps. Cynthia also deviated from the pattern, (because it would be «easier» to sew), so that was not a help if you wanted to replicate what you did.
Re the fabric selection — they have some really nice fabrics, but a lot of it was meh. There’s not a ton of choices. I’d recommend Jo-Ann’s or even Walmart for better choices and better prices per yard.
If you already have sewing skills, and just want to learn how to make the items she offers, than this is an ok class.
If you are a newbie, I’d recommend other sewing places. It may seem more expensive (three hours just to learn how to sew a stitch), but it is a much better use of your money.
Our aunt, who used to sew all of our cousin’s clothes growing up (with no one the wiser that it wasn’t storebought), poo-​pooed the teaching. She said her teachers used to make them spend hours just practicing a single stitch. That may not be practical nowadays, but her point was, my sister didn’t actually learn anything. She has some hazy idea of how a sewing machine works, but it shouldn’t be just *HAZY”. Maybe not expert, but it shouldn’t be just a hazy.
She’s taking another class at a different place and liking it much better.

I loved my begining class. I was given a sewing machine about a year ago and loved that I could bring it into the class and learn about how to use my personal machine for all the different skills we learned in the class.
I took the tiered skirt class. I completed the skirt in the four classes with plenty of individual attention from Cynthia.
The studio was hard to contact/​schedule with. I did get a return message with very detailed online registration instructions and was able to sign up easily online.
My one complaint is that I was emailed 2 weeks before the class and told to expect a supply handout through email in the next week. I never got it. I had to call all day the day of my class and was not able to get in touch with anyone until 10min before my first class. There was no help offered on the phone– I was tolde to check my email for the list… okay– I’m outside the studio-​Then I was emailed the supply list– um… Thanks? Was I to run to JoAnn’s and buy all that in 10 min? So I called back– asked where the closest fabric store was (I live an hr. Away ad am not familar with the area) and after a bit of conversation was then told that I could buy all that stuff at the studio. OH… that would have been important to share in the first frantic phone call. I too was dissatisfied with the fabric selection… But I had to pick something to sew!
After that stress… I was finally able to get down to sewing business!
The instruction was great and I learned a lot! I’ll be back for another class! I would not hesitate to take a class her– just make sure youhave your supply list a few days a head– then you will have such a good time!!!

I want to like The Sewing Studio because it’s close, and I love the idea of a good place to take local sewing classes, but unfortunately that is not enough to make me like the place.
I took an intro to sewing (tote bag) class about 2 years ago. The class was supposed to be 4 sessions, but Cynthia made it 3. The class session I attended only had 2 people other than me in it. I had NEVER touched a sewing machine. The other two students were well versed with their machines, so Cynthia kept up at their pace.
While I understood keeping them at a level that they wanted, it was a BEGINNING class, yet it skipped over the beginning stages. Because the other students had experience they quickly finished their projects, and Cynthia told us there would be no week 4. I had to RUSH and hardly finish my bag week 3.
I was frustrated that I not only had to RUSH through my project, but I paid for an additional 2 and a half hour session I did not receive.
Although I support and understand people run businesses to make money, I appreciate when business make their money through good customer service, and providing a good product.
I was rushed, and did not even received all the instruction hours I paid for, thus I feel I received neither, and it’s a shame, because it would be great if the studio offered all it claims to.
High prices and bad service don’t get my repeat business.

I have really enjoyed my classes her at the sewing studio. The teachers are patient and very informative. I read some earlier comments of people having problems with groupons. I used a groupon and did not have any problems actually all the students in my class did. I did take a beginners class and I felt that it was at a perfect speed for myself. I did have a little background of sewing but definitely needed some brushing up. And there were some girls that had none that were sewing beautifully and doing great. If you ask for help they are there to help you. There are machines you can rent or you can bring your own. The first day of class I borrowed one and then I started to bring my own because I wanted to learn my machine. I think this a perfect place to learn and advance any skills. I have enjoyed my classes so much I signed up for other projects. In fact after the first class I went home with the confidence and started sewing more projects. The owner is so sweet and loves to see everything you do too. Give it a try you will love it here!

I thought this class was a great idea for a teen that needed to learn to sew, but really it was too complicated, and overcrowd. As a result there was not enough attention payed to the students. My Daughter made a dress that was way too short, and sheer. The worst fabric I have ever seen. the owner told us she had fabulous fabric from the design center. It was a terrible selection. My daughter tried really hard, and had fun, but did not have an opportunity to make a great product because of the lack of attention. I would not recommend this class to any of my friends.

My daughter took a teen sewing class and came home with something that was neither wearable, nor finished. I feel that the instructor did not provide enough supervision or guidance. I am giving it three stars because my daugher admitted she socialized more than she sewed so I feel she is to blame as well. Still, the garment was too short, sewn crookedly and just bad all over. I think this place is more for adults and very motivated teens.

Like many here, I used a groupon. I chose to take the Intro to Sewing, Shift Dress class.
Unlike some, I had no problems scheduling a class. As a matter of fact, Cynthia went above & beyond to make sure I was able to get into a class, including phone calls when a class suddenly opened up. Yes, initially I had to talk to an answer machine, but the call was returned the next day. No problems on that score.
I hadn’t touched a sewing machine since high school home ec (where I made a napkin holder, no clothes), so I was a true beginner. The class was very small, five people, so lots of individual attention. Not having a sewing machine, I was able to use one of the studio’s at no extra cost. I also bought some colorful fabric from Cynthia that I loved. For the class, it was fine as a beginner, Cynthia is very patient and will teach total amateurs. (I had Cynthia as my teacher throughout, I do not know about other teachers). The slightly more advanced students were not bored either. Cynthia has a fashion and teaching background at FIDM, which she will talk about briefly.
I ended up being the slowest in the class, and I wasn’t finished when the class ended. I ended up taking a make-​up class — correction, TWO make-​up classes, that were back to back. What I thought was only going to take about 1.5 — 2 hours ended up being 6 hours! but, I was just slow in ironing etc. Cynthia was very nice in letting me stay and finish after the first make-​up class was done; she also helped me do a minor fix at the end when we all wanted to go home, since I didn’t have a sewing machine at home.
In the interests of full disclosure: there are extra costs. If you don’t bring a sewing kit (easily obtainable at Wal-​mart and sewing shops), I believe it’s $ 12 or $ 15 from the studio. Fabric is $ 5/​yard. If you do end up needing makeup classes, it’s $ 15/​hr. Just posting these prices so if you think you might be slow like me, you are fully aware. That said, it was still worth it to me to learn about sewing and to have made my first dress.
Another caveat: I did NOT learn how to read a pattern. A pattern was briefly referred to and we could see it, but we were mostly told what to do next by Cynthia, not by referring to the pattern (if we did that, it would’ve taken even longer). Also, we did not get to keep the patterns. I know the class description says we learn pattern-​reading, but we don’t. I think everything else is accurate, I now know how to thread, backtrack, etc etc.
Parking can be a pain. There’s street meters, or parking lots. For meters, there’s 4 hour parking on Dayton St (the street right by the Sewing Studio), or you can go down a block (away from Colorado) on Fair Oaks, past the fire station. Don’t park on the same block, it’s only 2 hours or less there. Parking lots are expensive, I think the cheapest was $ 3 for 15 minutes? (don’t know, never parked there). Bring plenty of quarters! (No credit card meters).
A big plus is that they just moved to a new space facing the street (same building), so you don’t have to deal with the annoying building AND elevator calling codes! (Yes, twice! so annoying). I’m sure they get a lot of passers-​by looking in now too.
Next I want to learn how to do alterations! But no time right now, perhaps in the future. All in all, the Sewing Studio is rather pricy, but I had a good experience, so five stars!

I am writing not ever having gone into The Sewing Studio.
I tried to use my Groupon with them. I called and emailed to ask the steps on how to sign-​up for a class with my Groupon. No response. The class starts next Monday! With their limited office hours, I’m not sure how to get a hold of them. I don’t live close-​by to just pop in either.
I came on Unilocal just now to find out if other people have had problems with The Sewing Studio. Lo and behold, the answer is yes.
At $ 69 for the Groupon, I figured that I didn’t want to waste my time. I mean if they aren’t going to call me back, and the Groupon expires 5/​25, I would be out $ 69!
I just contacted Groupon to have my The Sewing Studio Groupon canceled and refunded. They responded right away!

After reading all the great reviews I thought I was in for a great sewing experience. I’ve never sewn before and was looking forward to learning. So as the first BAD review, I’d like to make it clear that the Sewing Studio definitely earned it. Everything was fine up until I tried to reschedule my class (1 week in advance). The person over the phone was very rude, unprofessional and just plain bitchy. She had the nerve to tell me «why did you schedule yourself for this date if you weren’t going to be able to make it». As if I owed her an explanation — What am I? A 15 year old? — And have these people never heard of the word «reschedule» before? I wouldn’t reschedule if I didn’t need to. I guess she couldn’t possibly imagine that sometimes, unexpected circumstances occur that cause people to have to reschedule a freaking sewing class! Obviously she didn’t expect a real answer from me. It was a rhetorical question intended to condescend me. VERY unprofessional. If that wasn’t enough, I proceeded to reschedule my class instead of asking for a refund and taking my business elsewhere right then and there. So I decided to visit their precious sewing studio to purchase all the required materials for the tote class. The business hours on their website state «Fridays: 4pm-​8pm». I arrived at exactly 7:25pm only to find them closed. I drove 35 minutes to Pasadena and 35 minutes back home, for absolutely nothing. And with gas prices at $ 4.09 a gallon, I’m sure anyone would be ticked off. For a place that is so strict with time and reservations, I didn’t expect that from them. Again, VERY unprofessional. I emailed them expressing my frustration. What I should have included in the email was a rhetorical question of my own: «Why do you advertise your business hours Fridays: 4pm-​8pm on your website if you close early?» Anyway, I got a very bland reply from them asking what they could do to ease my frustration. Something told me it wasn’t sincere. So after two very bad experiences with the Sewing Studio, before even actually attending the class, I decided not to do business with them. I requested a refund and they didn’t hesitate to direct me to Groupon to get my money back. The Sewing Studio staff acts as though they are doing YOU a favor. As though you are a high school student getting free education. Sorry but I’m a 26 year old paying customer and I believe I deserve a little respect. This place sells their business based on their sewing experience and credentials, but whatever happened to some good old CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS? I couldn’t have been more disappointed with the Sewing Studio. Needless to say I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.

I decided to take the class after reading all the great reviews about Cynthia. Sure enough, Cynthia’s a wonderful teacher who has a contagious passion for sewing and is sincerely interested in the success of her students. I felt comfortable in her shift dress class even without any prior sewing experience.
Unfortunately she handed the second class in the 4-​class series to a less-​enthusiastic instructor who didn’t come prepared to teach (we basically had to struggle with the pattern instructions ourselves while she sat chatting about her plans for her life). I was so frustrated with the second class and with that instructor that I threw out my project right there in the studio and gave away my sewing supplies to my classmates (all of whom had sewing background and brought their own machines to class). I wish I knew that there were going to be other teachers before I blew over $ 100 for the fee and supplies.
So my advise is to make sure you are getting classes with Cynthia and noone else. After all, she is the owner of the shop and has vested interest in it’s (and her students’) success.

The last time I truly sewed was in 7^th grade (about 20 years ago). Eek! Before I digress into Junior High nuances, let me share my experience with «Intro to Sewing — Tote Bag» at the Sewing Studio.
I figured I should learn to use the sewing machine we received as a wedding gift. That’s the first thing that’s great about this class — you use the machine you will use at home (rentals are available though).
Small class size (another great thing) — I took the class with 2 girlfriends so we were 50% of the class. Cynthia was great helping all of us — some knew the basics, others couldn’t recognize a sewing machine. Cynthia adapted.
I finished my tote bag in 3 of 4 classes (yes, it mostly looks good). Cynthia was kind enough to help me start a new project. While I did most of the project at home, it was nice to have her to ask a few questions during the last class as I had already forgotten somethings I swore I knew. Practice makes perfect!

I have NEVER sat in front of a sewing machine prior to taking the Tote Bag class. This is a beginner sewing class and I had called before signing up for this class due to my lack of knowledge of sewing just to make sure this was the right class to learn for such a novice sewer. I found the class at the beginning to be a little daunting for a beginner sewer and felt at times I was not taking the right class; I felt very discouraged. I would recommend this class for people who already have some background knowledge in sewing. I definitely will take a class here in the near future.
FYI: Street Parking is free until 11am. on Saturdays and getting into the building can be a little tricky.

A couple of Christmases ago, my husband got me a sewing machine ’cause it was high on my list of «Please, Santa!». I enthusiastically unpacked it, plugged it in, and then there it sat for over a year, because I realized in short order the only thing I knew how to do was turn it on.
For Christmas this last year, my husband treated me to a class at the Sewing Studio. Four Mondays later, not only had I made my very own dress, but now enjoy making all sorts of things at home. The class with Cynthia (a wonderful, patient and supportive teacher) gave me not only the skills to follow a pattern, but the confidence to know how to read a pattern on my own, cut it with confidence, and trust that if I want to make it, I can.
The classes are small. There were four of us in the room with Cynthia. This allowed for plenty of individual attention, which I certainly needed! Also, though she encourages students to have their own machines so they can be sewing-​minded at home, too, there are machines available for use during classtime.
Only one month after my class ended, I have already made a sweet baby quilt for a friend, and some lovely little throw pillows for around the house – all on my own!
I took a Level One class about making a classic shift dress. There are many other classes on the roster, some for those new to sewing (like myself) and others which focus on amazing, complicated, high fashion designs. Very impressive, very fun, and very empowering.