The Gentlemen's Sewing Club at Sloans

After careful consideration, The Gentlemen's Sewing Club is changing.

We will now be running a monthly sewing evening, covering a broad range of subjects, from hemming and sewing on buttons, to a little bit of alteration and simple pattern cutting. As well as sharing tips and stories about being modern gentlemen.

We've also moved venues. Our new home will be the very regal Sloans in Glasgow's city centre, a perfectly grand and gentlemanly venue, completely suited to us.

So what will this new look Gentlemen's Club offer? Well, on the last Wednesday of the month between 7pm and 9pm ,we will meet in one of the quite majestic looking rooms in the upper levels of Sloans. Whilst drinking whiskey sours, we will be teaching some basic sewing techniques such as blind hemming and sewing on buttons. Our exclusive Gentlemen's Handmade Ties will also be on show and available to buy on the night.

The next evening will be Wednesday 24th. The evening costs £20 which includes a whiskey sour cocktail and all the material and equipment you will need. Spaces are limited to 10 gents. to reserve your space, click on the BUY button below or on the side of our blog.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Everyone Loves Polished Shoes

Shoes are one of those things that are sometimes overlooked in an outfit, an accessory that, although essential, is often not given the same care and consideration to that of a new suit or coat.

But shoes are one of THE most important parts of your outfit, and should be duly looked after and cared for. Follow our guide to proper shoe care, and we guarantee more enjoyment and a more fulfilled "soul" for your shoes.

• Your shoes should be regularly well polished, scuffed shoes will take the shine off of any outfit, day or night. 
• Use a shoe horn when putting your shoes on, the backs are easily broken and not so easily repaired.
• Shoe trees - invest in these strange looking objects, they will help keep the shape of your shoes and stop them curing and save you looking like an out of season elf or unemployed court jester.
• salt stains are one of the most common problems, especially if like us you live in the eternal winter that is Scotland. A useful tip is to rub with a solution of vinegar an water after the shoes have dried. Then a stern polish should restore the look.
• Invest. Full stop. A decent pair of shoes, cared for properly will last longer than buying several pairs of cheaper alternatives, plus they'll and feel better.
• Keep a box for shoe care. Most people have an old shoe box filled with an assortment of coloured polish, brushes, rags and dubbin, that was probably used to polish some football boots in the 1800s, which is fine. But if you really want to impress, we recommend this classically stylish Paul Smith ebony wood shoe care box

Here is a great video of how to perfectly buff your brogues and shine your loafers.

Hand Made Ties, Again

With the success of last week's hand made tie evening, we've been making ties all week in the studio (more on that later)

So we thought we would repeat last weeks evening and do tie making again. This one is a bit harder than the usual evenings, but definitely doable, if you're interested in coming along, we would suggest brushing up on your running stitch before hand, have a look at this video if you're unsure.





The nice thing about this evening is that you leave with an actual product, that you can go away and perfect, rather than just skills. As well, there are a few different techniques that you will learn along the way that will come in handy for lots of different hand sewing projects.

As usual, we will provide the basic materials, but if you have something special you want to use, bring it along too.

Places are £10 per head, this evening will take place in the usual spot The Flying Duck Club at the usual time 6.30pm-8.30pm

Reserve your place here

Handmade Tie Making

We wanted to stay away from pattern cutting and garment construction at the gentlemen's sewing evenings, but we thought this was ideal for our chaps to learn.

The tie is such an important addition to any gent's attire and can really pull a suit together, as well as show off the wearers personality. We do love a good tie, they are perfect for every occasion.

So we've decided to dedicate a night to making ties for ourselves. We will tread on the edge of pattern cutting and brush up on our hand sewing techniques to create Handmade and completely bespoke ties.

As usual we will provide the essential materials, but if you have a cloth you would love to use, bring it along as well.

The tie making night will be held at 6.30pm on Wednesday 15th August in The Flying Duck Club, entrance is £10 per head.

see you there chaps.


Reserve your place here

Buttons and Edges

Our second sewing evening will be focusing on buttons and edging.

Sewing buttons is a subject in which many think they know, but there really is many different ways in which buttons can, and should, be sewn onto garments. Jacket buttons are sewn differently from shirt buttons, which are differently from trouser buttons etc etc

Edging is a type of decorative embroidery, perfect for sprucing up handkerchiefs or scarves. We will be looking at, and practising various hand sewing techniques that can be used for a multitude of embroidery or customising projects.

The evening will run from 6.30 - 8.30 on Wednesday 18th July in the Flying Duck Club Glasgow. As usual the evening is £10 a head and we will provide the basic materials, (free to bring your own if you wish) and we'll get a couple of beers (or tea or coffee if you would rather)

Places must be booked in advance here, and are on a first come first serve basis.

see you there chaps.

Perfectly Hemmed

So last night was our first sewing evening, and it was smashing! The chaps learned how to execute a perfect blind hem stitch as well as the slightly more difficult slip stitch. After some difficulty in threading the needle, the gents got the hand of it, and I have a feeling there will be an influx in perfect fitting trousers on the streets of our fair city, albeit a small one.

The decorative satin stitch proved to be very popular and trickier than it looks! But with a bit of patience we got there and we were all embroidering delightful 2 tone leaves.

Have a look at our snaps from the night..........

Our next night Buttons and Edges will be Wednesday 18th of July.

The gents.

Tom Ford.

Fashion designer, creative director, stylist, film maker, style icon and most importantly, modern gentleman.

Ford is known as one of THE best dressed men on the planet, always immaculately turned out and flawlessly groomed, he has revolutionised the fashion and film industry with his ideas and aesthetics.


In the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of Another Man magazine, Ford gives his 5 rules to live by for modern gentlemen. Emphasizing ideals such as respect, hard work and open mindedness, Ford  promotes becoming the best person one can be at all times.




Tom Ford's Rules for Gentlemen

1. You should put on the best version of yourself when you go out in the world because that is a show of respect to the other people around you.

2. A gentleman today has to work. People who do not work are so boring and are usually bored. You have to be passionate, you have to be engaged and you have to be contributing to the world.

3. Manners are very important and actually knowing when things are appropriate. I always open doors for women, I carry their coat, I make sure that they’re walking on the inside of the street. Stand up when people arrive at and leave the dinner table.

4. Don’t be pretentious or racist or sexist or judge people by their background.

5. A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach.

Perfect Hems and Satin Stitches

The first week of The Gentlemen's Sewing Club we will be looking at perfect hems and satin stitching.

ok chaps, hemming is a tough game, but with a little guidance and a lot of practice, anyone can do it. Think how much time and money you've spent on taking trousers to alterations shops for them to take up a inch or so, wouldn't it be nice to do that yourself, for free. Wearing a pair of trousers that fit perfectly, knowing you have done it yourself, is a very satisfying feeling.

The second skill we're going to have a go at is the satin stitch, a hand embroidered decorative that is simple and effective. We'll show you how to do the stitch perfectly and how it can be used in fashion and interiors.

We will provide materials to practice on, then you can go home and try it yourself

Perfectly hemmed trousers

Satin stitched anchor

Perfect hems and satin stitches will be on the 4th of July from 6.30pm - 8.30pm at The Flying Duck Club - Glasgow. Places are £10 per head and this includes a couple of drinks plus all the basic materials to get you started.

Welcome Gentlemen, to The Gentlemen's Sewing Club!!

Welcome Gentlemen, to The Gentlemen's Sewing Club!!

We're gentlemen and we enjoy sewing.

Men's sewing has came under fire recently, it's a lost art, and somehow there is a negative stigma around men who sew. We're changing that! How many of your fathers, grandfathers or great uncles knew how to sew way back when? Tailors, soldiers, sailors, all men who sew, not just for fashion or aesthetics but for necessity and survival.

We want to teach the modern man sewing skills. We think all men should be able to sew on buttons and hem trousers, and maybe bring back a revival in decorative embroidery while we're at it.

We are running weekly sewing classes for like minded people. The Flying Duck Club in Glasgow, provides a relaxed and comfortable environment where we can teach and share sewing skills whilst having a couple of beers or a cup of tea.

Our classes are different every week, mixing decorative embroidery with every day skills, with a guest speaker every third week. Classes run for 2 hours and are £10 per head, this includes tea, coffee or beers and all the basic materials you'll need to get started.  Spaces are limited to 10 people per week and we work on a first come first serve basis.

YOU CAN ONLY SIGN UP THROUGH THIS BLOG, BY PAYING THROUGH THE GOOGLE CHECKOUT BUTTON ON THE TOP RIGHT.

Week 1 starts Wednesday 4th July 6.30pm The Flying Duck Club, Glasgow. And the theme of the night will be Perfect Hems