Stitch That! - Article about The Gentlemen's Sewing Club in The Scottish Sunday Express

The Gentleman's Sewing Club has been gaining a lot of press recently, interviewed by Fred MacAulay for BBC Radio last year, featured on STV and other various blogs (globally!) But our first printed review comes from Greg Christianson at the Scottish Sunday Express. Greg came along our evening in February with literally no sewing skills or experience, and left being able to hem his trousers, sew on fallen buttons and fix burst seams.

The article was a full page spread and here's a small extract...

Regulars put down their pints and do a double-take, couples nudge one another and stare while students - enjoying a drink after class - spot us and giggle amongst themselves. After all, one of the oldest pubs in Scotland's toughest city is the last place you would expect to find a cluster of young men armed, not only with a drink, but also with a needle and thread. Hunched around a table in Glasgow's Sloans bar, our group listens intently to fashion designer Alan Moore - who is the reason I've swapped a Wednesday night in front of the television for an evening of sewing.

With baking and knitting becoming increasingly popular pursuits for men, the 26 year old is bringing the art of sewing and embroidery to the city's male population, albeit through plying them with booze. As I sip on my whiskey sour cocktail, and attempt to thread what feels like the worlds smallest needle, Alan explains the inspiration behind the unusual classes.

"it's something I've been thinking about for a while" explains the seamster, who also runs a woman's wear label - ten30 "when you mention sewing and embroidery, people automatically think of it as a very stereotypical pastime, They think of old English and French aristocrats who sat around all day embroidering flowers into silk. My friends are all normal guys who go to the football and go to the pub and they don't really  have a clue what I do. They think that fashion is all about models and parties, which it definitely isn't. My friends ask me to do things like sewing on buttons to jackets and I tell them "you should be able to do this, it's not hard" I think that these basic skills are almost lost on men"

Alan points out that traditionally tailors were always men, and insists mending your own clothes brings a great sense of satisfaction, as well as savings on pricey alteration costs. But I can feel myself getting hot under the collar - reminicant of Ford Kiernan's "Ballistic Bob"  charachter in Chewin' the Fat - as I continue to thread the eye of the needle. It eventually takes me around 10 minutes to overcome the first and most basic of tasks, it's going to be a long night. As I struggle on with my not so nimble fingers, I eventually manage to weave my first thread through the material and I'm soon on my way to creating my first hem.

Spring Sewing - April 25th

It's beginning to look a lot like....spring.....time....? 

It's finally Spring......isn't it? And we're digging out our lightweight shirts and wearing chinos....aren't we? Well, when it has stopped snowing and and the ice has thawed, i'm sure we will.

In the meantime, what better way to take advantage of this extended "Serbian winter" than to learn how to mend those clothes you haven't worn since last year.

With the Great British Sewing Bee airing at the moment, judged by our tailoring hero Patrick Grant, there seems to be a real buzz around sewing right now and we're all for it! With this month's Gentlemen's Sewing Club, we think we've got the formula nailed. We've made the evening, slightly cheaper, slightly shorter and extended the choice of drinks. It has become apparent, that as smashing as a whiskey sour is, it's not to everyone's taste, pints, on the other hand, are to every man's taste.

This month our evening will be on the last Thursday of the month, (instead of the usual Wednesday) we've shortened the evening to an hour of sewing, but we'll be hanging around for drinks afterwords and everyone is more than welcome to stay on, and will only be £12, which, as usual, includes a drink and all the materials needed to practice your new skills.

The next evening will be Thursday 25th of April 7pm - 8pm - upstairs in Sloans Glasgow. Spaces are limited to 10 gents. to reserve your space, click on the BUY button below or on the side of our blog.

A new year, a new gent

Granted we took a slightly longer Christmas brake than most, but spring is most definitely in the air, and what better time to come back to writing about sewing, men's style and general gentlemanly behavior.

As we move into longer days, happier people, and of course, sporting jackets and blazers. 2013 is going to be bigger than ever for The Gentlemen's Sewing Club, expanding as more than just the monthly get together. We've been working on a range of limited edition, hand made in Scotland ties, that should be available to buy in the coming weeks. Our monthly gatherings have settled into the new home that is Sloans in Glasgow, and we welcome everyman to come along and learn some basic skills, have a natter and enjoy some smashing drinks.

For a main event this year, we're planning a very special evening in November to raise money for a very gentlemanly cause.........it's all in the planning stages at the moment, but we think its a great idea!

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