The Village Haberdashery, London UK | Class & Eve's Gift (2013)

The Village Haberdashery is a sweet, quaint shop a short 15 minute walk from West Hampsted tube stop.  Just look at the shop window - how sweet.

 

Inside is just as wonderful with quilting cottons, voile, canvas and even some knits to choose from.  You can see my classmates browsing here, along with the teacher Rachel Pinheiro -- I follow her blog House of Pinheiro.  She's a wonderfully passionate, youthful, seamstress originally from Brazil. 

So I found out about the class through Rachel's blog.  It was a perfect idea -- make a blouse for my long-time friend Eve for her birthday coming up.  The class was for the Deer & Doe Airelle Blouse, a French independent pattern maker.

Then we selected the fabric from a store I hope to visit someday soon -- Guthrie & Ghani -- celebrity Lauren Guthrie of The Great British Sew Bee (a show I loved).  All online of course!  It was a lightweight cotton - almost voile.

Back at Village Haberdashery, we headed downstairs to the sewing room.  It was properly British tiny and what you see in this photo is it!  But it was totally functional with tea kettle and biscuts!

 

Back upstairs, Rachel kindly took a photo of the finish product -- and I couldn't be happier.  Eve loved it too.  I'm so looking forward to making one of these myself.