We are a creative sewing studio based in the heart of Waterloo, London and just a stone’s throw away from the quirky shops and cafes of Lower Marsh and the buzzing Southbank.

Our mission at Sew It With Love is to bring the forgotten art of sewing and ‘Make, Do & Mend’ back into the home.

Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate sewer who has tried their hand at a few sewing projects and wants to improve and further your sewing skills, here you will find a selection of sewing classes suitable for different abilities and preferences.

We must admit…here at Sew It With Love we have a real passion for vintage dressmaking, garment up-cycling and customising and offer a selection of vintage garment sewing courses such as, the popular Fifties Circle Dress, the Classic Pencil Skirt and the timeless Cigarette/Capri Pants.

However, we are aware that vintage clothing style is not everyone’s cup of tea, so we made sure we’d offer a selection of more classic, staple garments, as well as on trend designs, so everyone is happy!

Our mission

Here at Sew It With Love we are also passionate about helping reduce textile waste and contributing to a world where people make the most of what they buy and have or re-use what’s no longer needed by someone else…just like our mothers and grandmothers used to do! In our garment up-cycling and alterations classes, you will be able to turn that item you no longer like or that no longer fits you, into something new, exciting and unique that you’ll be proud to wear. Whatever sewing skills you may want to learn, we look forward to helping your sewing dream come true!

Discover our sewing classes in London:

Sewing classes London evening, Sewing courses for Beginners, One To One Sewing Tuition

Who we are

Elena PintusFounder, Creative Director and Sewing Tutor

I am a Fashion & Textile Designer and mother of one, with a passion for sharing the wonderful skills and arts of sewing and dressmaking. I started teaching myself dressmaking and experimenting with textiles from a very early age out of a burning desire to realize the designs in my head, which were hard to find in my hometown. I also wanted to wear unique clothes that nobody else would be wearing. After years of practising DIY dressmaking, I decided to take my skills to the next level and went onto train in Fashion & Textiles at London College of Fashion and London Metropolitan University, which were then followed by a spell working for designer label Tata Naka and 7 years as a freelance Designer/Maker specializing in bespoke designs.
I set up Sew it With Love in February 2013 out of a combined passion for sewing, dressmaking, textiles and teaching. I used to be a language teacher before training in fashion, and although I absolutely loved my new career, I missed teaching and the joy that passing on a valuable skills to others brings. So one day, whilst sitting at the sewing machine and nostalgically reminiscing about my teaching days, I decided I was going to combine the two together and Sew it With Love was created!

Passing on my sewing and dressmaking skills to others is proving to be a wonderful, exciting and very rewarding journey and I look forward to continue sharing it with all of our wonderful current and future clients.

Our Team

Rehana Begum
Sewing Tutor

Rehana graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Fashion Design. It was alongside her studies where she honed her skills at fashion companies including All Saints, Matthew Williamson, Preen, Margaret Howell and Ozwald Boateng and during a spell at Savile Row where Rehana’s interest and skills in tailoring and pattern cutting really developed, parallel to her design abilities. She has since worked as a Designer for various London based fashion labels as well as working as a dressmaking tutor both here and in Africa, where she was involved in empowerment projects teaching dressmaking. Rehana continues to freelance as a Designer and Tutor and thoroughly enjoys being hands on and sharing her love of sewing and pattern cutting with others.

Vanessa Ahern
Sewing Tutor

Vanessa has over 30 years experience in the fashion industry, having worked both as a bespoke dressmaker and patterncutter and in ready to wear production runs, as well as run her own childrenswear design and production company. She is also a qualified tutor.

Krystel Quilantang
Sewing Tutor

Krystel learnt to sew from very early age from her mother, who herself, had studied tailoring. She went on to completing courses in garment construction and pattern cutting in various institutions including London College of Fashion and Kensington and Chelsea College where she realised her passion for Bespoke Tailoring. She completed a pre-apprentice qualification in Bespoke Tailoring with Newham College in Partnership with Savile Row Bespoke. Krystel continued her skillful training working at the elite Thom Sweeny’s Tailoring House helping make waistcoats and jackets.

Claire Tyler
Sewing Tutor

Claire has over 30 years bespoke dressmaking experience including bridal and evening wear as well as bra making. She also has over 9 years experience as a sewing tutor including teaching workshops at shows such as The Knitting & Stitching Show.

Linda Wilson
Blog Contributor and Pattern Consultant

Linda is the newest addition to our team working on a series of very informative blog posts and testing and tweaking our patterns. She has been working in the fashion industry for 30 years and her impressive CV includes a BA in fashion from Edinburgh College of Art, a role as girls and ladies wear designer/pattern cutter for a Marks & Spencer supplier, 20 years of teaching pattern cutting at Edinburgh College of Art, as well as cutting patterns and making samples for independent fashion designers. Linda is extremely passionate about refashioning and records all her the amazing upcycled creations on her wonderful blog Remake Remodel Recycle.