Top Notch Sewing Centre is a fashion and sewing school based in Orpington, Bromley, where you can learn sewing, pattern skills or do an online fashion class. My aim is to teach people the joy of sewing and to give them the confidence to create, repair or alter their own clothing. I have worked in the fashion industry for over 25 years and have been dressmaking for even longer (see some of my work on Instagram @topnotchpatterncutting).

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Top Notch Sewing Centre is run from my home, with sewing machines, a pattern table and mannequins available for students to use. Regular group lessons are held for adults, teens and children, or you can book a 1-1 class at your convenience.

I also host a children's online Fashion Club which is a creative after school club held on zoom, where kids learn about fashion and drawing (I have two children and am DBS certified).

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The aim of the Sewing Centre is to support those who aim to live a more authentic and eco-friendly lifestyle by making and repairing fabric items instead of buying new. I aim to teach people to make garments that fit well, plus many other sewn items like toys, soft furnishings and accessories. Top Notch is also a place to socialise, aiming to combat loneliness and build relationships in the community with a free sewing social every month.

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The classes are taught by Caroline Paulsen. I have a BA honours degree in fashion and specialise in pattern cutting for ladies and children's wear. I am also a designer and garment technician and some brands I have worked with include Asos, Topshop, Miss Selfridge, New Look, Humphries and Begg, RoRox, Akwa Baby, Sainsbury's and more. I learnt to sew as a child and have lived, breathed and worked fashion ever since! 

Sewing is truly is a life skill I couldn't be without.

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