About us
The Goodlife Centre provides interesting practical ‘hands on’ workshops where everyone can gain new skills and enjoy expanding their confidence and abilities. All classes are open to men and women and are intended to teach skills to beginners and are not intended as trade training courses. We do not test or evaluate – so you can relax while you learn.
Our workshop leaders are all experts in their field and enjoy passing on their knowledge in an informal and safe environment. In any course, you will learn by practice and enjoy the support of fellow classmates. The classes are small, which makes plenty of time for one on one learning.
Some of the evening workshops incorporate on going learning. You can return to increase your level of understanding.
If you are frustrated by your own inability to tackle a task, or resentful of having to pay someone to take care of simple home maintenance – welcome. We know how annoying it is to have to wait till some handy side kick can get round to the tasks you wish would just get done.
For many who spend their days typing at a keyboard or in a job with abstract goals, the level of satisfaction from learning a practical skill is a wonderful stress buster after an unfulfilled day.
If you are a DIY phobic, a bit wary or a Gung Ho ‘Let me at it’ type, our small practical classes aim to fast track you through the basics, guided by professionals who will share their expertise to instill you with the confidence to go it alone.
If you hanker for more knowledge about maintaining your property or would just love to learn more skills – Come on down.
Please contact us via our website to ask any questions.
* Listings for our events on Meet Up is for information only. *
* Booking is ONLY possible via https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk*
Upcoming events
115
- £225.00
DIY IN A DAY – DRILLS
The Goodlife Centre, 49/55 Great Guildford Street, London, GBBookable via our website ➡️ https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/diy-in-a-day-drills-342/
⋆⋆⋆Learn the basics at this fast-paced but relaxed one-day workshop.
A perfect starter for all those annoying jobs around the house that you feel you should be able to tackle…if only you knew how. We know it’s frustrating to wait for it to be done and then get charged for it and we understand it can be a bit daunting to head into a wall with a power drill.
Pick up the skills to hang curtains, blinds, and simple shelves on any wall. Learn to drill into wood, brick, tiles, or hollow walls with confidence. We will show you how to judge what is behind the walls before you drill.
An enjoyable ‘ hands-on’ one-day workshop that covers many of the common aspects of basic DIY. If you have just bought your home and have realized it didn’t include a landlord to fix stuff, or just don’t want to rely on someone else, this day is for you. There is plenty of time to practice on several exercises over the day.
The workshop also covers hanging pictures and heavier objects like mirrors, cupboards, and flat-screen TVs. You will learn how to hang a hook, fix a baton, and then a pair of level shelf brackets.
Finish off the day learning how to fit shelves into awkward alcoves – a handy skill you can use to fit work surfaces too. Learn how to select the correct drill bit, wall fixing, and screw to secure things confidently. The day will also include a chance to fill small and medium holes in wood and walls to prepare your surfaces for painting.
Along the way, we show you how to remove old wall fixings and what to do with the ones you can’t. This a fun fast day with plenty of tools to try and lots of advice on which tools to have in a basic toolkit. If you are thinking of upgrading your drill, you can test all of the ones we use and feel more knowledgeable about what you want to buy.
This course is especially suitable if you are not handy or if you are able, but not that confident, about tackling small but important tasks in your home. We will also suggest how to tell if a task is appropriate for DIY or GSI (Get Someone In).
You will take home a set of skills that will last a lifetime.
All tools and materials included. Perfect for beginners.
2 attendees - £140.00
INTRO TO MACHINE SEWING – 1 DAY
The Goodlife Centre, 49/55 Great Guildford Street, London, GBBookable via our website ➡️ https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-machine-sewing-1-day-90/
⋆⋆⋆If you would love to run up some new clothes or just fix a seam but are daunted by all those controls on a sewing machine, our one-day workshop will demystify them all and send you home with newfound confidence and a simple item you will make during the day.
Experienced tutor Ian McQueen will guide you through how to recognise all the parts of a machine, thread the bobbins, and sew neat rows of stitching on basic materials. How to read rulers and tape measures and cut fabric accurately. Make hems, seam allowances and French seams.
We have various user-friendly machines for you to try which will help you choose if you are planning on purchasing one soon. Bring lots of questions and we will supply everything else.
Our classes are small and each person has a machine to themselves for the day.
This is an excellent confidence booster and a great primer for all of our project sewing courses.
2 attendees - £200.00
TRADITIONAL AND MODERN LAMPSHADE MAKING
The Goodlife Centre, 49/55 Great Guildford Street, London, GBBookable via our website ➡️ https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/traditional-and-modern-lampshade-making-75/
⋆⋆⋆If you aspire to the luxury and elegance of lampshades that ooze class like a dowager, this is the workshop for you. Even if you have never stitched in your life, Ian McQueen’s relaxed and friendly style of tuition will have you wishing you had taken to the sewing needle years ago.
Ian is a City and Guilds trained craftsman who makes elegant traditionally built fine lampshades for interior designers and high-end shops. Some are sophisticated – lined with silk so light glows through, some are dramatic statements bejewelled with vintage adornments. All are hand stitched -not glued – so that they retain their shape and structure to give years of pleasure.
During a one-day workshop, you will select a wire frame and transform it into a bespoke home accessory for all to admire in your home. We use a 10-inch diameter Drum shade and a 12-inch diameter straight Empire frame.
You can select fabric from a few fabrics we have available but we recommend you bring along 1 metre of fabric to match your colour scheme. If you want to walk on the wild side, bring any fabric you want to give new life. Students have even transformed an old pair of jeans into a striking shade.
The process is fun but meticulous so there is sometimes only the time to complete the stitching on one lampshade in a day. This will depend on your speed. What you will take home is some of the historical skills used by milliners and upholders. (They were the stitchers who hung the tapestries on medieval walls.) As well as the know-how and route to suppliers you will learn how to make your own lampshades at home. The tutor can demonstrate how to make simple trims in the same fabric. No special machinery is required and only a little help from a simple sewing machine is available at the centre. It does not matter if you have never used a machine before.
Choices-
- Make a firm drum lampshade. Using a supplied frame, you will learn how to stitch reinforced fabric onto a frame using a traditional stitch.
- A pleated or unpleated lampshade. The lampshade fabric is stretched or folded directly onto a ‘Straight Empire’ frame. The lampshade can then be lined with a contrasting fabric.
The use of all tools and materials are included. We have additional assorted frames for sale, as well as a small range of vintage trimmings for you to make more lampshades at home.
Suitable for beginners. Enjoyable for all.
2 attendees
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