Knitting

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/clothes-making-altering-workshop-6-weeks/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/clothes-making-altering-workshop-6-weeks/) **⋆⋆⋆** Do you want to jump into making your own clothes but have never used a pattern? Do you wish to copy a beloved piece of clothing? Would you like to learn how to adjust your own pattern to fit just you? Learn how to take body measurements, read and alter a commercial pattern to fit, lay out and cut fabric and construct a finished garment to a high standard using one of our Janome 525s or Bernina 1008 series sewing machines. During the sessions of this small group of learners you will gain confidence and improve any sewing skills you already have. If you have never used a machine, we can guide you through making a simple garment from a purchased pattern. Bring your own pattern or use one of our small selection. If you have sewing experience but want to start creating your own patterns, you can learn how to create a bespoke piece of clothing. You can also bring a piece of clothing to alter or fix. We supply the basics and the calico you will use to make a ‘toile’ (an inexpensive mock up) to save you ruining your chosen final fabric. Along the way, talented tutor and seamstress will teach you lots of techniques and tips to ramp up your sewing passion. This is a perfect class if you have been teaching yourself so far, or if your last project was made a long time ago at school. **Suitable for:** Suitable for beginners, enjoyable for those with experience. A good level of English and basic math skills are useful. **Next start date:** Check our website for more dates: [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/clothes-making-altering/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/clothes-making-altering/)

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/woodwork-set-of-steps-8/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/woodwork-set-of-steps-8/) ⋆⋆⋆ This timeless classic is taken from our favourite 1910 vintage woodwork book. It is a brand new project for our Carpentry for Beginners courses. Take home a fabulously useful set of steps, beautifully crafted with ‘Through tenons’ and ‘shoulder’ joints. Measurements are: 53cm H x 50cm W and 55cm D when open. Using a mixture of traditional hand tools and modern drills and saws, experienced craftsman Len Conway will guide and inspire you as he teaches age-old techniques in carpentry. As you begin learning how to make traditional wood joints in seasoned redwood, you will learn how to use and care for chisels, saws, planes and marking gauges. Len is an experienced carpenter and teacher. He conveys his skilful practical experience with light-hearted humour. Learners will work on a variety of exercises – designed to incorporate simple to advanced joints and tools that build confidence and independence. Over 5 specified days, we will cover many aspects of traditional carpentry tuition. There will be lots of practical exercises in each session while making a small set of steps that you will take home. **We will get familiar with some tools of the trade:** * Introducing basic tools. Equipping a toolbox for home carpentry. * Timber selection/marking out and cutting. Cutting accurately with a hand saw * Using a plane, different types of planes. Sharpening tips and practice. * Using a chisel and its uses. Sharpening tips and practice. **You will use planes, chisels and marking tools:** * Simple joints and why we use them. * Half joints, lap joints. Practice using chisels and planes. * Bridle joints and a mortise and tenon **You will make a simple project to take home:** It’s fast-paced but with the support of Len, you will complete your own project to make a small set of steps. * Work from selected pine and measure, mark and cut pieces. * Choose and make joints, assemble and secure with adhesive or screws. * Sand and smooth to a stage where your project is ready for staining or waxing and taken home with pride. All personal protection, the use of tools and basic materials are included. **This course is suitable for beginners**

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/upholstery-bring-your-own-chair-wednesday-eve-21/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/upholstery-bring-your-own-chair-wednesday-eve-21/) **⋆⋆⋆** KEY PROJECT: RE-UPHOLSTERING YOUR OWN CHAIR. Suitable for beginners and fun for advanced learners. This workshop is led by Krasmira Nikolova, an experienced upholsterer. We provide the use of all upholstery tools and equipment including compressed air staple guns. Basic upholstery materials that you require for your project will be moderately charged on a pay-as-you-use basis and will be dependent on each chair’s requirements. We can advise you on the purchase of your top fabric and we have a lovely library of fabric samples to help make up your mind. The Goodlife Centre sells all the basic tools and materials for use on projects worked on at home. This is a fantastic chance to up-cycle and personalise a family piece you have at home or a junk shop find and a great way to immerse yourself into the wonderful world of upholstery. The course is suitable for both beginners and those who have a basic knowledge but little experience who wish to extend their expertise. **Choosing a suitable chair** If you are a newcomer to upholstery, there are a couple of pointers to help you choose a chair to work on. Choose something that has one or two flat planes – a seat and a back – as curves and arms are more complex and take longer to achieve. If you are a complete beginner, you could bring something more simple such as an upholstered footstool. More experienced upholsters can bring more complex pieces. Your chair can be traditionally built or modern, but be aware that some modern pieces have been constructed using machinery and are difficult to recreate by hand. [Click here for a detailed PDF of suitable chairs.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2r8UvbQtaH5RTVKUjlBdkhDX3c/view?usp=sharing) **Please email info@thegoodlifecentre.co.uk with a photo of your chair prior to the course so we can answer any suitability questions and advise if your chair is suitable**. We have very limited storage at the centre, so we can only store smaller pieces during the course. Please make sure the total dimensions are less than 1000mm high by 750mm wide, with a depth of 750mm. The use of tools and machinery is included. All materials will be charged at nominal rates. Some materials will not be kept in stock but can be ordered. Approved projects can be stored at the centre. We cannot offer additional time to work on your project outside of workshop times.

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-woodwork-basic-wood-joints-74/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-woodwork-basic-wood-joints-74/) ⋆⋆⋆ A beginner's course that goes straight to the heart of woodworking. This five-week evening course will focus on timeless variations of wood joints that can be used for an endless amount of woodwork projects. Develop your skills with a saw, chisel and plane so that you can measure and mark out your work, cut, fit and glue joints accurately, ensuring your woodwork is strong, durable and darn good-looking. Learn these classic wood joints while you hone your making ability, and set free your ideas for furniture, box-making and all things fabulous. During the course, you will learn the uses and advantages of each joint as you construct a framework of sample joints. This project is a classic learning method. The **half-lap joint** can be used to make frames for pictures, perimeter door frames for panel or glass doors, dust dividers in cabinets and in many other situations. Because the half-lap does not add any thickness to the pieces of wood being joined, there are virtually no limitations for using it. The **mitred half** lap is an elegant yet strong corner joint, with its diagonal cut constructed with an internal half lap, The **tee halving** is a versatile joint which is often used in internal cabinet frames and simple framing and bracing. The **half dovetail** is a very strong type of joint because of the way the ‘tails’ and ‘pins’ are shaped. This shape makes it difficult to pull the joint apart and virtually impossible when glue is added. This type of joint is used in box constructions such as draws, jewellery boxes, cabinets and other pieces of furniture where strength is required. All use of tools and materials included. Perfect for beginners.

Unless otherwise announced this is an in-person social gathering for Smalltalkers to get together and talk about Smalltalk (the Programming Language!). Everyone is welcome from the grizzled and experienced to the merely curious.

🎉 Come along to the London Scala Talks for a deep dive into functional architecture! 🎉 In this event you'll hear from David Lebl and Przemysław Pokrywka. **Agenda** 6:00pm - 🥤 Doors open. Come along and grab a drink! 6:35pm - 🗣️ Introduction 6:40pm - 🗣️ Przemysław Pokrywka: Ports and Adapters for People on Tight Schedules 7:20pm - 🍕 Intermission: Join us for some free food and drinks! Vegan and vegetarian options are provided. Let us know if you'd like something special - we'd be happy to accommodate. 7:50pm - 🗣️ David Lebl: Complexity is a Sin, But Hexagons Forgive 8:30pm - 🥤 Socialising: Grab a drink and let's discuss the talks. 9:00pm - 🍻 Join us in a pub to discuss the talks! 🌐 **This event will not have a live stream** We hope to see you there in person. **🗣️ Przemysław Pokrywka: Ports and Adapters for People on Tight Schedules** Focus on software architecture is not always associated with pragmatism in common perception. Terms such as architecture astronautics and the ivory tower stereotype highlight the perceived disconnect between many architects and the realities of day-to-day code maintenance. Too often, architectural patterns are applied with insufficient understanding, leading to cargo-cult adoption and increased waste in the software development process. When applied in the right context, however, certain architectural approaches can be powerful enablers. In this talk, I would like to share the story of a serverless application in which elements of the Ports and Adapters architecture made a tangible, positive difference. ⭐ Przemysław Pokrywka ⭐ Husband, dad, grandad, software engineer. Functional Scala enthusiast with imperative OOP Java background. Fan of the command line. **🗣️ David Lebl: Complexity is a Sin, But Hexagons Forgive** A visual journey from spaghetti to sanity. This talk traces how cognitive load accumulates in unconstrained codebases, how domain-driven design and bounded contexts restore order, and how hexagonal architecture provides a practical, forgiving structure for real-world systems — all laid out on a single zoomable canvas where every example links back to the bigger picture. ⭐ David Lebl ⭐ David is a software developer with a CS background and 5 years of Scala and FP experience. He leads a small team, occasionally survives his own accidental complexity, and is here to share what he learned the hard way. ———————————————————— 🗣️ Would you like to present, but are not sure how to start? Give a talk with us and you'll receive mentorship from a trained toastmaster! Get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/zv5i9eeto1BsnSwe8) and we'll get you started 🏡 Interested in hosting or supporting us? Please get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/3SX3Bm6zHqVodBaMA) and we can discuss how you can get involved. 📜 All London Scala User Group events operate under the [Scala Community Code of Conduct](https://www.scala-lang.org/conduct/). We encourage each of you to report the breach of the conduct, either anonymously through [this form](https://forms.gle/9PMMorUWgBnbk1mm6) or by contacting one of our team members. We guarantee privacy and confidentiality, as well as that we will take your report seriously and react quickly.

We’d like to invite you to the final Wytchery, before we take a break for the summer. This one will therefore be a bit special and we will be combining the things that we’ve learned over the past year into a big summer ritual and celebration. This session is intended for those who have previously attended the Wytchery. Don't worry if you haven't, as you can always join us in September. We started the Wytchery in June 2022 hoping that we could give people an experience of what it might be like to work in a group and you have all made it so much more magical than we could ever have expected. Thank you so much for coming with us, participating, contributing and creating the wonderful experience that is the Wytchery. **We are asking for a fee of £10 (+booking fee) to cover Treadwell’s overheads as well as the cost of any supplies. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early as we start promptly at 7pm.** The Wytchery is an inclusive programme of workshops for solitary witches with little or no experience working with a group. Witches can drop in and out and will gain hands-on experience raising power, working magic, trance, spells, talismans and magical tools and using these in group work. Expect to get involved –moving, making or meditating. Expect to meet people, to learn and to contribute. You will walk away with new skills – and often with something for your own practice. Note that we are not making money from the Wytchery, we hope for it to be a purely social endeavour. Our workshops are aimed at witches who have not had much, if any, experience of working within a coven or a magical working group – or even working on your own, if you are new to the craft. If you have some experience but would like to hone your skills, you would also be most welcome to join us. We find we learn new things all the time, even after years of magical practice.

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/make-a-roman-blind-95](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/make-a-roman-blind-95) ⋆⋆⋆ Suitable for beginners. Enjoyable for everyone. One-day workshop. 10am – 5pm. Drawn to the look of fashionable roman blinds but not sure how to make them yourself? Then this one day workshop is for you. From measuring the window to fixing it to the wall, experienced tutor, Ian McQueen will guide you through the tools and techniques for making bespoke and accurately fitting blinds for any room in your house. During the day, you will master the art of producing a fabulous window treatment. You will make a sample blind using a 75cm x 1-metre drop piece of fabric. We keep our workshops very small for this discipline as you will need room to spread out when you are measuring and sewing so we aren’t able to make larger samples. You can take your professional handiwork home with pride. You will learn what to buy when shopping for cords and rings and how to select a suitable fabric to bring perfection and privacy to your decor. The Goodlife Centre has a varied selection of quality fabrics for you to use.

This is a smaller version of our usual StitchUp meetings, hosted in my studio in Bloomsbury. Made for a smaller group in a more quiet setting. Tea and water, biscuits will be provided. **Welcome to StitchUp** – a welcoming social group that embraces individuals of all skill levels, providing a shared space for crafting in a social setting. **Bring your current project**, whether it's knitting, quilting, embroidery, or any other textile craft. Work on your project or piece while having a chat with us. Some people knit, some people mend or just join the conversations. If you are starting new, I’m sure we can give you tips, but generally this is not a class or workshop and you will have to bring your own materials.

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-altering-clothes-12/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-altering-clothes-12/) ⋆⋆⋆ Learn to refashion your fashion and save it from landfill. A one-day weekend workshop learning to re-love your wardrobe. Frustrated by all those simple alterations you have to take to the dry cleaner to fix? Taking up hems? Repairing a jacket lining? No, you will soon be able to tackle those jobs yourself – even if you have never used a sewing machine. Do you have a favourite shirt with a rip in it? Do you have a skirt that doesn’t quite fit anymore? In an age that encourages us to buy less clutter, learning how to keep clothes going for longer can mean more than just a tiny spot of darning. Spend the day learning to give your clothing a new lease of life and personalising them with your individual style. Bring your outgrown but loved clothes to this beginner-friendly day workshop and re-create them into something special again. Maybe things look a bit dated and could be converted to a new style or you just want to know how to turn charity shop finds into well-fitting couture. As everyone will undoubtedly bring something different to work on, you will learn and be inspired from each other’s projects too and therefore be able to go home and refashion even more items to give them a new lease of life. Expert clothesmaker Deborah Andrews will guide this small class through the day working on your individual projects. We have easy-to-use sewing machines for everyone as well as a small selection of scrap fabrics you can use as embellishments or patches. Bring any old or new materials you want to use too. **About Deborah** Deborah graduated from Camberwell College of Arts with a BA Hons in Illustration. Over the years she has developed her own practice of drawing and illustration to combine machine embroidery with digital imagery and a bit of old-school pen and paper for good measure. Her clients include The Guardian Newspapers, The Barbican, Latitude Festival, Danny Boyle’s Shuffle Festival, Vital Arts and The Big Draw. She has been teaching drawing, fashion & clothes making, and creative textiles for over 20 years. [www.deborahandrews.co.uk](http://www.deborahandrews.co.uk/)

We play on 4 courts at Richard Challoner School in New Malden. Our regulars already joined us on watsap at the time of posting this event. We are looking for more joiners of all levels! Playing with feathers shuttles and the fee is £8.5 You are encouraged to get in touch with the organiser for any details. Please note that no late cancellations are accepted (less than 24 hours) and you would still be required to cover the session fee. See you on the court!

**Bookable via our website ➡️** [https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-traditional-upholstery-evening-38/](https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-traditional-upholstery-evening-38/) ⋆⋆⋆ **KEY PROJECT: TRADITIONALLY STITCHED AND SEWN EDGED FOOTSTOOL** *All of our upholstery classes are for absolute beginners. It doesn’t matter which one you choose to take first. Each technique that is offered is part of all the processes that every upholsterer has to learn.* 6-week workshop. Thursday nights. 6:30pm – 9pm. A perfect course for a beginner. Jumpstart your knowledge of traditional upholstery skills and methods. Over six Thursday evenings, experienced upholsterers will guide you through the wonderful world of upholstery and help you build a fabulous footstool using traditional methods. You can leave your project at the centre in between classes. Before the advent of foam in the middle of the twentieth century, the only way to make wooden seats more comfortable was to build up layers using available materials. Our small fabric footstool (above) is built from layers of woven webbing, hessian, vegetable fibre, animal hair and calico and is sewn with specialist needles and stitches. Although this method is more labour-intensive than the modern method of using foam, it is much longer lasting and preferred in more expensive pieces of furniture. This is the method used in many traditional chair seats, so once learned, you can apply this method to your own projects. We provide everything for the workshop, from the wood frame to the set of natural beech wood legs that are included for you to paint or stain as you wish. Choose from our selection of top fabrics, or bring your own. You will need about a metre of fabric and you will not need it until the final class. The use of all tools and materials is included. We also have a selection of specialist upholstery tools and all the materials that we use in our workshops for sale at the Goodlife Centre for you to continue your new hobby at home. Beginners welcome. This course is run on a Thursday evening over 6 consecutive weeks. 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Do you crochet or knit? Join other fiber enthusiasts for an hour or so as we hook or need our way through projects. Do you crochet or knit? Join other fiber enthusiasts for an hour or so as we hook or needle our way through projects. Don't let being a beginner stop you! There are plentyof yarn crafts to help you on your journey of learning. Registration required.

Some projects are made with yarn. Some are made with prayer. This one is made with both. Join us for Crafting for a Cause as we create Prayer Shawls to offer comfort, encouragement, and care to people in our community. June 28 from 12:15–1:30 PM This isn’t about perfection or experience—it’s about showing up and creating something meaningful together. If you enjoy knitting or crocheting, we’d love to have your hands and talents join us. This is not a class, but patterns, information, and limited materials can be provided if needed. Never made a shawl before? You’re still invited. We’ll also have simple no-sew fleece projects available. And if crafting isn’t your thing—but prayer is—please come anyway. We’ll be praying over the projects, over the people creating them, and over every person who will one day receive one. Bring your supplies if you have them. Bring a friend if you’d like. Bring your prayers either way. If you can pray, you’re welcome. Questions? Contact jennifer@thevineva.org

For the attendees of May's program "Draft Your Own Pattern 101" This is a follow-on program for those who attended "Draft Your Own Pattern 101" in May. Please bring the skirt pattern you created and fabric to sew your new skirt. Registration required. RSVPing on Meetup does not register you with Prince William Public Libraries. To register, please [click here](https://pwcgov.libnet.info/event/15912064).

Take the mystery out of how to read a pattern. Are complicated patterns keeping your from sewing our own clothes? You are not alone! But Sara is here to take the mystery out of pattern reading. Bring along a pattern that has got you asking questions or try working with one of ours. We will decode those lines, puzzle pieces, numbers and letters in no time. Registration required. RSVPing on Meetup does not register you with Prince William Public Libraries. To register, please [click here](https://pwcgov.libnet.info/event/15912402).