Book a spot now!

We have lots of crafty workshops happening over the Summer holidays, a chance to have a go at sewing your own cute plushie. There are so many to choose from, which will you try?

Book Now

Don’t forget a sibling or friend can come half price with our Second Child Discount!

Parents, no need for you to stay! Grab an hour or two to yourself while the kids have fun and learn new skills.

Book Now

Book a spot now!

We have lots of crafty workshops happening over the Summer holidays, a chance to have a go at sewing your own cute plushie. There are so many to choose from, which will you try?

Book Now

Don’t forget a sibling or friend can come half price with our Second Child Discount!

Parents, no need for you to stay! Grab an hour or two to yourself while the kids have fun and learn new skills.

Book Now

Choose from a range of Easter themed plushies, from bunnies to carrots, eggs and more!

You can get a 50% off a second child so bring along a friend or a sibling! Parents don’t need to stay so you can get an hour or two to yourself while they have fun and learn new things.

Book Now

Win a Workshop!

You can also win a space on a workshop by entering our window competition! Count how many eggs are in our window and fill in a form in our shop to be in with a chance of winning!

Happy Easter from the Make-it Happen Team and we hope to see you soon!

Book Workshops

Book Now

Don’t forget that you can get a 50% off a second child so bring along a friend or a sibling! Parents don’t need to stay so you can get an hour or two to yourself while they have fun and learn new things.

Book Now

Thank you for all the support this year, we love our customers and are so grateful when you choose to shop at our small business.

We have a fun range of workshops scheduled in for 2026, perfect for learning a new skill!

Now is a great time to treat yourself because until 31st January you will get 10% off!

No discount code needed, you’ll see the offer is already applied on our website!

Here is what is coming up:

Book Now

We also have our February Half Term Children’s Workshops available to book on our website. Our popular plushie making workshops return with lots to choose from!

Book Children's Workshops

Thank you again for all your support, have a very Merry Christmas!

We look forward to seeing you again in the New Year,

Make-it Happen Creative Team

Perfect for using up scraps you will learn how to use your machine to create a robin brooch using free motion embroidery. Don’t have a sewing machine? Don’t worry you can hire one from us for your workshop!

Robin Free Motion Embroidery Workshop
📅18th December
⏰2pm-4pm
🎟️Book through our website

Book Now

At Make-it Happen, we believe every make should bring joy, so pop in, grab some inspiration, and let’s get stitching!

✂️ What You’ll Need

You can find everything in our Hereford shop or you might have it in your stash:

Materials:

• ½ metre of festive cotton fabric (for the outer stocking)

• ½ metre of contrast fabric (for the lining or cuff)

• Iron on interfacing (for structure)

• Ribbon or trim (for hanging loop and decoration)

• Matching thread

• Optional: Pom-pom trim, lace edging, or bells for a bit of Christmas magic

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Download and Print Your Pattern

We have created a stocking pattern for you! It is designed to be printed on two A4 sheets and stuck together.
Print out these two images in A4 or download the pdf and print. Stick the two sheets together with Sellotape.

Measure and mark a 1cm seam allowance around the template.

Now cut out out your template around the seam allowance line.

Download PDF

2. Cut Out Your Fabric

You’ll need:

• 2 pieces from your outer fabric (one mirrored)

• 2 pieces from your lining fabric (one mirrored)

• Iron on Interfacing

Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the outer fabric before cutting, to give your stocking some body. Then cut your fabric using your stocking template. Add 1cm of Seam allowance.

When cutting your stocking, cut your pieces mirrored.

3. Sew the Outer and Lining

• Place your outer fabric pieces right sides together and stitch around the edge, leaving the top open.

• Repeat for your lining pieces, but leave a 10cm gap in the side seam (you’ll use this to turn the stocking right-side-out later).

4. Add the Hanging Loop

Cut a 10 - 15cm piece of ribbon or trim.
Fold it in half and pin it to the top edge of your outer stocking on the heel side, raw edges aligned. This will become your hanging loop.

5. Assemble

With the outer stocking still inside-out, place it inside the lining (right sides together). Pin around the top edge and sew all the way around the top edge.

Turn everything right-side-out through the gap in the lining.
Stitch the gap closed with a tiny slip stitch or a quick line on your machine.

Press neatly and admire your work!

6. Decorate and Embellish

Now the fun part: get creative! 🎨
Add:

• Pom-pom trim around the cuff

• Lace, rickrack, or sparkly ribbon details

• An embroidered name for that personal touch

Everything you need is right here at Make-it Happen Creative Dreams, from trims to ribbons and thread in every shade of festive cheer.

Make It Your Own

Why stop at one?
Mix and match fabrics to make unique stockings for the whole family. Try a scandi-inspired red and white, a cosy tartan and velvet, or even bright modern prints for a fun twist.

And if you’d love a little guidance (or just fancy some creative company), why not join one of our stocking sewing workshop?

For Adults: Wednesday 17th December 6-8pm

Book Now

For Children: Saturday 13th December 2-4pm

Book Now

✨ Pop in and Make It Happen!

Visit us in our Hereford shop to browse our full range of Christmas fabrics, trims, and ribbons.

Let’s make this Christmas beautifully handmade together ❤️

Looking for the perfect present for the maker in your life? We’ve put together a Gift Guide to give you some inspiration!

Fancy something on here yourself? Share with a loved one to give them some ideas!

🧵 Sewing Machine
Great for beginners & improvers ready to level up their projects.

🎁 Workshop / Sewing Lesson Voucher
A thoughtful experience gift for learning new skills and boosting confidence.

✂️ Dressmaking Scissors
A fresh pair makes all the difference for clean, precise cuts.

🌈 Fat Quarters
Perfect for stash-building and mini makes.

🏷️ Handmade Labels
For that special finishing touch on every handmade masterpiece.

📍 Pins
Simple but always needed, sewists can never have too many!

📐 Sewing Patterns
Give them a brand-new project to dive into over the holidays!

Happy shopping!

Keep making,

Make-it Happen Team

We’re excited to share our latest line-up of creative sewing workshops designed to inspire, build confidence, and help you make something you’ll love.

These sewing workshops for adults are perfect for beginners looking to get started or those wanting to brush up on their sewing skills!

✨ November & December Workshops ✨

👗 2-Hour Dressmaking Workshop

Thursday 27th November | 2–4pm
Bring along your project and get help and guidance. During this two hour session Jackie will be on hand to help you with whatever you would like to work on. Whether its starting something new or getting help on an existing project!

Book Now

👩‍🍳 Sew an Apron Workshop

Saturday 22nd November | 10am–12pm
A fun and practical project! Create your own customised apron while learning key machine-sewing skills. Ideal as a gift—or keep it for your own kitchen adventures.

Book Now

🛏️ Sew a Cushion Workshop

Saturday 29th November | 10am–12pm
Add a personal touch to your home décor with a handmade cushion. You’ll learn how to sew seams and work confidently with fabric shapes and measurements.

Book Now

🎄 Sew a Christmas Stocking Workshop

Wednesday 17th December | 6–8pm
Get festive with this seasonal sewing session! Craft your own unique Christmas stocking—perfect for gifting or hanging by the fireplace. You an choose if your stocking is a Naughty or Nice Elf Stocking!

Book Now

💖 Why Join Our Workshops?

• Friendly, supportive instruction

• Suitable for beginners - no question is silly!

• A relaxed, creative environment

📅 Ready to Book?

Secure your place now at: www.make-ithappencreativedreams.com

Spaces are limited, so book early to avoid missing out!

Thank you for being part of our creative community—we can’t wait to sew with you soon!

Comfy Cords

Autumn is Corduroy season and we have a lovely range of soft new cords and needle cords for you! Perfect for dresses, skirts, pinafores or comfy trousers.

Festive Velvets

Ooh these are pretty and perfect for your Christmas makes, these crushed velvets would make beautiful Christmas stockings!

Christmas Cottons

Check out our cute Christmas Polycottons! Perfect for Christmas makes and crafts and more. Perhaps you could make some reusable fabric gift bags or a fabric bow for your gifts?

Cosy Knits

We love ordering new wools and patterns from King Cole! They do a fantastic range, with beautiful colours and textures. Have you spotted some of there yarns on the new Game of Wool on Channel 4? We spotted their Tinsel Chunky in Episode 2! This fun sparkly yarn would be perfect for making snowmen!

Christmas Trims & Trinkets

For putting those finishing touches on your projects we have a lovely range of Christmas ribbons, trims and trinkets!

Thank you for reading and we hope something might have caught your eye! Come and have a look in our shop to see all of the Christmas and Seasonal goodies we have in!

Find us at: 9 Gomond Street, Hereford, HR12DP

🌟Make-it Happen Creative Team🌟

Velvet is one of the most beautiful and intimidating fabrics you can sew with. Its rich texture, soft sheen, and timeless elegance make it perfect for garments like jackets, dresses, and eveningwear, but it also comes with unique challenges. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned sewist looking to elevate your projects, here’s everything you need to know to successfully sew with velvet

What Makes Velvet Tricky?

Velvet is a pile fabric, meaning it has short, raised fibres that give it its plush surface. This “nap” reflects light differently depending on the direction, creating that signature shimmer. However, that nap also causes:

• Slipping while sewing

• Seam puckering

• Difficulty pressing

• Visible marks from pins or irons

The key to success is preparation, precision, and patience (and maybe a glass of gin as a reward!)

🧵 Step 1: Choose the Right Type of Velvet for your project

There are many kinds of velvet, each with different weights and fibre contents:

• Silk velvet: Luxurious and drapey but very slippery.

• Cotton velvet: Easier to handle with a matte finish.

• Stretch velvet: Contains spandex for comfort and flexibility.

• Crushed velvet: Has a permanently textured surface, forgiving for beginners.

If it’s your first time, start with cotton or stretch velvet, which are easier to control. Try and choose something with a smaller pile, the deeper the pile the more the velvet will move and slip when sewing!

✂️ Step 2: Cutting Velvet Correctly

Cutting is where most velvet projects succeed or fail. It is very slippy, has a tendency to move and you need to make sure you cut it the right way round!

Tips:

1. Decide nap direction first. Run your hand over the fabric, one direction feels smooth, the other rougher. Typically, the nap runs downward for a darker colour and upward for a richer sheen.

2. Cut in a single layer. Velvet tends to shift; cutting double layers can lead to mismatched pieces.

3. Use a rotary cutter instead of scissors to avoid crushing the pile.

4. Lay the fabric pile-side down on a self-healing cutting mat or tissue paper for stability.

📍 Step 3: Pinning and Handling

Pins and velvet don’t always mix well, they can leave holes or distort the pile.

Try this instead:

• Use fabric clips or fine dressmaking pins only in seam allowances.

• Or, baste by hand before sewing, it takes time but saves frustration later.

• Always handle the fabric gently to prevent bruising the pile.

🧷 Step 4: Sewing Techniques

Here’s how to make your seams behave:

• Use a walking foot or even-feed foot, this feeds both layers of fabric evenly through your machine.

• Use a longer stitch length (around 3 mm).

• Avoid backstitching; tie off threads instead to prevent bunching.

• Sew in the direction of the nap to reduce shifting.

• Practice, practice, practice! Test your tension on scraps first, velvet can be unpredictable!

🪞 Step 5: Pressing Without Flattening

Heat and pressure can ruin velvet’s texture. Never press it directly on an ironing board.

The right way:

• Use a needle board, velvet board, or place another piece of velvet pile-side up underneath your fabric.

• Steam, don’t press. Hover your iron above and let the steam relax the fabric.

• Finger-press or use a clapper to set seams.

✨ Bonus Tips

• Finish raw edges with a zigzag stitch or overlocker as velvet frays easily (Be prepared for a messy work surface!)

• Store your fabric rolled, not folded to avoid permanent creases.

• Clean gently, most velvet prefers dry cleaning or spot cleaning.

Sewing with velvet is a true test of patience and skill but the results are worth it. The rich depth and texture of velvet make any project feel luxurious. Take your time, test techniques on scraps, and treat your fabric gently. Be prepared to mess up, it’s all part of the process! Every project is a learning curve and some fabrics take perseverance.

Let us know how you get on, we’d love to see any velvet projects you are making!

We hope this has been helpful,

Make-it Happen Creative Team

To celebrate turning five, we’re offering 50% off of our Autumn and Winter workshops, but the code ends on Friday 31st October so make sure you don’t miss out!

We have so many fun Christmas workshops coming up, so why not treat yourself to some lovely craft time. This time of year can be so hectic, having some scheduled me time is so important!

Check out our workshops timetable to see what you fancy having a go at! We have cosy crochet, arm knitting, needle felting and more!

Bring a friend and share the crafting love!

Book Now

Book Now

We have been having a lot of fun in our Autumn Workshops, check out this cute arm knitted pumpkin made last week!

Our next Adults Autumn Craft Workshop is happening this Saturday 25th October 2:30-4:30pm. Join us in making a Macrame Wall Hanging! A great chance to switch off, relax and treat yourself to some crafting time. This workshop is suitable for complete beginners and you’ll go home with a beautiful piece of art to hang on your walls!

Book Now

Don’t forget that you can get 50% off this workshop and all our Autumn/Winter workshops by using code: Happy Birthday at the checkout. This code is only valid until October 31st, so get your bookings in now for all of our upcoming workshops to get this great discount!

Get your spot!

Happy making! We hope to see you at one of our workshops soon!

Make-it Happen Creative Team

From ghosts to pumpkins to bats, we are running 6 workshops over the half term. Don’t forget we offer a 50% second child discount for siblings or friends, so get your children booked in for some creative crafting!

Book Now

As well as children’s workshops we still have plenty of adults workshops happening too! On Wednesday we have a couple of spots left for our Arm Knitted Pumpkin workshop. We will be using chunky wool to make an everlasting pumpkin you can use year after year! Don’t forget that you can get 50% off this workshop and all our Autumn/Winter workshops by using code: Happy Birthday at the checkout.

Get your spot!

Happy making! We hope to see you at one of our workshops soon!

Make-it Happen Creative Team

Book Now

On Wednesday it will also be 5 years since we opened our shop and to celebrate our Birthday we are giving you a 50% discount on our workshops!

Thank you to you all for a wonderful 5 years! We can’t wait to see what the next 5 bring!

If you fancy some Autumn crafting but can’t make it to our workshops, we have a free pattern for you from our lovely wool suppliers King Cole.

They have this cute crochet pumpkin pattern for FREE on their website! We thought we’d share for any keen crocheter's who would like to have a go.

Get Free Pattern

What have you been making recently? We would love to see! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram or send us an email!

Happy making!

Make-it Happen Creative Team

Next week it is our 5th Birthday! 5 whole years we will have been open and boy what a ride it has been! Opening during the pandemic was certainly an experience and we are so proud of how far we have come since 2020.

To celebrate we want to give you all a special discount code to be used on our Autumn and Winter workshops! We have a lovely range of workshops booked in, from cosy crochet to cute Christmas makes. And you lovely subscribers get 50% off! Yep, you read that right - what a discount! To get the discount enter the code Happy Birthday at the checkout.

Get 50% off Workshops

This code can be used for any of our Autumn and Winter workshops happening in October, November or December, but it is only valid until the end of October so make sure you get booked in!

Here’s what we’ve got happening:

Coming in October we have some really cosy crafts! Bring a friend and share the fun!

Book a Workshop

Thank you for being a subscriber and a loyal customer! We are so grateful for everyone’s support over the last five years!

Happy Making!

Make-it Happen Creative Team

We have some super fun Taylor Swift themed workshops happening in our studio on Wednesday 233rd July and Friday 25th July. From glitter Jars to snazzy sunglasses, have a look at what's on!

Book Now

We now offer '50% Off' with our '2nd Child Discount' should you have another child that would like to join us! Whether it's a friend or a sibling, one additional child goes half price with one full paying child to most of our children's workshops!

Can't make it next week? Don't worry we have children's craft workshops running throughout the summer. Have a look at what else is coming up!

Book Now

The summer holidays are nearly here and we have a jam packed schedule of fun for the kids! Join us for a crafty workshop and they can learn new creative skills. We have workshops in hand sewing, needle felting, machine sewing and more!

Here’s the schedule:

Book Children's Workshops

Don’t forget we offer a 50% discount on a second child! Book their spot today!

Join us for friendship bracelet making, hand sewn guitar badges, decorated sunglasses and more!

We even have an evening workshop for adults and kids. Come along for two hours of cardigan upcycling together, for a fun and relaxed joint workshop. A lovely way to spend time together!

Book Half Term Workshops

See All Workshops

Book a Workshop

We have a just a couple of spots left on some of our workshops so book now to avoid disappointment!

If you can’t make it to our Easter workshops, it won’t be long before the May half term is here! This year we have a week of Taylor Swift themed crafting fun! There are a range of workshops suitable for all ages, even one that mum or dad can come along to. Think sequins, sparkles, funky colours and more!

Check out Taylor Swift Workshops!

You can now book spaces to all of our Taylor Swift workshops on our website!

Have a lovely Easter and we hope to see you soon!

Make-it Happen Creative Team