Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to our FAQ page where you might find the answer to the burning questions you have aboutTHE SEWING ROOM, Sewing in General or trouble shooting.  No worries, however, if you don't find the answer your are looking for.  Just email Jennifer@TheSewingRoomAlameda.com and she will try and answer your questions within 24-48 hours.

How do I sign up for classes at The Sewing Room?

The easiest way to sign up for WEEKLY classes and specialty workshops, is by visiting the weekday or weekend schedule pages of our website. You can also find all the Adult classes on our Adult Sewing Page. And if you are interested in Day-long, Holiday or Summer Camps, Camp Schedule page is for you! Just Click the Register button to the right of the class description to sign up and pay for the class or classes you are interested in.

What program is the best one for me or my child?

We group our Children's programs by age and also by skill level. If your child has never sewn before, a beginning class is great. We have beginning classes on Mondays & Fridays after school and also on Saturday Afternoons.

For Teens and Adults, we first recommend you start with Machine Basics Class which will give you the fundamentals of operating your sewing machine. We do these classes once a month, on a Saturday or Sunday and you can sign up by visiting our Weekend Schedule page. We recommend that you follow up your initial lesson with a series of studio classes that run monthly on Wednesday Morning or Evening and/or Saturday Afternoons. That is a great way to apply your skills and get a project underway and/or completed.

What should I bring to class?

Bring a project to work on that includes pattern, fabric, trims and thread. But if you don't have this, we have wide variety of projects for sale in the classroom. You can see what pattern brands we offer on our Shop page. We also have plenty of machines, but you may bring your own machine if you would like to learn on your own machine.

Do you offer an alterations service?

We do NOT do alterations but we will teach you how to alter your own clothing. Check out our Classes page for available class times.

We recommend Studio Trousseau (Karen Tierney) for Custom Design and Couture work, as well as Stitches on Santa Clara Avenue in Alameda for & Mimi's Custom Design and Alteration in Downtown Oakland for all your custom design and tailoring needs. Mimi is located on 17th Avenue near Franklin and her phone # is 510-763-7777. ( Mimi is Amazing! - I sent all my Bridal Alteration Business her way after I stopped doing Bridal Alterations to rave reviews, of course)

Which sewing machines do you recommend?

As far as brands go, for beginners, I like the BABY LOCK Brand. They have many models at all different price levels. Beginning students need a strait stitch, zig zag stitch and a good buttonhole function. If you are willing to spend a little extra, then I would recommend a machine that has a speed control function. Everything else is pure bonus. In the Shop we have the Baby Lock JOY & ANNA machines. Both Models are available to purchase - JOY is the newest model and ANNA is now discontinued. We are selling our ANNA floor models at a discounted price. We have brand new JOY models. Please email Jennifer@TheSewingRoomAlamed.com or Call 510-332-9807, if you are interested.

Where can I get my Sewing Machine repaired?

Bring your machine by The Sewing Room! We will take a quick look to determine whether it is necessary to get it repaired or serviced. We find, about 90% of the time, the trouble your having has to do with USER ERROR in the way you are threading your machine or bobbin. Regular servicing is a good idea to keep your machine in good working order. We recommend you do it annually and will refer you to the Dublin Sewing Center or The Sewing Machine Shop in Walnut Creek. Both are terrific, however they only service specific brands and/or models, so call them first before heading over there.

What is the difference between Sewing Machine Repair or Service?

Sewing machine SERVICE includes, cleaning and oiling your machine inside and out as well as a general assessment of it's functionality. Servicing your machine regularly helps avoid repair later. Much like a car service (oil change) , a sewing machine service helps preserve the life of your machine.

Sewing machine REPAIR usually involves replacing certain parts or fixing the timing on the motor. This usually incurs additional costs to the service fee. Occasionally, things just break and need fixing.

What is Bonjour Teaspoon?

Bonjour Teaspoon is a product line produced locally by Sewing Room Owner, Jennifer Serr. These sewing patterns patterns and fabric/pattern kits have been developed for beginning and intermediate students. They are available at The Sewing Room or in our Etsy Shop.