Often I dream about having my own sewing room. A place filled with light, pile upon pile of ready-to-use vintage fabric, jars full of colourful buttons and sewing machines that don’t live in a cupboard but that are out on the counter and ready-threaded.

When I arrived at The Makery, a new creative hub for sewers, knitters and creatives in Bath, I felt like I had walked into my fantasy sewing room. It had everything I had dreamed about. Plus, some smiley people offering me coffee.

The Makery offers paid-for workshops in things like dress-making, furniture painting and upholstery and also a ‘Makery Cafe’ (Tuesdays 5.30-8.30pm & Fridays 10am-1pm, £5 per hour) where people can bring their creative projects to work on with others.

The ‘Intermediate Knicker-Making’ course was my chosen workshop and I was greeted with an array of sumptuous satins, ribbons and decorative knicker elastic.

There were also some ready-made-up knickers displayed on the table for inspiration. We were given a choice of fabric that had been pre-cut into different sizes (10, 12, 14) but other sizes were available too. Most of the fabric that was supplied was cotton and with a distinct vintage twist to it (think tiny flowers, or swirly Paisley).

I chose a nice stretchy fabric with some black trim and a rose button and set to work after Jenny, lingerie designer and course leader, had given us a demonstration in how to attach elastic in a neat and professional way. The three hours seem to fly by with a mix of sewing, chatting, drinking coffee, and digging through ribbon boxes and button jars. And by the end of it I was the proud owner of a new pair of pants!

The other attendees (three in total) all finished their projects within the workshop time and it was fun to see how different everyone’s knickers were, ranging from ruby red glam, to vintage-inspired yellow and purple.

I left the workshop, with my goodie bag and free magazine in hand, inspired to make more pants and determined to go on another Makery course, not only for the sewing but for the coffee and gossip too!

This class will be running again on September 8th, October 20th and November 24th. To read more about it and to check availability, click here.

Between the 4th June and 26th July 2010 get yourself to the Old Truman Brewery on London’s brick lane to visit the Free Range graduate art and design show.

The east end location is the perfect setting for showcasing these creative and quirky talents.

“Free Range provides up and coming art and design graduates from 45 of the UK’s top universities around the UK with their first real opportunity to engage with the general public, future client base, and potential employers, as well as making connections with each other, sparking relationships that can take them on new creative journeys”,  says Free Range Director Tamsin O’Hanlon.

The shows rotate weekly over 8 weeks and are curated by discipline:

Week one Design and Fashion, Weeks two and three Photography, Week four New Blood, Weeks five and six Art, Week seven Interiors, Week eight Mixed

The 10 year old exhibition has become a key fixture in the calander for the creative industry. So join them on the cutting edge of what’s brewing in the art world and to learn about and support the artists of the future.

To find loads of other interesting art , craft , photography or even furniture making lessons, check out the selection of creative courses on ooh.com

Take on the noses of Grasse…  The Fragrant Alchemist offers you a unique chance to create your own entirely natural perfume on a one day workshop.

They offer a fantastic workshop package – a spot of history, training in the art of smelling (they call it ‘training your nose’), and a personal perfume to take home  at the end of the day. Yes please.

This guided hiking tour of the remote coastline of Rio also caught our eye this week- an opportunity to get out there and do something genuinely rewarding and original. Hiking the car-free eco paradise, you’ll enjoy the people, food, culture and stunning scenery of the remote Rio coastline.

The balance of relaxation, adventure and cultural immersion seems to have been struck perfectly in this itinerary so we couldn’t resist rewarding the sellers with the $100 prize.

Congratulations to this week’s winners!

To be in with a chance of winning one of two $100 weekly prizes, simply register for free and start selling spaces on a class, course, trip or adventure like these! Include fantastic photos, a detailed activity description, dates and prices, and $100 could be yours.

We might just have found the way to add some “Ra Ra Ra” to your rocket with one of the latest listings on Ooh.
Two highly accomplished gardeners Tessa Allen and Jill Corrigan, who’ve been running Gardening Workshops for the last eight years, are offering a vegetable growing workshop for the 21st century.

Designed with spatially challenged gardeners in mind, this fantastic course costs £60, will teach you how to successfully grow vegetables and salad on the smallest plots and includes advice on what to grow and what to avoid.

So if you’re keen to go salad crazy this summer click here to book your space. 

Join this fantastic workshop and learn how to make your very own comic strips out of nothing more than a biro and a sheet of paper.

Comic book writer Matthew Craig runs a family orientated workshop from the Old Custard Factory in Birmingham and will make a Captain Planet out of you and yours in no time.

In his two hour workshop he will teach you how to create and draw a comic character for yourself, your friends or even your pets. You can give any situation the comic book treatment, from your latest holiday to a trip to the football.

A really unique afternoon for kids of 8yrs + that will only cost you a tenner – if you come with your kids you get in for free. To find out more and check availability, click here.

Don’t forget, if you run courses, classes, workshops and events, you can list them on Ooh.com for free. Just register and start uploading your listing. It’s that easy!

‘I’d always been into Classic cars, minis mainly, and in 1998 decided to return to college and turn my hobby into my career… I just feel that Classic cars have got a ‘soul.’ They are an important part of our social history’ he says, noting how much better it is for the environment to restore a classic than to buy a new “green car”.

None of us at Ooh would know where to start operating on a car, but Mike assures us that classic cars are comparatively accessible: ‘take some sort of course to start you off, like the ones here at Leeds, and join an online forum…just beware online of the ‘pub genius’ types who don’t actually know much at all.’

Mike’s currently restoring a Classic Mini with a 1.6 16v Honda engine in it: ‘that’s 150bhp’ Mike explains with glee. We think this sounds like duct-taping a display finishing firework to a shoebox. Mike’s been publishing the project’s progress, ‘or lack of it…’ in Practical Performance Car Magazine

We wanted to know more about the courses offered at Leeds College of Technology and Mike explains they cater for all levels of student availability, ranging from 1 day introductory courses, through ten week evening courses and 1 year diplomas. Students vary all the way through from young career starters to retirees wanting to start new projects.

‘Two ex-students are now working [for a car restoration business] in Switzerland – they both flew over to interview and were both given jobs!’ Mike tells us.

Finally, we wanted to know what it is that students find best about the courses. ‘Students usually say that it’s the little tips and nuggets of information that really form the best bits of what they take away from the course along sometimes with lifelong friends.’

Mike is keen to share his passion for Classic car restoration and would consider setting up his own courses if possible. In the mean time feel free to tap into his wealth of knowledge by emailing him here.