What makes you want to attend a class?

[CocoapuffPuff]

Im talking about Sewing, crafting type workshops, classes, etc.

What is it that makes you decide to attend? Is it price?

I'm trying to establish a crafting and sewing group and classes, and it's getting no response at all, not even a lukewarm one.

2 hour session of Knit, Stitch and Natter, with hot drinks and biscuits. Cost is a fiver per person.

Dressmaking classes with all equipment etc provided and a qualified teacher on hand, big cutting tables, hot drinks and cake. 3 hours for £30 per person.

It's a village location with loads of parking at the building, and I've offered daytime and evening sessions.

Anything strike you as immediately off-putting? I'm really at a loss.

Should I offer specific skill classes? Master zips. Conquer the collar? Perfect hems?

What would you like offered as a class, and what would you be prepared to pay for it?

I tend to attend classes that will give me a specific outcome. Something to take home that I would enjoy. Usually workshops. Something where everything is provided and I just have to show up.

I don't tend to go to 'bring your own craft and socialise' classes. Most of my crafts aren't that portable. I can't knit, but would probably go along to a group if I could.

Would that be a standalone class, or would you consider a project that might take a few weeks to do?

I do like a nice project class, very satisfying.

I wouldn’t go to a dressmaking class because I already have all the equipment and I can do most things. I think you should aim at beginners and have a definite project - make a bag or something which gives basic skills.
I go to a knitting group, it’s in a lovely wool shop and one of the main attractions is browsing there. It’s £3 for two hours with as much tea, coffee and cake as you want. They make their money by luring in customers.

I would be interested in a class that led to a finished product. Eg make a skirt over three weeks. One hour per class. Right from the beginning, patterns, material etc

I would consider a class over a few weeks, but I'd like to know what I'm bringing home and when.

Tomorrow I'm doing a raku firing workshop. I just have to show up, they'll have everything I need, and I know what I'm taking home.

Your first one conjures up images of the Shredded Wheat Nanas. I like project workshops where I learn a new skill. It would have to be late evenings though or weekends otherwise I can't get there (both DH and I have FT jobs and two young children, plus animals etc, which makes life very full on, and frankly if I were to inconvenience the family for a craft, it would have to be pretty special). Depends on who you are trying to attract to your events tbh. Seasonal workshops always seem to do well, in terms of a project

Maybe a short taster session for a small cost.

The knit stitch and natter sounds like it is a knitting group rather than learning anything it can come across like you are paying a fiver for a cup of tea and a biscuit. I have no idea if I would get on with the other people or not and my local library holds the same for free.

Dressing making does not seem to be as popular as it was. I think the cost of material and the supplies and space needed may put people off.

What about doing a class like make your own patchwork quilt?

It's the time and location for me.

I don't want to travel too far and I can't attend during the day.

I used to go to a few until they tailed off due to lack of interest. Most were knitting for charities - baby clothes, poppies, bunting for various occasions, twiddlemuffs.

I’d be put off attending as I have no basic foundation and there’s no mention of it being a “beginner” class.

I like the previous suggestions of a three/four week project with a “open to all” ad and a specific item to take home at the end.

I'd love to go to a knit amd natter if there were one in my village! What puts me off the ones that are available is that either they are in the daytime when I'm at work, or they are a 15 minute drive away, which I cba with after work. There's one right by my work that I'd love to go to, but it's at 7pm so I'd have to hang around in town after work for ages (I live a half hour drive away). It may be practical reasons that are putting people off.

Your classes sound great tbh (though I'd only be interested in the woolly ones, not sewing!). A mix of a weekly knit & natter and occasional classes for specific skills or to make a specific project would be ideal for me.

This is great, thank you all. I think I'm trying to be all things to everyone and actually appealing to none as a result.

Excellent food for thought, thanks xxx

Christmas is coming, try a theme where the project is giftable.

I did a stamp making/book binding class once and it was great as at the end we each had two books, a set of stamps and the knowledge of how to do it at home.

For me the key point is timing, as I can never actually commit to a timeslot.

Timing is definitely an issue, we're all living such chaotic and busy lives now!

I do weekend craft workshops to complete a specific project and they are always full. I wouldn't do a knit and natter as I would be put off by going alone with my own project and would worry that everyone elses would be better than mine! The thought of sitting around introducing myself to a group doesn't appeal but what I like about the workshops I attend is, an intro by the organiser, she provides the kit, we all sit at tables and get on with it. You can chat as little or as much as you want but the aim is to complete a specific item.

The classes I go to are weekends because I work f-t and, usually, mikes away from my home!

The Education classes tend to be fully booked so I'd love classes like yours.

Tell us where you are based and perhaps someone can suggest something for your area.

Post on a local fb forum. I have seen classes advertised on my local one.

I ran paper crafting classes for twenty years.

Initially it was when card making started to really take off so after the first few weeks my classes became very popular.
I barely advertised because people were telling their friends to come along and feedback was it was a fun sociable thing to do.

I hit a point where members were leaving and I couldn't get new members to join, despite lots of advertising.
I think some people are very into whatever is fashionable or popular but once they've lost interest that's it.

The problem was then that people found it really daunting to join an established group, and potentially start a new hobby from scratch. It was maybe too overwhelming to be given a pile of equipment and materials and be told they could make whatever they liked.

At some point I realised I needed to change things around and have proper set projects where I made a card or set of cards, gave a demonstration to the whole group, and then they made the exact same thing.

This was a much more successful approach and I was booked solid with a waiting list to join. It was actually a whole lot more stressful for me though and took the fun out of the hobby.

Thanks Mayor, that's really insightful, as are all the other posts.

I'm pretty clear now where I've been going wrong, and will return to the classes that initially did well - project based.

I thought I might be able to establish a small, regular income with classes by making them a bit more "bring what you want to work on" every week, but I now realise that there's no real perceived value to that beyond a bit of company. And not everyone wants that, nor are we all comfortable with groups (I'm not) of unknown people, as clearly described by Horseracingbuddy.

This has all been incredibly helpful and I'm truly grateful for everything that has been shared.

The groups I attend are community not for profit, a contribution towards tea/coffee/room hire is fine but I wouldn't join an informal group if ultimately someone was profiting out of it. I am willing to pay for proper learning classes though if the instructor does that as an actual business and am willing to pay a lot for them.

E.g recently attended an 8 hour course split over 4 weeks to learn Brioche knitting and paid £100 in total. That was with a proper recognised pattern designer and knitting teacher though.

My knit and natter night at a local yarn store is £2 to cover tea, coffee and biscuits. Plus they give members 10% off any shop purchases so it's really me that profits out of that 😃

If we ever start building up too much money in the Coffee fund though we have a free week from time to time.

Just had a thought we have a craft charity, probs an hours drive from me for adults and older children with special needs.

That seems really popular and they have lots of various crafts on each day, not sure how it's funded though.

I'll go away and Google and see if I can find a link if you want a nosey.

Birkhill house

Found it 😀

The dressmaking one sounds great - I would love to attend something like that (in the evenings or a weekend afternoon).
The knit and natter, not so much. I go to something similar in a community centre for free (donations for tea and coffee). I don't think people would pay £5 to work on their own projects with a bit of company and a cup of tea, but I also realise that you need to pay to hire the space. Maybe something like this would be better set up in a local cafe space - people can buy their own drinks the cafe may let you use space for free, considering they will be making money selling drinks and cake.

I am halfway through a 6 weeks beginners sewing class, I can see but haven’t done for 30 years so wanted to just relearn. Week one was get to know the machine, week 2 we made a tote bag, finishing that off tomorrow and making a pencil case, then final weeks is a skirt. Cost is 220 for two hours a week and then buy own material etc. she only has two in the class, the intermediate one is again 6 weeks but you can make what you want and she will help so extending the beginners

I'm just about to join a local 'stitch and bitch' (sorry that's my name for it) drop in crochet class. I do it for the social part and also there's an expert on hand in case I have an issue. I found out about it as I went to an instructional class to learn a specific technique. So I'd be joining your class of local to me!
The dressmaking class is slightly more problematic as it might work as an introduction class or maybe to learn something specific like machine embroidery. People who sew regularly like their own machine and will have the equipment at home and not want to pay £30 for chat.

To add I'd be interested in an ongoing skill class - like amigurumi toys that would take a few session to complete.

I think some craft hobbies are better shared in a group and others can be very solitary.
If it's a cold wet evening I wouldn't be bothered going out to knit and natter if I could just do my knitting at home anyway in my comfy pj's with tea and biscuits close to hand.
Unfortunately for the person running the group they've still got overheads like hall rental to pay whether three people turn up or twenty three.

With my project-based classes my ladies used to get excited about the following week's cards, because I'd give big hints, so they didn't want to actually miss the class because then they felt they were really missing out.

I managed to incorporate a new technique in every class so it wasn't just a case of "copy this exactly and that's it". Cardmaking and papercraft really lends itself to different techniques because there's new products coming out all the time.
Rare occasions where I'd have a family emergency or something and literally no time to make a project I'd take the equipment anyway but some of the ladies, despite being very capable, would sit staring into space.