Office Hours
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The Dirty Deets
🪡But, what IS Office Hours?
At its simplest, it’s a way to get your sewing questions answered, troubleshoot, or receive immediate feedback from me. Just like a professor's office hours at school, this is me opening the door to my virtual studio and making myself available to you for things like:
🫨 “Why is my machine making this sound?”
🧐 ”How do I know how much fabric I will need for this pattern?”
😵 “I forgot how to thread my machine!”
🫠 “Can you help me layout this pattern?”
🥺 ”What went wrong here?”
😬 ”Any tips for sewing with silk chiffon?”It’s also a dedicated space, like a study hall, where I’ve carved out time to work on my own things and invite you to body double and make progress on your projects—whether that’s sewing-related or just doodling and vibing.
Basically, you can show up with your needs and have them met.
🪡Who is it for?
Office Hours is for adults interested in sewing and crafting, from beginners looking for guidance to experienced makers seeking feedback or resolving roadblocks. It’s for people who have specific questions, ongoing projects, or just want to enjoy some creative time with others.
Office Hours is also a protected, inclusive, and chill as fuck space because the truth is, I live in the margins, and I want a space where people like me feel comfy. So, if your body, brain, or being is not “typical” 🙄, this is the place for you 🥰. And if you’re a normie, that’s cool too—just don’t be weird about it, okay? 😜
🪡What should you expect?
Beginning: Most likely, when you log in, you’ll find me working on a project in my studio. It might just be the two of us, or there may be a community forming.
If you’ve come with a question, you will: take a number, get in line, que up ( you get the point.)Middle: As we move through the hour, you’re welcome to work on your project while you wait to chat about your questions with me. Then you can leave or hang —it's up to you. There’s no pressure to produce anything or chit-chat, but if you’re looking for community and a time to create, it will be there for you.
End: The hope is to leave Office Hours feeling good, whether that’s because you took time to make something or you’re leaving feeling unstuck and inspired. It’s very important to me to offer the most accurate information, and after 20 years of sewing and 10 years of teaching, I feel I’ve hammered out most of the typical issues. However, if there’s something I need more time to think about or look into, I’ll follow up with you after Office Hours.
🪡What Office Hours is NOT:
Now, this part is really important—Office Hours is NOT a ploy 🪤 to leave you wanting more or push you to spend money on a private lesson or book a class. I promise to never attempt to sell to you in a sneaky way—that shit grosses me out too! HOWEVER, I want to make this very clear: there may be times when your question is complex, or you need more help than Office Hours can provide. In this case, if we both think it would be best, you can book some time, either in person or virtually, for a 1:1 private lesson.
Office Hours isn’t a time for you to flex, feel like you have to be an expert, or shame yourself for making a “silly mistake,” asking a stupid question, or (insert your favorite self-deprecation here). In fact, it’s the opposite—learning, trying, making mistakes, and learning, trying, making mistakes again is the only way to reach whatever standard you’ve set for yourself 🌱.
🪡Why am I (Hillary) doing this?
So often, students leave my classes eager for more support but find themselves alone at home, navigating the confusing (and sometimes misleading) information available online. Sometimes, my private lesson students get stuck between sessions, needing *just one question* answered to finish their garment. And regularly, my community is looking to spend time together making things. I want to provide a way to support these creative journeys so we can keep moving and making 🤸.
Now, I highly value and recognize the impact of in-person learning, creating, and connection; in fact, my hope is to eventually open my own studio where I can facilitate hands-on workshops and foster community engagement🌈. Until then, I want to meet people where they are by offering this accessible virtual space.
📝Okay cool, what do you need to do now?
If we’ve work together skip to step 2. If we’ve NEVER worked together take a moment to fill out this quick Office Hours Intake Form .. If you’re like, “ugh a forrrrrrrm😑,” I know, I know, but this is the easiest way for me to get best idea of who will be there and what you’ll need from me.
Click the button below to join!
What if you want specialized 1:1 support?
If you want to book a private lesson👯♀️, fantastic! You can fill out this Private Lesson Request Form or respond to this email, and we can chat about what that will look like!
✌️That’s all for now, see you soon!
Xx Hillary