Skipped Stitches For the love of sewing….

I am located in the west end of Ottawa, ON Canada. 

I focus on repair and donation of vintage sewing machines, and in creating unique handmade items from unusual materials. Yes, two very separate hobbies but yet they are so intertwined.  

My passion for sewing started when I was about 13 and hasn’t let up since.  I love working with strange and unusual materials to create unique bags and purses.  I do throw a few other items in there (like hats) for a good measure now and again!  Click on the handmade tab to see what I make and what I currently have available for sale.  

My journey for sewing machine repair began as a passion for vintage machines.  My passion for vintage machines began with me discovering my grandmother's Singer 201 in the table I had been lugging around for years.  The beauty of that machine sparked a profound interest in the history of vintage machines and a desire to save every single one of them I could.  At first, I sought the assistance of a local sewing repair machine person to help me with some repairs, but as my addiction and my number of machines grew, I had to learn to do it myself.  

I gained most of my foundational knowledge through reading, online searches and YouTube.  At a certain point I recognized I really loved rescuing machines, and that I simply could not keep all of the machines I rescued (14 machines are enough, right??) .  I started rescuing machines with the intent to donate them to someone who needs a machine.  At that point I decided to obtain certification to work on machines so I could help save machines, but not have them remain in this house. I have obtained level 4 certification through Artizan Training- Sewing Machine Repair School- which is a UK based school and is well known in the industry for training sewing machine repair technicians.  

My focus is helping people resolve their issues, helping the community through machine donations and through supporting individuals who wish to restore their vintage machines.  If I have time and interest, I will service vintage machines and sergers for local sewists.  If I cannot help, I’m happy to refer you to a local repair and maintenance person.