CLEVELAND, May 4 – Stitch Cleveland, a combination workshop and studio space, opens June 1, 2007 in Lakewood, Ohio. Offering classes in everything from sewing and knitting to fashion illustration, the company’s three partners looked beyond northeast Ohio for inspiration. Stitch Cleveland lists among its influences New York City’s Make Workshop, Boston’s Spark Craft Studios, and San Francisco’s Stitch Lounge, as well as creativity-focused events such as Maker Faire, Bazaar Bizarre and Swap-O-Rama-Rama.
Partner Shannon Okey is the author of several books, among them the bestselling Knitgrrl series, as well as a columnist for knit.1 magazine, and a frequent guest on shows such as Knitty Gritty, Uncommon Threads and Crafters Coast to Coast. She comments: “Studio spaces like ours are popular thanks to the Stitch and Bitch effect – you’re more likely to work on a project if you’ve got like-minded friends there to cheer you on.”
“We want crafty Clevelanders to try new things. Many of my past students put off learning how to sew because they were anxious. At Stitch Cleveland, we want to give them not only a push to succeed but also a cushion to fall back on if they need one,” says partner Megan Engelmann, a former education director for Jo-Ann Fabrics.
Engelmann and Okey met over pillows, in fact. While writing her ninth book, Okey had unexpected surgery. She hired Engelmann, then a Kent State fashion student, to help sew several pillow designs, not knowing she was the daughter of Stitch Cleveland’s third partner, Heidi Massingill, who Okey had worked with through the Cleveland-based Original Sewing and Quilt Expo.
The mother-daughter team, plus Okey, founded Stitch Cleveland to serve as both a learning space for the community and a home base for their own design work. Okey is a knitwear designer, Engelmann a fashion designer and Massingill a couture seamstress. All three will be teaching classes and designing their respective pattern lines in the new space.
For more information, or to sign up for classes, check out stitchcleveland.com
Contact shop@stitchcleveland.com or (216) 220-4808
Source: Stitch Cleveland