Learn to sew and pick up some beautiful fabric to do it with all in one location.
Cut & Sew Studio and Loom Exquisite Textiles have co-located at 1747 Chislett Street in Morningside. It’s a new location for Cut & Sew Studio and a second location for Loom Exquisite Textiles, currently located in the Strip District. Although each business has a separate space and entrance, it’s possible to pass from one to the other seamlessly, so to speak, through two large openings in the wall to purchase fabric or view a sewing class in progress.
“For years, really since the beginning, people have asked me to open a fabric store,” says Catherine Batcho, owner of Cut & Sew Studio. “But I wanted to be able to fully focus on teaching. I was always a fan of Loom and we were always referring customers to each other so it made sense to team up.”
There are plenty of bolts of fabric to peruse, and large, brightly lit work stations for sewing in the 2,688-square-foot space. “It’s a modern take on a sewing bee,” says Jenny Fay, owner of Loom, referring to their soon-to-be “tricked-out” lounge space, which will be a place for parents to gather while kids attend Cut & Sew classes and camps. The lounge will also enable them to host birthday parties, date nights (“sip n sew”), and other events.
This summer Batcho is featuring a Project Runway-themed camp where students will get to work on making a design of their choice. Then they will take a shopping trip to Loom and choose fabrics for their designs. The kids participating in this camp, along with kids in patternmaking camps, will present their designs in a fashion show at the Frick Art & Historical Center at the end of the summer.
Why Morningside?
Batcho lives in the neighborhood and needed more space and amenities for her business. “The kids camps have been growing every year since I have opened.” Once the collaboration with Loom was formed, Batcho and Fay worked with the Morningside Area Community Council (MACC) to look at various locations but they both kept circling back to the prominent commercial space at the corner of Chislett and Greenwood. Forbes Management was planning to apply for a variance to convert the space to residential apartments. “The community group didn’t want to see such a prominent retail space converted to apartments,” says architect Matt Diersen, who serves as chair of the MACC Development Committee and whose company Midland Architecture provided architectural services for the project. “It was a really good fit,” says Diersen, “and it’s going to make a really big impact in the neighborhood.”
Cut & Sew Studio and Loom Exquisite Textiles will hold their grand opening celebration on June 4th from 3 to 6 p.m. with refreshments and kids activities. Loom is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can check out a full schedule of classes at Cut & Sew Studio on their website.