You may have seen the white modular home, with the quilt pattern on the side, off of Riggs Road. Owner, Tori Spencer, bought the land with the unloved little house back in February 2021, with the hope of starting a sewing school. Once she and her husband had remodeled the place and built a home behind it, she began to offer classes for both children and adults.
The little house has several sewing machines and shelves that are bursting with a selection of colored fabrics and spools of thread. Although Tori says that her experience with sewing was not love at first sight. She was roped into a quilting project with her 5 sisters in law. Gradually, the creativity, partnership, and progress they made inspired a passion for the art.
Sewing would seem to be of little use in an age where new clothes and bags can be bought quickly and cheaply just about everywhere. Tori attributes the interest in this lost art as people really wanting to create something with their own two hands. In this highly manufactured and industrialized culture where many of the things we own have been made overseas, the chance to design something original and claim it has an enduring appeal.
As a result, there has been high demand and spots fill up quickly. Tori says that while the skill is useful and people discover a new creative side, she ultimately wants them to find the fun in it like she did. Her students often walk away proud of their creations and even some newly formed friendships too.
Tori offers lessons in alterations and repairs, the long arm quilt machine, project classes, and you can even bring your own projects and your personal sewing machine too. To learn more visit www.thatsewingplaceaz.com.
