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Talkin’ Turkey: Sew Your Own Centerpiece (A Two Day Class)


  • Sew Santa Barbara 4175 State Street Santa Barbara, CA, 93110 United States (map)

Talkin’ Turkey: Sew Your Own Centerpiece (A Two Day Class)

Saturday, October 25 - Sunday, October 26 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Skip the store-bought décor—this Thanksgiving, stitch up your very own show-stopping turkey! In this festive sewing class, you’ll create Tom Turkey, a fully stuffed fabric centerpiece complete with scalloped tail feathers, charming details, and even a dapper little bow tie.

Perfect for adorning your holiday table, mantel, or buffet, Tom is more than just décor—he’s a handmade keepsake that will make an appearance year after year.

In this class you’ll learn:

  • How to cut and assemble fabric pattern pieces

  • Techniques for sewing and stuffing 3D shapes

  • Adding stitched details for extra dimension

  • Finishing touches to bring personality and polish to your project

This workshop is beginner-friendly (basic machine sewing skills recommended), and by the end, you’ll leave with a turkey who’s fully stuffed, fabulously festive, and ready to steal the spotlight—no gravy required.

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

Price: $45 plus supplies

Teacher: Tim Cardy

Tim Cardy: Lifelong fiber obsessive, unapologetic thread hoarder, and the mildly overqualified founder of a handmade empire built one stitch—and one questionable impulse buy—at a time

Tim has been tangled up in thread and fiber for over 50 years—and teaching for more than 30, from kitchen tables to institutions that should’ve known better. He has racked up ribbons in everything from felting to fashion design, built Victorian costumes that could legally qualify as architecture, and once made a doll so detailed it creeped people out (that was a win, by the way).

He has even earned two advanced degrees in Historical Fashion designs and late 19th- and early 20th-century decorative handcrafts—because when you go in - go all the way!

Tim’s résumé reads like a fiber arts fever dream: yarn mills, upholstery sourcing, fashion costing at Levi-Strauss, R&D at DuPont, and textile restoration work at the Met and the V&A. Basically, he’s done it all—except take up golf ( - who has the time to chase little balls around on a giant lawn? )

Tim take fiber seriously. But himself? Not even a little. Every yarn in the shop has been hand-picked, every vendor side-eyed for quality and ethics. Whether you’re nervously knitting your first garter stitch or hiding skeins in your laundry basket—he sees you. And he approves.

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October 21

Free-Motion Quilting

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November 1

Intermediate Garment Sewing From the Top Down: Three Saturdays 1pm to 4pm