Sew social — Meet the people championing Ireland’s quiet craft revival

Craft clubs are making a comeback, particularly sewing bees. Deirdre McArdle joins a class to see what the buzz is all about

I was a tangled ball of nerves as I approached my very first sewing class. I have used a sewing machine before, but it was years ago, and I am a bit rusty.

Today I am joining a class at Glounthaune Community Centre, Cork, run by Joanna O’Dowd. We would be making a zippered make-up bag, a relatively simple project but with some technical elements, including inserting a zip and adding interfacing to add stiffness to the fabric.

A quiet revolution seems to be happening in the world of crafting. A growing interest among Gen Z is helping, with sewing tips videos on TikTok attracting millions of views and sewing classes in the US selling out quickly. The New York Times summed up the change recently, stating that sewing has “become cool again”.

There’s evidence that this interest is growing in Ireland, too. Sewing classes are popping up all over Irish social media. And classes like O’Dowd’s fill up fast.

The renewed interest in sewing appears to span all age groups.

“On Mondays, I run a beginner’s class, and I notice the mixture of generations at this class,” says O’Dowd. “Just this week, there was a young woman with her mom, there were a couple of women in their early 30s, and there was a mix of other age groups.”

The Glounthaune class I attend is for those who have used a sewing machine before, and the age range is also varied. I settle down as O’Dowd sets me up at my machine.

Within minutes, it’s as if I’ve been part of the group for weeks. We chat about fabric choices, sewing techniques, garments we’ve made, and as it’s Ireland, I realise that I went to secondary school with the woman sitting across from me — we haven’t seen each other in 35 years.

There’s a relaxed vibe in the room, fostered by O’Dowd, who is welcoming, knowledgeable, encouraging and funny. She’s been running classes for over five years and has formed solid connections in that time. Prices for her classes vary. Mine, which lasted three hours and included all materials, cost €40.

“What connects us is the sewing. I don’t know if you are a solicitor or a stay-at-home mom. In the class, you’re removed from all of the stresses and parts of life that exhaust us.

“The one common denominator between all of us is sewing, and we’re stripped of anything else. None of those other things matters.”

O’Dowd, who also runs monthly sewing get-togethers for those who attend or have attended her classes, called Sewcials – a nominal fee covers insurance costs.

“The idea behind sewcial is that they are for people who don’t need my classes anymore but just want to hang out. It is as much about sharing skills as it is just hanging out together, because sewing can be a little bit solitary.”

O’Dowd’s social life is stitched into her work. She has formed a close-knit group of friends born out of her classes and sewcials.

“I have a group of friends that I made within my classes. We have become close friends. A group of about 10 of us go on sewing retreats twice a year. We rent an Airbnb somewhere in the country, we just eat, drink wine, and sew for three days straight, and it’s so wholesome. It’s incredible.”

Embracing vulnerability

Fashion designer Heidi Higgins has also created a thriving sewing community around her. She currently teaches a full QQI Level 5 fashion design course in the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board. Once some students finish her course, they like to continue sewing.

Fashion designer Heidi Higgins runs sewing retreats for all levels in Laois.

“So I set up a sewing community. Some meet in Portlaoise or Stradbally Library once a week. And then once a month, I host a sewing retreat for that sewing community, and we all meet up, and we do a sewing project. I have people ringing from all over the country looking to join us.”

Like O’Dowd, she notes that those coming along to the sewing meet-ups or retreats are looking to meet like-minded people, to switch off, and learn a new skill.

Of course, learning a new skill isn’t always easy, and often you’ll need to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. But O’Dowd sees this learning curve as a good thing. “When you come to learn a new skill, you have to be a little bit vulnerable and give yourself permission to be spectacularly bad at something because you have to do that to get better. That vulnerability, I think, makes the connections in these groups a little bit more intimate.”

The social aspect

In O’Dowd’s class, as I relearn how to use a sewing machine, that intimacy isn’t long in forming. The conversations start with fabric choices and sewing tips, and naturally evolve to family life, perimenopause, getting older, all wrapped up with the humour you often find when groups of like-minded women come together.

For O’Dowd, community or connection is central to her classes, not a by-product. “There are a lot of dangers in our lives in 2026. But for me, the kind of thing that creeps very much into my 'back garden' is this disconnection that we have as a species, and people are lonely.”

According to a 2022 EU survey, is most prevalent in Ireland, with more than one in five respondents reporting feeling lonely. A 2024 Harvard report found that social connections can help people live longer and healthier lives. It points to creative clubs in particular as a way to address social disconnection.

Weekend workshops are an ideal way to connect with new people.

Today, the internet means we can do many things from the comfort of our own home — we can shop for groceries, exercise, and learn a new skill.

But O’Dowd, noting that during the covid pandemic we experienced an extreme case of home-based living, believes “people are getting a little tired of the comfort of their own homes”.

The pandemic also reminded us that our need to socialise is fundamental.

“That’s one thing I never considered when I started these classes,” says O’Dowd. “I just wanted to share this beautiful skill that I have, this gorgeous hobby that I have. I never planned to build this community. I never planned for so many friendships that I have built.”

Higgins agrees that in-person connections are important. “Physical meet-ups have to happen. Having a WhatsApp group is lovely, but after a while, you’re like, ‘Oh, there’s another video coming through, so what’. But meeting in person is different. When I meet the girls now, we’ll all be wearing something that we made. And we’re all so proud of ourselves and each other.”

I understand that feeling of pride. At the end of my sewing class, I’ve produced a fully lined, zipped makeup bag. It’s not perfect by any means, but I’m so proud of it. Just two hours ago, this bag was a collection of fabric, zips and thread. Now it’s a functional item that I have made.

As we finish up the class, we congratulate each other on our makes — the feel-good factor leaving the classroom is palpable.

“When you complete something that you have created with your own two hands from nothing but a flat piece of fabric, you are getting the same dopamine release as you do when you work out,” says O’Dowd. “That sense of achievement is wonderful, and it’s very primal as well.”