Terms and Conditions

Please read the following information about our refund and cancellation policies carefully before you book a course or workshop.

Policies for Courses

• Once you have booked a course, it is non refundable and non-transferable. Please check your schedule ahead of booking to ensure that you can attend all three classes. By submitting your payment, you accept these terms and conditions set out in our policies.
• Missed classes are not refundable or transferable, for ANY reason. We work hard to keep a small class size of six people max so you get lots of help. When you miss a session we cannot easily replace you and have often turned many people away to keep the group size small.
• Due to limited spaces, no refunds are available if you cancel your course, workshop or private lesson booking. Please make sure you double check your dates before you book your workshop.
• A friend or family member is welcome to take you place if you are unable to attend. You will need to furnish us with their name and contact details so we can register them for class, and so they can be granted access to the studio. If you send someone in your place or swap around with existing students on the course without informing us we have the right to turn the individual away. We must be notified by email if you wish to send someone in your place, and this has to be approved by us before sending someone to us.

If we cancel a Workshop or Course.

• Our workshops and courses require minimum numbers and very occasionally we will cancel a workshop or course due to low bookings.
• You will be notified 24-48 hours prior to the time of your workshop if a class doesn’t meet minimum numbers. You will be offered a full refund or a credit towards a future course or workshop. The credit is valid for twelve months from the date of the cancelled workshop.
• In the event of your teacher cancelling due to illness, you will be offered a make up class or full refund on that class. We do not accept liability for travel or other costs.
• In the event of a national emergency, pandemic, red storm warning, where the government have advised against leaving the house, we will postpone the class and re schedule the session. No refunds are given but we allow a class transfer of up to one year.

Other points to note;

• If you need to cancel your course at the last minute we will try our best to fill your space however please understand we can only offer a partial refund (less processing, admin and advertising costs) if we find someone to fill your place. If you have booked more than one space we cannot guarantee that all the spaces will be re-sold, as we advertise each space individually.
• We cannot guarantee you will finish a short or longer course with a finished piece or garment. Please bear in mind time limitations and expectations around a labour intense project you are working on.
• We are not responsible for unfinished projects during the course of the term. If a project is started too close to the term end and cannot be completed in the time allocated, it is the student’s responsibility to see it completed at his or her own convenience.
• Non enjoyment of the class is not a reason to ask for a refund. If you are unhappy with the class format, you are free to leave at any time, or discuss the matter with your tutor outside of class time.
• Please bear in mind you will be learning in a mixed abilities environment, and some people, particularly those in their first session, may require a bit more attention than you. Similarly there are times where a student is working on a more involved project and have a lot of questions, we ask that you are patient for us to come round to you and understand that we always endeavour to divide our time equally between all six students.
• Access to the studio is via two flights of stairs.  Please bear this in mind when you book your course. Unfortunately we have no lift. We also have a small cat living in the studio building. If you have any allergies this is worth considering before you book. Refunds will not be given if you arrive to find the building and studio environment is not suitable for you.
• We ask you contact us via email only for any enquiries or issues surrounding the classes. If you are late to class, missing a class, or have a question please send us an email rather than contacting us over a multiple number of different platforms. DM’s via social media, Facebook messenger etc do not count as a legitimate way of contacting us with an important message as we do not have time to check through them all prior to a class.
• We are a small business with no assistants or helpers, so, before you fire off that email/text/post/direct message/phone call, bear in mind that if we are answering emails, texts & posts, we are not making & teaching. Some days are a bit hectic but we will always answer every email/text/post as soon as we can.
• Please keep all conversations including phone conversations WITHIN our sewing room. The landlady has asked we keep volume levels to a minimum outside of our classroom and along the hallways. Stepping outside class and having a loud phone conversation is unfair to the artists we share the space with. We have no soundproofing in the studio, and it is an open, quiet, peaceful place of work for over 40 artists. Contain all chat and questions to our classroom, where we are happy to answer your questions.
• Please endeavour to attend your class as time efficiently as possible. We need to escort everyone along the corridor from the main door to our room and it can be disruptive to the group when people are always running late. The class starts and ends precisely on time. If you are late we are unable to stay longer at the end of session. We understand time flies in class, but please do pack up on time, ask any questions and turn off your machine when instructed to within class time. There is a knock on effect to our work as a small business when we are kept behind because of delays to class finishing on time.
• You accept full liability for any injuries caused whilst in our studio. You will be dealing with dangerous machinery, hot irons, sharp objects such as scissors, rotary cutters, pins and seam rippers. Use of all of the above while in class is completely at your own risk.
• Mind your belongings when in class. Any damage or loss of property are at your own risk upon entry the studio.
• Any personal injury, within our class or the vicinity of the studio building and stairwell is completely at your own risk. Please watch your step. The studio is a beautiful old Victorian building but there is old and uneven flooring and sharp corners. We are not liable for any injury caused whilst attending the studio for class.
• We have a lovely cosy classroom for you to learn in, although we keep the class size small the room can fill up with people quite easily, please move slowly and with care around the space, especially when using the iron and be mindful of people operating the machines, take care not to knock into them or disturb them whilst operating a machine.
• All visits to the studio are by appointment only. We are part of a large private artists collective and unannounced visits are unfair to the artists. We are not always present on site as we also teach off site workshops and events. If people ring the doorbell and turn up unannounced it disturbs the artists at work, we are supposed to escort any visitors to and from out studio’s. If you are interested in seeing the studio or have questions about the class please contact us via email.
• Make note of your start date carefully. We do not send reminders. It is your responsibility to attend on the correct day at the correct time. Error with this cannot be compensated or refunded by us.
• Intermediate students please note, forgetting to bring along your project to class does not entitle you to a discount, refund or compensation. We can supply you with some fabric to make up a small project in class if you have forgotten your work.
• For your first three sessions, threads and materials to make your first project are supplied. Beyond that it is up to you to source and buy all patterns, notions, requirements of your pattern eg buttons zips, pattern paper, interfacing, fabric and most importantly thread that matches your fabric. The onus is not on us to supply thread in every colour as this is very costly per student. Thread is supplied for the first three classes after that please purchase your own.
• Please do not take our bobbins home with you even if you filled it up with thread. We need them for class, and we purchase the exact ones required for our machines. When you take our bobbins and force them to work in your machine, you damage our bobbin and your machine. It is also wasteful and costly for us to constantly buy these when they are specifically for use in our machines. As an aside, best practice is to look at your manual and purchase the exact bobbin for your machine. Most people are forcing the wrong bobbin type in their machines. They are NOT all the same!!
• Classes won’t run on Bank holidays. Please take that into account and make note of your dates when booking.
• You will receive an email with directions a few days prior to class if you are new student. Make sure you have whitelisted our email address, hello@thecityseamstress.com
• Please be mindful or your session time. You have booked a class that is two hours long so please bear in mind our sessions start and finish promptly and on time. We know it is difficult to stop sewing when you are in the zone but please be respectful of our time management and finish your class promptly…no exceptions. If you are struggling to complete a project we advise you book a private session or another class. We work to a very busy schedule, when your class time has expired, please power off your machine and conclude your session.
• Please keep your questions during session time, if you are particularly weighed down with a demanding project or deadline we welcome you arriving to your class 15 min early to to discuss and have adequate time to arrive and set up.
• We operate a strict time policy and it is necessary to block out and manage our time in such a way that sessions running overtime cannot and will not be facilitated.
• You are not insured to operate machinery on our premises outside of your allocated class time. Please tidy up and power down your machines during this time as we are not responsible for any injury outside of your session.

Thank you so much for your support.