Handmade creations start at Sewing World in St. John’s

As the largest Janome dealer in Newfoundland, Sewing World stocks dozens of different sewing machines and sergers as well as fabric and notions. - Photo Contributed.

When the pandemic hit St. John’s, Ed Walsh figured business would be slow and he’d have plenty of time to tidy up displays and do repairs.

The owner of Sewing World on Hamlyn Road has been in the industry for 45 years and not much surprises him anymore, but suddenly sewing machines and fabric were in high demand as customers were seized with the urge to create.

“People had a lot of spare time on their hands, and they wanted to sew. We’d never seen anything like it,” says Ed, who quickly introduced curbside pick-up so customers could get the items they needed. “I was so busy, I was starting my day at 5 a.m. and going until 8 p.m. to keep up with orders.”

Available at Sewing World in St. John’s, the Janome Skyline 5 has a spacious bed provides room for larger quilting and home decor projects, along with convenient features like an automatic thread-cutter and memorized needle up/down.

Local stitchers have kept creating steadily through the summer and fall, making everything from face masks to quilts, and now Sewing World is also busy with holiday sales as people wrap up the gift of creativity.

As the largest Janome dealer in Newfoundland, Sewing World stocks dozens of different sewing machines and sergers — all selected because of their high quality and handy features, like long-arm openings and automatic threading.

Available at Sewing World in St. John’s, the Janome M7 Continental boasts the largest sewing area in the industry, as well as a 7” high-definition colour touch screen.

“Sometimes people shop online because they don’t think something is available locally, but just give us a call or drop in to see what we have. I’m sure we’ll have something that will suit your needs,” says Ed. “You’ll probably find our prices are just as good — or better — than shopping online. We’ve got a lot to offer.”

The shop is also home to several thousands bolts of fabric, and it’s all 100 per cent cotton — something Ed says is critical for quilters, especially, but also popular for sewing face masks.

Whether a person’s looking for fabric, quilting supplies, a new sewing machine, or servicing for an older machine, there’s always someone popping into Sewing World — except not everybody calls it that.

Available at Sewing World in St. John’s, the Janome 3160QDC is a sewing machine made with quilters in mind. Features include 60 stitches (including one-step buttonholes), memorized needle up/down, one-hand needle threader, and lock stitch button.

“Sometimes a person will ask their friend where to buy a sewing machine, and they’ll just say ‘Go to Ed’s place,” says Ed. “So I’ve had new customers come in and say ‘I’ve been driving around all day looking for a store called Ed’s Place.’”

Sewing World is located at 52 Hamlyn Rd. in St. John’s — open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Visit www.sewingworldnl.com, email [email protected] or call (709) 747-4100.