We Are Finalists!!

There are some moments in business that stop you in your tracks, and receiving the email telling me that Charmingo Sews Academy has been shortlisted as a finalist for Best Start Up at the Merseyside Independent Business Awards 2026 was absolutely one of them. I have read that email more times than I care to admit, and I am still every bit as excited now as I was the moment it landed in my inbox.

The judges noted that this year saw more entries than ever before, and that the quality made compiling the shortlist genuinely difficult. To know that we stood out among so many wonderful independent businesses across Merseyside means more to me than I can properly put into words. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on the evening of Thursday 15th October, held at Rum Warehouse, Titanic Hotel, Liverpool, and I already know it is going to be a night to remember.

A Success I Am Proud to Own, and Proud to Share

Charmingo has grown from a small studio with five machines into the studio it is today, and I am incredibly proud of what has been built along the way.

None of it would be what it is without the people who have joined me since. To every member of my team, thank you does not feel like a big enough word. You have taught with patience and warmth, welcomed learners through the door with genuine kindness, and helped carry this academy forward into what it is today.

To every learner who has trusted us with their sewing journey, whether that was your very first stitch or your fiftieth garment, thank you for being part of this too. Every course you booked, every skill you built, every piece of feedback you shared, all of it has played its part in shaping Charmingo into what it is today.

Now, For Something Rather Exciting

Because this occasion deserves marking properly, I have decided that I am going to make my own evening dress to wear to the awards ceremony. If there was ever a fitting way for a sewing academy founder to celebrate a night like this, surely it is standing there in something made with my own two hands.

I have already made my first big decision, the fabric. I have chosen a gorgeous emerald green satin, rich and fluid, paired with a stunning sequin mesh to layer over the top. The combination is exactly the kind of drama I wanted for the evening, elegant but with a little sparkle for good measure.

A beautiful thick satin lining to go under this stunning dark green stem floral tulle.

I have not settled on the final design just yet, and I am rather enjoying sitting with that uncertainty for now. I am leaning towards working the dress through draping, building the shape directly on the stand rather than starting from a flat pattern. There is something wonderfully honest about draping, you get to see and feel how a fabric wants to move and fall before a single seam is sewn, and for a fabric as special as this one, I think it deserves that process.

Following the Journey

I will be documenting the entire making process on our social media as it happens, from those first pins on the stand right through to the final fitting before the ceremony itself. If you have ever wondered what goes into creating an evening gown from scratch, or you simply enjoy watching a project come together stitch by stitch, I would love for you to follow along. There will be highs, there will almost certainly be a wobble or two along the way, and I intend to share it honestly rather than only the polished moments.

For me, this dress is about far more than having something nice to wear on the night. It is a chance to put into practice everything this academy stands for, that with the right skills, the right equipment and a bit of confidence, you really can create something extraordinary with your own hands. If our learners can walk away from a course feeling that way about their own work, then making my own gown for this occasion feels like the most fitting way I could possibly celebrate what we have built together.

What This Nomination Means Going Forward

Being recognised as a finalist is not the end of a chapter, it feels far more like confirmation that we are exactly where we should be at the start of the next one. Charmingo Sews began as a small idea, and it has grown into something that is genuinely reshaping what sewing education looks like in this city. There is still so much more we want to build, and having this kind of recognition along the way is a wonderful reminder that the direction we are heading in is the right one.

Is is an absolute dream being named among such a strong shortlist of independent businesses. Merseyside is home to so many brilliant independent businesses, each with their own story of hard work and determination behind the scenes, and to be considered among them is something I will hold onto for a long time.

I cannot wait to celebrate this, and I cannot wait to share this next part of the journey, dress and all, with all of you. There is a real joy in building something from the ground up alongside people who care about it as much as you do, and moments like this one make every early morning and late evening feel entirely worth it.

Thank you for being part of the Charmingo story so far. Here is to the next chapter.

Charmaine Founder, Charmingo Sews Academy