About Us

Hi! I’m Amanda Shaffer, owner and instructor here at The Studio.

A little about me and how The Studio started:

Background: I learned to sew when I was 16 from my grandma Jan (love her for ever and ever). Following, I enrolled in my high school fashion class and was HOOKED. I continued my love of sewing when I was applying for a job in our local school district, in my interview they asked me what my hobbies were, “ I like to sew”, was followed with “would you like to teach sewing in our after school program?”. What an experience, I was 18 teaching 13 and 14 year olds. This is where I developed the love for teaching and told myself sometime in the future I want to teach, but on my own terms.

Fast forward, I attended and graduated college in San Francisco, majoring in Apparel Design. Life after college brought me back to my hometown, Bakersfield, Ca. Not long after moving back I met my forever best friend and designer, Jocelyn Dimaya. She found a beautiful studio space and asked me to share it with her. We started separate clothing businesses and then I brought up the idea of running a summer camp for kids. She loved the idea. What was only intended for one summer of sewing, bloomed into now 6 years of teaching over 200 classes workshops, and private lessons to all ages. Although Jocelyn is no longer with our sewing classes (she is now the fashion teacher at Bakersfield High School; the class I took when I attended!), we are still best friends and she helps around the studio when she has free time from being a super mom, wife, and teacher.