A SEWING star who struggles with literacy at school but has designed and tailor-made her own clothes has a message for other youngsters who think they might be more creative than academic – ‘don’t give up’.

Ten-year-old Laura Perry is one of Dolly Sewing School’s most enthusiastic customers.

She has been coming to the school since it opened in February 2015 and loves it so much, she hands out leaflets and even celebrated her tenth birthday at the Academy Way centre with a special haberdashery cake.

In the past 14 months, Laura has made dresses, skirts and a fully-lined waistcoat for her six-year-old brother, Daniel.

Laura said it takes her a couple of weeks to make a dress and she plans to open her own boutique when she’s older.

The Barrowhall Lane Primary School pupil wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up and said: “I make toys and pillows too but I like making clothes the most.

“I like making things from brightly coloured fabrics and I found it quite easy once I started.”

But Laura’s dad, Graham, said Laura struggles with reading and writing at school.

Graham, an engineer from Great Sankey, said: “She’s always been quite artistic even though she struggles with reading, and she has really stuck at it.

“She’s very proud of the things she has made and wears them to school sometimes.”

Graham said Laura enjoys dragging him around the town to go window shopping and reading magazines to get ideas for new designs.

She is already planning to get all the qualifications she needs to study at a fashion college.

Graham said: “We got her a children’s sewing machine to start with but she out grew it quickly so now she has a proper one too.

“She chooses all her own clothes but she hasn’t started dressing me up yet.

“Dolly’s school has been great and really embraced younger sewers – they come in every Saturday to work on their projects.”

Founder of Dolly’s Sewing School, Linsey Williams, said she is incredibly proud of Laura, who is a ‘natural sewer’.

She said: “Laura is the most talented sewer, she’s picked it up so quickly.”

Laura enjoys teaching other people how to sew and hopes to start a business selling pillows and homemade toys with her friend, Xara, which they are planning to call LX Design.

When asked for her advice to other children who want to take up a creative hobby, she said: “Just don’t give up and believe in yourself, you can do it!”