Class Spotlight: Visible Mending and Darn-It! Denim Repair

Mending, and especially visible mending, has been having a moment lately. And rightly so, I think. Any time that we can repair or repurpose something that we already own it’s a win-win for everyone! It’s good for the pocket-book, it’s good for the planet, and it’s good for the spirit. Who doesn’t love the sense of accomplishment that comes with fixing something?

Do you have a pile of beloved garments with holes, tears, missing buttons, or other small flaws? Don’t we all have that pile? We have two classes coming up that will be a fun and informative way for you to get to the bottom of that pile!

A colorful, fun darned sweater.

Visible mending is an inspiring and exciting way to bring new life to beloved garments that are worn, torn or in need of repair. Instead of tossing your hole-y wool socks, or that beautiful (moth-eaten) cashmere sweater, you can learn different techniques to repair and customize these items. This is the perfect way to give your garments new life, and create a unique story, while also keeping textiles out of the garbage stream. You get a reinvigorated piece of clothing and you get to feel good about reducing your impact on the planet!

How cute are these mended overalls!?

Instructor Claire Beaumont will cover multiple methods of mending garments from around the world and throughout history. In this class, coming up April 28th from 11 am-2 pm, students should bring 2-3 garments in need of repair and Claire will discuss how to diagnose the best technique for repair, how to patch knit and woven fabrics, how to darn knit and woven fabrics, and Boro and Kantha inspired reinforcing styles.

These jeans can be mended! Come learn how!

Sometimes you don’t want your mend to be visible, especially when its a hole in the crotch of your favorite jeans! Darn It! Denim Repair is the perfect class to learn how to mend your jeans in a seamless, invisible way. In this class, which is on May 4th from 3 pm - 6 pm , students will explore the technique of darning on the sewing machine to reweave holes and tears in their jeans. Holes in our jeans are an opportunity to experiment with creative expression and reinforcement to extend their life. The introduction of spandex in jeans does wonders for comfort but severely cuts down the lifespan of jeans which leads to more frequent replacement - or hopefully, now, repairs!

If you want to learn more about the resistant acts of repairing, reinforcing, and remaking your clothes, one of these classes could be perfect for you!