This workshop is a part of Fibershed’s 2022 Mending Challenge Series. (Haven’t signed up for our challenge? Signup here!)

Mending is a wonderful way to practice hand-stitching and simultaneously participate in Slow Fashion. Simple stitches transform torn or distressed garments, homewares, and textiles through thoughtful repairs. Visible mending is a hand-stitching technique that inspires beautiful contemporary repairs. Katrina will lead the group in a discussion of modern mending and darning applications in visible mending and slow fashion. The class will consider the creative opportunity in repair. All mending will focus on hand-stitching, particularly woven fabrics.

This workshop will lead participants through an overview of basic stitches and repair techniques before turning to a garment that needs mending. Katrina will discuss how best to repair garments considering fabric, thread, color, utility, and more. Students will leave the workshop with various resources, a mended garment (in-progress), and a printable PDF. Basic sewing and stitching skills are required. Please note: We will focus on woven fabrics like denim, linen, cotton, silk, hemp, etc. We will not cover mending stretchy fabrics like leggings. We will discuss basic darning on knits like sweaters, socks, hats, etc. Though most of the class will focus on mending woven fabrics like denim.

When: Thursday, September 29, 10a PDT/ 1p ET

Length: 2 hours

Where: Zoom

Cost: Sliding Scale, suggested donation of $50-95

Max. Number of Participants: 20

Register HERE!

Items needed:

• Garment or textile to mend with patches of the same fiber and weight—midweight denim is best patched with a midweight denim patch, light linen is best patched with light linen patches, etc.
• Scrap fabric for stitch sampler (At least 7” square in denim or midweight cotton). This is just a sampler, it can be any fabric you already own, midweight is best.
• Thread – should, ideally, match the weight and fiber of the garment you are mending. Denim is best mended with cotton thread or embroidery floss—though I prefer 100% cotton Sashiko thread for mending midweight denim. Silk can be mended with silk thread and a silk patch; linen with linen patches and cotton or linen thread, etc.
• Needle
• Fabric scissors
• Fabric pencil
• Ruler
• Straight pins, safety pins
• Optional: Iron, ironing board, thimble, pinking shears; if you want to practice basic darning also bring a knit garment, yarn, and a darning needle.
• Optional: You might consider purchasing one of my Mending Tool Kits particularly for mending denim. Also, my books, Mending Matters (2018), or Make Thrift Mend (2021), would be great companions to this online course.

Visible Mending is an online course that will be taught live on Zoom. It will also be recorded to accommodate various time zones and the recording will be available to all registered students for 30days following the live class. The class will include a downloadable PDF that summarizes what we cover in class and supports you in creating a mended wardrobe. The class will be taught by Katrina Rodabaugh and joined by a teaching assistant to help navigate the digital classroom. Via email, you will receive a link to the Zoom classroom. After the class, you will receive a link to the class recording, the class PDF, and more.

Please note: There are NO REFUNDS for this class due to the digital nature. Thank you so much for understanding.

Register HERE!