Creative Mending: Repair, Restore, Reimagine
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Discover the art of creative mending as a meaningful, eco-conscious way to repair, repurpose, and reimagine well-loved garments and textiles. In this workshop, you’ll explore the beauty and functionality of Japanese Boro-style stitching, learning how to extend the life of your favorite pieces while adding character and visual interest.
Through hands-on practice, you’ll learn foundational hand embroidery techniques, a variety of mending stitches, and multiple approaches to patching and repair. Whether you choose to work on fabric samples or bring an item in need of mending, you’ll gain practical skills you can immediately apply.
As your confidence grows, you’ll move from uncertainty to clarity—developing an intuitive understanding of how to approach each project. Along the way, you’ll discover the deep satisfaction that comes from restoring what you already own and transforming it into something both functional and uniquely expressive. In class you will create samples of mending and darning techniques and apply them to an actual garment if desired. 
Student Learning Outcomes Include:
- Become familiar with the basics of doing hand embroidery without a hoop and the many benefits of working that way.
- Discover how to create the most beautiful patterns using only the simplest stitches.
- See how valuable the skill is of making something from nothing. Repurpsoing damaged, worn, or boing old garments brings great satisfaction.
The Benefits of Developing a Regular Creative Practice:
- Hand stitching and embroidery help ease stress and anxiety as the practice is incredibly calming and restorative.
- You develop very fine motor skills.
- Embroidery is easy to take with you wherever you go, and you only need a few simple things to get started.