Welcome to the Visible Mending Workshop

I’ve been sewing probably all my life, mending clothes, making my own. I started sewing full time ten years ago and opened Laura’s Shop in 2019. Here I make custom clothing for women out of natural fibres, mostly linen. I give each person who buys clothing from me lifetime repairs on all their purchases. I take care of their stains, repairs and alterations. That way their clothes have a long life. Last year I became hearing impaired but over the months I am able to function well by reading lips. A group can be challenging as everyone is talking. I just need you to remember if you need to ask me a question to just make sure I am looking at you. My sister waves at me all the time to get my attention and that works great.

I am a great believer in learning through projects. Visible mending is such a heartfelt way to keep your favourite pieces of clothing and have them tell a story at the same time. A piece of clothing mended over and over again adds tremendous value to it, value to you. Imagine having your clothes tell the story of how and why you wear something. How and why you chose this piece for yourself. Slowing down and consciously selecting good pieces of clothing to last rather than toss away at the first sign of wear.

I know it is hard to wear something that has a stain or a hole in it. It is hard to look at it and wear it in this condition. So let’s mend those holes and stains and add another layer to your wardrobe.

What is visible mending? It is like words on a page, a story told by you and seen by others. It’s adding colour, patches and design.

Do you need to know how to sew or embroider? Not at all. We will start with the basics: how to thread a needle, make a knot, add a patch, design a pattern, and do some basic embroidery.

I love repairing clothing as it gives the piece another story, a longer story. You get to continue to wear your favourites time and time again.

These techniques can also be applied to those stains that just won’t go away.

I mend my knitted sweaters, my knitted mitts, my jeans, my linen dresses—these will all be on display to show you in person what we can do to keep our clothes from the landfills. Slow stitching is a mindful, relaxing activity to do in the evening while watching TV, listening to music, or enjoying the quiet of your home. It is not a hurried practice and brings some much-needed slow time into your life.

After you are successful, you may feel the need to mend things that don’t need mending just to make them more personally yours. Hope you can join me. Please bring items you need to repair and let’s have some fun getting it done.

The workshop includes a sewing kit for each participant: notebook, patches, needles, pins, safety pins, thread, yarn, marking pencil, and measuring tape. I will also be bringing a selection of linen scraps for you to choose from for your mending projects.

Instructor: Laura Jean Starkey
Where: Alpaca Tracks T(h)read Lightly 318 St. Lawrence Street in Merrickville
Date: April 12th
Time: 1:00 – 4:00
Workshop Fee: $85.00
(includes instruction and sewing kit)
Skill Level: Beginner

*  Classes are non-refundable and cannot be re-scheduled or transferred to another class. Our facilitators customize, purchase and prepare the materials for each participant in advance. If you would like to send someone else in your place, we will need you to provide their name and email address 24 hours before the class scheduled time. No refund for missed classes.