As a super introverted person I know how daunting it can be to book yourself onto a class that requires leaving the house for one thing, and then putting yourself into a new situation to learn a new skill surrounded by new people.
So, I wanted to break down any fears for you here and run through the format of my in person visible mending workshops. This is based on my fave location at Millie Moon in Frome, but will always be fairly similar.
☕ Workshops always begin with a tea round and a quick introduction from me. I will never go around the room and ask you to introduce yourselves (unless you want to of course!) but I do provide name stickers for us all to wear.
🪡 I'll introduce you to the technique that we'll be covering (either sashiko or darning) and talk through the foundations of the techniques. We'll look at examples of mended clothing, the best tools and notions to help get you started and at this stage you can share the garments that you have brought in with you.
🧵 Next we'll move onto our fabric samplers. These are provided for you to practice any new stitches and techniques on instead of having to jump straight into mending your favourite clothes - no one needs that stress! Here I'll encourage you to play around with colour, with stitch patterns and most importantly with leaning in to the fact that you are trying a new skill for the first time. That needs to be celebrated!
🍰 Before we get stuck into the real mending, a quick tea and snack break is usually needed here!
👖 Finally, we can begin planning out the repairs you might choose for the clothing you have with you. Some people feel ready to jump straight into this, and others prefer a little more planning time. Whatever pace works for you is encouraged, and I'll be there to hold your hand, answer questions, provide design advice and generally cheer you on as you start mending.
As the workshop wraps up, I'll be on hand to help with anything you need to go away and keep mending, whether that's a question about which needles to buy or tips and tricks to make mending easier when you're at home.
I hope this has been helpful for anyone who has ever felt nervous to book on to an in person workshop - and please do let me know if you have any questions about the workshops, their format or anything else. Introvert or extrovert, I want everyone to feel safe and welcome in joining these workshops and learning all about visible mending."
For online workshops, the format is fairly similar - although snacks and tea will be up to you to provide! The online workshops are also often shorter, so we can omit the practice fabric and move straight into mending clothes, but again this is totally up to each person.
