Free Clothes Repair Workshop

Bi-monthly free mending sessions in venues across Lewisham

Have the moths made a meal of your favourite jumper? Are your jeans coming undone at the seams? Have you got an ill fitting dress in the back of the wardrobe you can't bear to part with?

Join Make Mee Studio and Lewisham Council to learn how to prolong the life of your clothes and homewares, whether it's darning a sock or patching a cushion cover we can show you how to mend and repair and bring it back to life.

What to Expect

This session is for mending and upcycling. We will not be teaching you how to sew from scratch. You must come with something to repair or you can use scraps to practice repairs but we will not be showing you how to make new items.

Feel free to bring 1 or more items but please be aware you may not be able to fix them all in one session. You can always come back to future mending sessions! They are happening twice a month all year around Lewisham.

Sessions are drop in. First come first served.

We may limit the amount of attention/workshop space each person gets to 1.5 hours if it is busy on the day. Please be courteous and make space for other menders.

Who's it for?

This course is open to makers of all levels. No previous sewing experience necessary. Simply bring along an item that needs fixing and we'll show you the rest!

Children above 7 years old are welcome to attend but they must be accompanied and assisted by an adult. 1 adult per 2 children.

No one under the age of 7 will be able to take part in the workshop or be in the designated space. (unless they are a baby in a pram or baby carrier and cannot touch dangerous equipment).

Children between 7 - 14 must be accompanied by an adult for the whole duration of the workshop.

Materials and Equipment

We have A LOT of haberdashery, zips, bits and bobs in our mending kit but we might not have everything. If you need a special part / you want a particular colour thread or special zip we recommend bringing it with you.

We will have sewing machines, irons, as well as equipment for hand sewn repairs and darning.

These sessions are free.

These workshops are organised by Lewisham Council Housing, Strategic Waste Team and Libraries. The workshops are part-funded by Lewisham Council Housing Services’ contractor Ideal Heating and we are grateful for their support. Facilitated by Lewisham based sewing social enterprise Make Mee Studio

Make Mee Studio have been running sewing classes and community focused sewing events around Lewisham for the past 8 years. They have a team of expert sewing facilitators to guide you on your sewing journey.

Why should I mend my clothes?

A lot of effort goes into making clothing and textiles. From producing from the raw materials, to the skilled hands of the garment workers who sew them. We think they should be loved, cherished and given a second chance.

It's heartbreaking when you think about the time, energy and resources that go into making our clothes and they go unworn or thrown in the bin.

Over 600,000 tonnes of clothes go into Landfill every year in the UK and 95% of that could be reused or recycled.

Did you know it costs the UK government a whooping £82 Million a year to dispose of our waste textiles.