Slow Fashion: Make and Mend

Slow fashion making and mending

Breathe new life into an old favourite, on this practical and highly creative course. You will learn how to re-imagine an item of clothing or a piece of textiles, using hand sewing, embroidery, appliqué and darning. We’ll help you develop and pursue your vision with confidence, so you can create something that is highly personal, infused with memories, and deeply embedded in the honourable folk craft tradition of making do

Course level suitable for beginners.

The tutor for this course is Sarah Elwick.

Course Description

This fun and practical course is ideal for anyone with a creative outlook, and some experience of hand sewing, who is interested in taking a sustainable approach to their own clothing. Our innovative way of working draws strongly on the twin traditions of craft and sustainability, and explores hand skills which have been passed down through the generations.

We ask you to bring along a favourite old garment or piece of textiles – perhaps a sweater you can’t bear to throw away, a child’s piece of clothing, or something that has been handed down but is never worn. If you have trimming or fabric cuttings, or anything else you would like to incorporate as embellishment, all the better!

We will introduce you to the different skills you can use, which include darning, embroidery, appliqué and patchwork. We take inspiration from examples our teacher will bring along, and together we explore how best to re-imagine each piece. It is not important if you don’t have a vision for your piece when you arrive….. half the fun will be in the creative thinking involved in re-invention! With support from our tutor, you can pursue your ideas with confidence.

By the end of the day, you will have given your garnment or textile a new lease of life. No two pieces will be the same – you might make a cushion cover, a pin cushion, or patched bag for example – but you will know that whatever you create will have an interesting story to tell.

What’s included: all teaching, threads, embroidery scissors and sewing needles.

What isn’t included: your meals, and please bring a garment or piece of textile to re-purpose, an A5 sketchbook or notebook, and pen and pencil. If you have fabric off-cuts and a mushroom darner,  please bring those along too.

This course take place on Tuesday, 6 June 2023 10.00am-4.00pm in room M50, Grand Parade Building.

This course is for over 18s only.

In addition, please note that this course is subject to a minimum number requirement of 8 students and, while we sincerely hope that the course will run as expected, the University of Brighton reserves the right to cancel the programme and/or alter the individual details of the course workshops as necessary. Such a cancellation by the University of Brighton before the first session will result in a full refund.