Mending and upcycling clothing

Next date: Saturday, 06 September 2025 | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM

Mending and upcycling clothing is a hands-on 3hr workshop. Participants will be guided through various mending techniques and take-home samples with a head of full ideas. You are invited to bring something that needs mending as well as fabric scraps to mend with.

Participants will learn:

• Why mending matters.

• Easy and fun ways to repair and refresh your clothes including patching, darning, embroidery and upcycling.

• Basic repairs including how to sew on a button and fix a fallen hem.

No previous sewing experience necessary. All materials included, just bring along your mending for advice.

Facilitator

Leah Giblin is a clothing and textile artist, consultant, educator, author and sustainable fashion advocate working in Sydney, Australia. In 2009 she completed a degree in Production Crafts: Costume at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts, following a degree in Environmental Studies at the University of NSW. Leah has worked in various costume roles for the film and television industry since 2009. Her clothing label, Day Keeper, is designed and made in Sydney, Australia. Leah currently teaches fashion and textiles at the University of NSW. Her educational focus on mending, natural dyeing and upcycling has seen her deliver workshops through museums, schools, councils, and festivals. Her book, How to Keep Your Clothes Forever, published by Harper Collins, will be released in March 2025. With a focus on sustainability and the elimination of textile waste, Leah champions care and repair. She advocates for meaningful and long-lasting relationships with our clothing.

This workshop is funded by Ku-ring-gai Council's Environmental Levy

The Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden is one of Sydney's best kept secrets, set across 123 hectares of unique urban bushland and home to two endangered ecological communities as well as 18 threatened species of flora and fauna. The Wildflower Garden is open to the public all year round and has a range of hikes, step-free walking tracks, picnic areas and heritage venue hire as well as a diverse calendar of environmental education programs.

Image credit to Bee Elton