Join us for a relaxed, hands-on afternoon of creativity, sustainability, and skill building at our Mending & Upcycling Workshop — open to Imperial staff, students, and members of the wider community. Whether you’re new to sewing or a confident crafter, this event offers something for everyone.
Learn practical ways to extend the life of your clothes, transform old textiles into something new, and reduce waste through a series of fun, friendly, and supportive activity stations. Come for the whole session or just pop in for a quick fix — all are welcome!
What’s Happening?
Basic Mending Station
Perfect for beginners. Learn how to give your clothes a second life by fixing hems, repairing split seams, reattaching buttons, and more — no sewing experience needed. Bring along garments that need some TLC, or practise with our provided fabric scraps.
Advanced & Visible Mending
For trickier fixes and those wanting to deepen their skills, try machine mending, denim repairs, or darning knitwear. Or instead of just fixing clothes, you can make them fabulous! Learn embroidery, creative stitching, and hand appliqué to give old clothes a unique, artistic second life. Bring along a piece of clothing that needs some love, and we’ll supply everything else.
Sewing Machine Crash Course
Learn everything you need to get started on a sewing machine from one of our experienced stitchers. You will be show the essentials such as how to thread the machine, all the way through to how to sew a straight line. After a quick demo, everyone gets time to practise on scrap fabric, build confidence, and get a feel for the machine at their own pace.
Upcycling: TShirt Yarn Crochet
Bring an old Tshirt (or a few!) and learn to transform it into yarn before crocheting a coaster or small basket, all guided and beginner-friendly.
Stash Buster Projects
Use unwanted clothing or fabric scraps to create small items such as scrunchies, reusable face cloths, headbands, or coasters. Or contribute to our Community Patchwork Project. Using scrap fabrics (yours or ours), you can help create four patchwork Imperial “I”s — one each in blue, green, orange, and purple, representing the themes of the new School of Convergence Science.
Once completed, these collaborative textile pieces will be proudly displayed in the new School office. Think of it as sewing a little piece of yourself into the School’s story.
Optional: Craft Stash Swap
Bring along sewing or crafting supplies you no longer need and exchange them for tokens to “shop” from others’ contributions.
What to Bring :
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Clothes or textiles you’d like to mend or upcycle
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Any unwanted craft/sewing supplies if joining the Stash Swap (a list of accepted items will be circulate ahead of the event)
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Old T-shirts for the yarn-making activity
If you don’t have materials, don’t worry — we’ll have a small stash of supplies available.
What We’ll Provide :
Scrap fabric, threads, elastic, embroidery floss, basic equipment (scissors, pins, needles), and a welcoming environment where you can learn, share, and create.
Relax & Craft :
Enjoy free self serve refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks, biscuits and snacks) in our cosy craft lounge area — ideal if you just want to drop in, swap materials, or join a small project.