New sewing skills for Surf Coast

THREADS and needles will be at the centrepiece of upcoming Repair Café Surf Coast workshops, which will focus on textile repairs.

Sewing machine use and maintenance, and visible mending are the topics of the next two events that will share practical and creative skills with participants.

The Anglesea volunteer team of experienced sewers will help breathe new life into old garments and save them from the bin.

The Repair Café said Australia is the second-highest consumer of textiles in the world behind the USA, with 6000 kilograms going to landfill every 10 minutes, and it wants to provide locals with skills they need to help reduce the figure.

Founding Repair Café member Julie Stevens is among the volunteer sewers who will share her experience as part of the workshops, which have included sewing “boomerang bags” for the Plastic Bag Free Torquay initiative and crisper bags that the café sells to help cover running costs.

“I’ve always been a crafty person and I like to be busy,” she said.

“I enjoy the like-minded community at the Repair Café and am delighted to be able to support such a good cause by using my skills to recycle and repurpose textiles by making useful items which also assist with fundraising.”

Meanwhile, potter and local arts community member Sharyn Masson will also mentor prospective menders as part of her goal to reduce landfill.

“I love mending and bringing pieces back to functionality, and my greatest satisfaction comes from teaching people how to mend their own clothes,” she said.

The sewing machine workshop is on September 11 and the visible mending event is October 2.

See the Repair Café Surf Coast Facebook page to sign up and for more details.