Sweater Days Mend and Repair Workshop set for Nov. 30

The Office of Sustainability will be hosting a Mend and Repair Workshop as part of the Sweater Days campaign on Friday, Nov.30 from 3-5 p.m. in Wilson Library 270.

mend and repair workshop flyer image
Sweater Days programming involves craftivism (combining crafts and activism) to improve sustainability for people and the environment. Mending is a great craftivist skill to have in your toolbox; it decreases the money you would spend on new clothes, reduces your exposure to harmful chemicals from the textile industry, and is a fun way to change up your look!

This year, we are pleased to have three excellent teachers / craftivists from the community sharing mending and repairing skills.

Gail Cowan will be teaching merit-badge inspired, hand-embroidered patch making at the Mend and Repair workshop. She loves stitching and she loves school. Gail graduated from Fairhaven College with a degree in textiles, followed this up with a graphic design degree, and is now in a Masters of Education program at WWU. She is also the program advisor and admin for the Institute for Energy Studies. Gail began her foray into textiles and sustainability when she was five and her Auntie June helped her upcycle one of her dad’s old dress shirts into a ruffled and oh-so-fabulous apron. She believes that textiles and stitching are forms of storytelling.

Carol Berry recently retired from WWU’s office of Sustainability, and now spends her days focused on hand weaving, local fiber, and sustainable textiles. She enjoys sharing the philosophy and practice of making, mending, and repairing, and is eager to collaborate in support of a climate-beneficial regional fiber-shed in Washington's 4th corner. Carol believes that when we get personal satisfaction from things we grow, make, and care for, we consume less and live in greater balance with the planet.

Heather Seevers is a dedicated crafter with a BFA from the University of Kansas and over 18 years of experience in the fiber arts including sewing, knitting, cross-stitching, weaving, and spinning.  Heather is also a cross-stitch and knit designer whose designs draw upon her own idiosyncratic fashion sensibilities and pop culture for their inspiration. As co-owner and instructor at Northwest Yarns in downtown Bellingham, she enjoys participating the Northwest's slow fashion movement and supporting our growing regional community of both brand-new and experienced crafters.

We invite you to bring any clothing you would like to mend or alter in some way. Come and learn a new skill, help others, and perhaps create a brand new piece out of something old. We encourage you to mend your clothes instead of buying new. Don’t give up on your old garments-they can be made new again!

For more information or disability accommodations, please contact Lauren at OSConservation@wwu.edu or (360) 650-4924.