Making & mending

The first February 2022 class at Make It Sew for grownups had five women sewing underpants. We all had slightly different reasons for wanting to learn to do this, most of which boil down to Nobody actually wants to shop for underpants. One student shared that she had recently been mending some older underpants which seems a bit shocking… but should it? I know my underwear drawer contains some that still have plenty of life, despite busted waistbands, worn seams, and small holes. Why NOT patch, re-stitch, and mend this piece of clothing, and further delay the next time I need to shop for it?

A zig-zag stitch is the only equipment required for machine sewing underpants.

If you are considering any of your wardrobe or household items that could use some care and attention, I want to suggest an upcoming class. Jessica Marquez, author of Make & Mend whose internet persona is @miniaturerhino will be with us in Lexington to share a whole lot of information about mending. The class is filling up, so if you are interested, you should sign up soon. The class is best suited to mid-weight woven fabrics or heavy jerseys (but you will learn some things to help you mend your underpants at home) and I have learned so much each time I took this class with Jessica, first in 2019 and then last summer at A Gathering of Stitches Slow Fashion retreat.

Mending work by Jessica Marquez who will be teaching at Make It Sew in April.

We are so grateful that she’s coming to Virginia and she’ll also be teaching a one-stitch sashiko —Hitomezashi— class in which you can learn how to create wonderful Sashiko style designs to adorn your clothing and textiles. Jessica will also bring with her a trunk show, so if you are not able to attend either of the classes, you should have the opportunity to buy some of her work and her extraordinary stitching supplies.