Mending Stories
Mending Stories was our group's inaugural project! Our artist-led workshops provided practical and creative textile techniques to guide participants through the mending process whilst allowing for conversation, learning and creativity to take place.
Participants came to us with their beloved textile items that had become worn out or suffered damage over time. Together we restored, renewed, or recreated it in a way that honoured its personal significance.
Over the course of the project, we worked with four Birmingham based Community Hubs: Newbigin Community Trust (Bensons Community Hub), Kinmos, South Yardley Baptist Church (Your Local Pantry) and St Germaine’s.
The weeks of connecting and creating together resulted in our Sharing Day, where we showcased the project in a private showing and shared the great achievement with everyone involved!
Mending Stories Circle
The Mending Stories Circle was made up of artists who all have a passion for Textiles, the team worked to bring this project to life with their dedication!
Workshops
During our time at the community hubs we brought people together to learn new textile skills and a space to learn to mend their clothing and items.
Through hand mending processes, paired with embroidery skills, a space was created which allowed for participants to share their own skills, knowledge whilst also learning new working methods which resulted in communal conversations and togetherness.
It was a wonderful experience to be able to teach and collaborate through a space which aided in the reduction of loneliness and isolation whilst allowing people to learn, share and use their skills for sustainable processes.
Sharing Day
Sharing day was a momentous occasion where the entire team, participants from each of the hubs, members from Craftspace the whole Mending Stories Team and other members from the Arts scene in Birmingham along with friends and family came together to celebrate the culmination of the project.
It was a joyous event where we witnessed all the hard work and learning that everyone had produced as a result of their learning, working and dedication to bringing this project to life.
Stories
We are sharing some of the mending stories that our participants kindly shared with us over the course of the project.
The workshops allowed for lots of conversations to be had and from this we were able to capture some of the stories behind each of the textile items which were brought along to the workshops by the participants in hopes of restoring the items!
Each piece has a deep meaning for the owner and through the workshops we were able to bring life back into the pieces again together.
Maggie Lerman - Linen Vest
Lermans linen vest top was brought from a shop in Wales whilst shopping with a close friend who bought the same top in pink! Unfortunately, her friend passed away and in memory of their friendship Lerman wears the top as a reminder of all the good times they shared together. Lerman hopes to continue repairing it because due to its sentimental value.
Jay Azimi - Hot Water Bottle
Azimi suffers from Raynaud's syndrome which means her right hand and foot are constantly cold, this hot water bottle has been a much loved item which has been used daytime and night-time over the years which had caused the cover to become thread bare and worn down. Azimi was keen to learn basic embroidery stitches as well as mending stitches to make the repair to keep the longevity of this beautiful vintage second hand water bottle cover!
Ruth Mittar - Tia's Dad's Stripped Shirt
Mittar took on the task of Mending some beautiful patches on to Tia's fathers’ shirt. Having a range of embroidery skills, Mittar took to learning all about creative mending which inspired her to work on the shirt after seeing what we were delivering during sessions.
Shakoon Jayaswal - Woollen Coat
This black woollen coat was purchased 35 years ago in the U.S. by Jayaswal for a job interview- it later became her special occasions coat and travelled all over the world with Jayaswal from Connecticut to Japan before finding its forever home here in the UK.
Over years of wear, tear and travel the coat had become riddled with moth holes, however after Mending Stories Jayaswal said “I feel confident wearing it and there for I treasure it. I'm so happy to have had a chance to mend and continue wearing it”.
Donna Norford - Repurposed Pin Pot
Norford makes her own clothing and wanted a place to store her pins. This lead to her repurposing an old candle tin given as a gift into a pin pot and pin cushion during the workshops.
Deidre Figureido - Linen Peg Bag
Figureido's much loved peg bag, which was bought a long time ago from an artist at the Chelsea craft fair.
After years of use it is still going strong however it needed a little TLC with some binding at the top and some lace patches to bring it back to life.
Simon Kereru - Favorite Jeans
Kereru visited us during our St Germain’s workshops. He was keen to learn how to mend up his favourite jeans which he had bought during university in 2017 a friend has bought the same pair as him during that trip! He loved the fit and feel of the jeans so much that mending them was the first step in fulfilling his aspirations of starting his own fashion brand- "I'm really happy with the mending kit I got to take away and start sewing with”.
Dylan Marriot - Navy Jeans
Marriot received these jeans as a gift from his mum 8 years ago. Due to the softness and the comfortable feel he wanted to mend them. Due to his love of bright colours Marriot learnt mending stitches which resulted in a very funky patch mend. Since the workshops Dylan has been inspired to learn Weave, Knitting and Seam work to continue his mending journey.
Heather Basley - Denim Jeans
Basley's jeans were very carefully and lovingly mended by her friend at the workshops. Brought from a second-hand shop in Kings Norton- as she prefers the worn-out quality of jeans- she ended up falling, causing the jeans to split. Her friend did an excellent job of fixing them and adding a new lease of life, making them much more personal.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Makers Circle would like to thank and acknowledge the following: •The whole of the Craftspace team for their support and backing during the process of setting up Makers Circle and supporting us through our first project ‘Mending Stories’. •Artist Team: Annette Ratti, Tia Parmar and Jade Durling. •Volunteer Team: Maariyah Patel and Sheena Lone. •Photographer: Hayley Salter. •The Community groups and organisations who participated and hosted ‘Mending Stories’ workshops: Kinmos, Your Local Pantry- South Yardley Methodist Church, Newbigin Community Trust, Benson Community Hub and St Germain’s Community Hub. •Celia Pym for her mentorship during the project. •Birmingham City Council for funding. •The Gap for hosting the Sharing Day.
