Visible Mending & Creative Garment Repair with Jessamy Shay Kilcollins

This class is eligible for access rates.

Keep your clothing in rotation longer and connect more deeply with what you wear through the craft of visible mending. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to repair and rework their favorite garments using patching, darning, and embroidery to repair holes, hide stains, and add embellishment. Visible mending is an approach to garment repair that prioritizes artistry and originality over invisibility. We’ll also talk about the impact of the overconsumption of clothing on our planet, and the mental and environmental benefits of mending.

In the first part of class, students will learn about various mending tools and materials, and have the opportunity to create a practice sampler of techniques. Later, we’ll discuss how to assess damage to clothing to determine the best method of repair, and students will be able to work on one or more garments brought with them from home. Ideal garments for visible mending include knits (like sweaters, t-shirts, and wool socks) and wovens (like jeans, button up shirts, skirts and dresses). Garments made of natural fibers like cotton, wool, and linen are best, but synthetics or blends work too. Activewear and clothing made of performance fabrics are not good candidates for visible mending (think waterproof coats and spandex or lycra leggings).

This workshop is appropriate for all experience levels, including beginners.

Cost: $105; $95 for members. $5 materials fee. Access rates rates are available.

Click here for the materials list. While some materials are provided, others are needed for each registrant to bring.

Jessamy Shay Kilcollins is a textile artist, educator, and sustainable fashion designer who uses secondhand materials and handcraft processes to interrogate the roles of consumption and consumerism in modern society. Since 2022, she has taught mending and hand stitching at organizations that include Harvard Art Museums, Patagonia, the Boston and Cambridge Public Libraries, and the Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts. Jessamy holds a BFA in Fibers and a Certificate in Fashion Design from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. In January 2020, she was one of eight designers from the Northeast selected to participate in a sustainable fashion design competition called Project Upcycle, and her look was awarded second place. She currently releases collections of creatively mended and upcycled garments under the label AMENDED, and offers custom mending and upcycling services to the public. A Maine native, she splits her time between Somerville MA and Midcoast Maine.