A New Home for The Mending Circle

I’m excited to announce that after several months of café and bar hopping, The Mending Circle has been offered a home in the Community Hub, Castle Grounds, Tamworth. Thanks to the Hub’s manager, Kelly McDermid we’ll be able to meet there every other Saturday between 2-4pm from Saturday 19th November.

Set up in May 2022, The Mending Circle was established to encourage people to care and repair their clothes rather than throw them away. On average in the UK, a garment is worn only ten times before being discarded. By extending the life of clothing by just nine months we can reduce carbon emissions, water and waste by up to 30%.

There are various ways to slow down the rise of fast fashion and mending is one with so many benefits. Mending is mindful, focusing on stitching is a therapeutic activity – not to mention the friendships that can be forged mending with others. Saving our clothes saves us money; replacing fastenings, turning up a hem or stitching a seam reduces clothing purchases.

With so many ways to mend we are able to swap skills and share ideas. The Mending Café will host workshops to include sashiko stitching, visible mending and upcycling techniques. Being able to display a mend is a badge of honour, it shows we care and adds individuality to our clothing. By embracing imperfections we create our own style.

Mending is a tradition that goes back centuries and which, during the ages became a tradition passed down and eventually taught in schools. Necessity meant that clothing repair became second nature producing campaigns like Make Do & Mend during the second world war. Sadly, needlework was dropped as an educational subject decades ago and skills like darning and embroidery also fell out of fashion.

Thanks to the steady growth of the sustainable fashion market, mending is once again trending. Clothing customisation can once more be cool and reduce, reuse and recycle now also applies to our wardrobes. The problem lies in a skill shortage. More people want to pick up a needle and thread but don’t know where to begin. That’s where the Mending Circle comes in, bring along your broken zippers and split seams and we can guide you through the repair process. If you’re already a serious stitcher even better, come and help share some sewing know-how. All are welcome and age is no barrier.

We’re so grateful to The Cosy Café and The Lighthouse Bar for accommodating the Mending Circle over the past few months and to everyone who has supported it this far. As we move on to our new venue it would be great to see some more menders as The Community Hub is a superb space set in the heart of Tamworth’s beautiful Castle Grounds. It’s heart-warming to be welcomed into this wonderful environment with its excellent range of community activities and local voluntary events.

Come join us for the first Mending Circle in our new home on Saturday 19th November 2-4pm. Further information available via www.missfitcreations.com or call Debbie on 07843090684