Planet Aid Thrift Store partnered with G Street Fabrics to bring a free sewing class event in-store, on Sunday, November 10. Reservations filled up quickly before eventually being increased by popular demand.
The beginner class was offered as a sustainable solution to provide a platform to promote repair, repurposing, and upcycling with an introduction to basic D-I-Y sewing methods. Fixing a button or hemming an unhemmed pant leg goes a long way in extending the life of clothing. It also goes a long way in the effort to keep usable clothes out of landfills.
Saba Tshibaka, Creative Director of Outreach and Education at G Street Fabrics, taught the lecture-style class about the fundamentals of sewing. She also teaches 25 classes a month at G Street Fabrics. She noted that one of the exciting aspects of the partnership with Planet Aid Thrift Store was teaching people how to take the clothes they get from the store, alter them, and keep them in their closets.
Tshibaka is a self-taught seamstress and designer. She shared her passion for thrifting and how she learned to sew during the pandemic.
The class was extremely accessible for the varying skill levels. Tshibaka highlighted parts of the sewing machine, useful supplies for prepping fabrics, types of threads, stitches, and more. In addition, she relayed the usefulness of thrifted clothing for repairs and alterations. (Learn some of her styling tips to update and refresh an outfit.)
Class attendees were highly engaged and asked questions throughout the presentation. After the class, longtime G Street Fabrics customer, Pamela Levine told the Planet Aid Blog that she came to the class because even though she has sewn, she is not very knowledgeable. The proud 71-year-old said it was a "fabulous opportunity to come out. I met some lovely people, and I'm feeling inspired. " She added, "I hope to come back and help with Planet Aid's efforts to make this a better world through upcycling."
Madison was one of the youngest attendees at the sewing class. Already skilled at hand sewing, she wanted to learn how to use a sewing machine to make clothes for her dolls. She explained, "Learning how to use a sewing machine would make it easier to sew because doing it by hand is a lot of work."
A teen named Zoe emphasized her reason for coming to the class was to learn how to repair clothes with holes in them. She said, "It's more resourceful to wear old clothes than to put them in bags and landfills."
Each person had their reason for attending, from learning a new hobby to starting their own business. A strong emphasis was placed on sustainable options to appreciate the items in our closets and help them have the longest life possible via repair or upcycling.
Planet Aid Thrift Store is excited to be one of the many spokes in the wheel of the circular economy. It's an honor to keep clothing out of the landfill and make used clothing affordable for our customers and the surrounding community. We are even more proud to be a community resource and help our customers stretch their dollars with a simple, yet valuable, skillset like sewing.