Sew Sustainable : Jean Repair Workshop

Teaching life skills that help promote a more sustainable lifestyle is the mission behind the Sew Sustainable workshops here at UTA Libraries. The latest workshop, held Thursday, February 9, taught how to repair jeans using a sewing machine. 

Grace Backus, a library specialist, stated that learning how to sew can help people save money and make their clothes last a little bit longer.  

“College students struggle with money and Sew Sustainable is great because it teaches you how to keep a wardrobe and maintain it longer instead of having to go out and buy new clothing,” Grace said. “Not only is it better for the environment, but it is also better for your wallet.” 

Grace took the class through each step of the process of how to mend a hole in a pair of jeans. The first step was to iron a patch on the inside of the jeans so that it was not visible from the outside. Once the patch was cooled, a sewing machine was used to sew matching thread along the grain of the existing fabric, so it blended in seamlessly. 

Oscar Cervamtes, an Electrical Engineering major, came out to the workshop with the desire to learn a new skill. 

“I wanted to learn how to sew because my mom sews. She does not have a machine at home to teach, so I thought I might as well learn here,” Oscar said. “I saw that you all had machines, and I looked it up on the UTA website, and that is really what made me interested.” 

Oscar stated he hopes that by acquiring this new skill, he can learn to make his own clothing and try his hand at embroidery. He shared that learning something new is a great way to challenge yourself and the Sew Sustainable workshop provides that opportunity. 

To find out about the future Sew Sustainable workshops go to the UTA Libraries website at https://libraries.uta.edu or on its social media pages on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.