Mending: A Sewing Survival Intensive

Mending: A Sewing Survival Intensive is an immersive, hands-on sewing and repair intensive focused on low-tech, hand-based mending practices rooted in Appalachian and working-class traditions. In an era of climate instability, supply chain fragility, and disposable consumer culture, this workshop treats sewing not as a hobby, but as a survival skill—one that strengthens personal resilience, reduces dependence on industrial systems, and reconnects participants to material knowledge passed down through generations.

Participants will learn foundational hand-sewing techniques for extending the life of everyday garments and gear—without the use of machines or electricity. Skills taught will include visible and invisible mending, structural patching, basic darning, seam reinforcement, and strengthening high-stress areas on clothing and functional items such as bags, coats, tents, and workwear. Emphasis will be placed on adaptability, repair triage, and making do with limited materials.