Helly Secondhand x De Steek Repair Workshop: Woven Darning by Bronwen Jones

We hooked up with Helly Second Hand to fix your damaged woven items! This is a special collaboration between De Steek and Helly Second Hand so the workshop takes place in the middle of their store filled with beautiful vintage pieces.

During the workshop you will rid of those moth holes and start wearing your favourite items again! You will learn the woven darning technique to repair holes in clothing and textiles, and be encouraged to share stories through your garments.

You are welcome to bring a holey / thinning / stained textile. Darning is best on knitted and medium/thick woven textiles — such as a sweater, scarf, socks, blanket, soft toy…

_
We will begin by looking at some examples of visible mending and Bronwen will share a brief history of darning and its modern relevance — exploring the sentimental and environmental value of repair, and further her interest in textiles as containers of stories. We will learn some darning techniques and practice mending together. You are welcome to bring extra garments to discuss the best repair options for your beloved textiles.

_

Materials will be provided and there will be scrap fabric to practice the techniques before moving onto your own textiles/garments.

No experience necessary!

Bronwen Jones is an artist and textile repairer. She is from London and has been based in Amsterdam for the last 5 years having graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Her practice explores the relationship between bodies and garments (the stories held in their creases and the traces they leave in one another) through a variety of forms including textile techniques such as darning, crochet and weaving, in addition to sculptural and written works. Since 2021 her practice has mainly focused on repairing textiles as a way to initiate conversations around care and value, and to explore the intimate stories held in cloth. She aims to shine a light on garments as not only functional and aesthetic items, but as deeply personal and storytelling objects.