Repair Cafe Blog

Denim Jeans and offcuts make over

We collaborated to make this refashioned maxi skirt and waistcoat. They started life as discarded pairs of jeans. These jeans were rescued and transformed using fabric remnants and offcuts into a beautiful skirt and waistcoat. We took scrap fabric pieces and repurposed them to construct the coloured panels of the skirt using a quilting piecing technique.…

How to Repair Broken Zips with the Piggyback Technique

Zips are an important part of our clothing and accessories. They occasionally break and we have this Zips not working, try these fixes. If the zip is totally broken like the zipper has fallen off or the zip teeth are damaged the best is to add a new zip, which is easy if you use a…

Zips not working, try these fixes

Zips are an important part of our clothing and accessories. Occasionally they break on them and at Ealing Repair Cafe we have a few techniques to get them back into working order. Below we have some suggestions for small fixes for zips. For bigger issues, you could look at our piggyback zip technique. First check…

Easy Steps to Make T-Shirt Yarn Bracelets

In a few simple steps t-shirts can make t-shirt yarn. This can make these simple plaited/braided yarn bracelets. You can also use the yarn in another project we created is t-shirt drawstring bags. This is a great way to upcycling old t-shirts and not let them just go to waste. With the t-shirt yarn, there…

Ealing Repair Café’s Impact: 2025 Achievements

We are sharing our 2025 results and impact. Since 2023 we have been recording what items we help repair and upcycling at our sessions over the year. This means at the end of the year we can see what impact we have had so here’s our 2025 results and impact. For 2025 Ealing Repair Café…

Join Ealing’s Electrical Repair Volunteer Team

Ealing Repair Café seeks volunteers with skills in small electrical repairs to help extend the life of electrical items and reduce waste. Interested individuals can contact them via email. The initiative has gained popularity and previously partnered with local events, promoting sustainability and repair culture in the community.

Ealing Repair Cafe receives The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Ealing Repair Café, a group of volunteers based in Ealing have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2025. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE. Ealing Repair Café’s primary focus is to encourage and facilitate clothes and textiles mending…

Ealing Sewing machine lessons

Looking for a sewing machine class in Ealing? We are lucky to have a selection of great sewing classes available in Ealing. There are online courses too if this would be suitable for you. Please get in touch if you have other recommendations for other lessons, please contact us or comment below. Sewing Machine Lessons…

Join Ealing’s Fabric Swap and Sale Event October 2025

De-stash your fabric drawer, find new fabric and pattern treasures, meet other sewing bees and enjoy a cuppa & cake whilst supporting West London Days for Girls charity. Come along on Sunday 19 October from 3 pm to 5.30 pm at Northfields Community Centre in Ealing for some environmentally-friendly fabric shopping and swapping. Ealing Repair…

How to Extend the Life of School Uniforms

Children’s school uniform and sports kits are a necessary (but sometimes costly) family expense. So we have put together some tips on how to keep your children wearing and using their school uniform for longer. “The Wrong Blazer 2020” report shows that parents spend an average of £337 per year on uniforms for secondary school children and…

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