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 RepairContinue reading “Join Ealing’s Fabric Swap and Sale Event October 2025”
Category Archives: Repairs
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 andContinue reading “How to Extend the Life of School Uniforms”
World Kindness Day Upcycling workshop
Join Ealing Repair cafe for World Kindness day on Wednesday 13 November to help make drawstring bags from old t-shirts and denim upcycled draft excluders from jeans. No sewing experience required. We will donate items to Age UK Ealing, Ealing Soup Kitchen and South Ealing Food cupboard. This free event is funded by Ealing Council.Continue reading “World Kindness Day Upcycling workshop”
Local Ealing Fabric and Sewing supplies
When buying items for repairing and sewing it’s good to support your local high street. We are lucky to have some businesses locally to Ealing and West London that offer a great selection. Did you know that when you support a local shop it keeps more money in the local economy? When you spend a MagicContinue reading “Local Ealing Fabric and Sewing supplies “
Help develop a toolkit for clothes repair this January 2024
Looking for people who are interested in repairing clothes as part of being a sustainable consumer. Ealing Repair cafe in partnership with the RCA (Royal College of Art) to take part of clothes repair research project on Wednesday 24 January to evaluate the effectiveness of a repair toolkit and you are invited too, find outContinue reading “Help develop a toolkit for clothes repair this January 2024”
How to sew on name labels to school uniform
Our guide on to help you get those sew on name labels and badges attached to school uniform for the start of term.
Mends for Jeans
Jeans are the more hard-wearing clothes in our wardrobe and designed to last. However as we do wear them a lot, jeans still need patching usually around the crotch or knees. Here’s a few examples of how we make some almost invisible and visible mends. Rear end mend! These jeans ripped on the rear alongContinue reading “Mends for Jeans”
Setting up a Clothes Repair Group
Our guide to set up your own clothes repair cafe, giving you suggestions on what you need and how to go about setting up sessions.
Sewing needles guide
When buying hand sewing needles it’s worth investing in good quality needles and getting a variety so you have the right size and type to use for the mend you are doing. A variety pack can be a good way to get a range without a big outlay. Needle Basics Below are some useful technicalContinue reading “Sewing needles guide”
Water dissolvable patching with water soluble stabiliser
Want to do something a bit different when mending your clothes? Try covering holes to with embroidery in the shape of moths or butterflies using sulky stabilizer.
Sewing machine Servicing and Care
We get a lot of enquiries about sewing machine care and lessons. Many have a sewing machine that has been put away and not confident how to use it or its not working. So here’s some guidance and recommendations for businesses that will service your machines. We also have listed places that you can buyContinue reading “Sewing machine Servicing and Care”
Brentfords clothes repair
Brentford local mending group opening up in Hounslow. Running every last Friday of the month with volunteers at hand to help teach you how to mend your own clothes.
Cleaning your iron
Ealing Repair Cafe has a travel iron that was kindly donated for our sessions but it has gained marks on it. Yvonne, who volunteers at our sessions has a great and simple solution, paracetamol. Yvonne makes beautiful quilts and discovered this through one of her groups, as quilting can use a lot of starch onContinue reading “Cleaning your iron”
Sewing Kit Basics
Do you know your seam ripper from a needle threader? Ealing Repair café Sewing Kit basics is what you need in a basic sewing kit to start clothes repairing. If you can gather these items together, it will be easy for you to patch and darn your clothes. Take a look at our sewing mendingContinue reading “Sewing Kit Basics”
London Repair Week for Ealing Repair cafe
It’s London Repair Week and Ealing Repair cafe has been chosen as #Localrepairheros and have a few events we are helping people to learn how to mend and patch their clothes. We have put together some basic sewing kits and written up a sewing kit guide. We will be at: Friday, 18 March, 11 am – 3 pm Acton Market,Continue reading “London Repair Week for Ealing Repair cafe”
Ealing Repair Cafe 