IAP24 Sustainable Clothing: Thrifting and Alterations Workshop

Day/Time: Three Wednesdays (January 17, 24, and 31, 2024) from 12:30-2:30pm
Location: Voxel Lab (E38-391)
Instructors: Sarah Hirzel and Heidi Erickson

Minimize the fashion industry’s impact on the environment and human well-being by giving new life to textiles that hold some history. 53 million metric tons of discarded clothing are incinerated or go to landfills each year. If sent to a landfill, synthetic fabrics can take up to 200 years to break down and off put methane in the process. Extend your relationship with the articles of clothing that you already own and learn expert tips for how to thrift shop for new-to-you items in order to build a sustainable wardrobe.

This workshop will cover how to identify and evaluate the potential in garments and employ modification techniques to make them more suited to you. Learn sewing skills including how to adjust a hem line, neckline, and sleeves, as well as how to mend/repair and do basic fit alterations. Your guides will be Heidi Erickson, expert sewist and graphic designer for MIT Arts Initiatives, and Sarah Hirzel, expert thrifter and Curator of the Wiesner Student Art Gallery.

Participants should plan to source their own clothing items to modify (whether shopping second-hand or from their closet), and to do some work between sessions. Guidance on where and how to shop, sewing machine basics, and membership in Voxel Music and Arts Lab are provided as part of the class. No previous sewing experience required.