Stitches in time yield material savings
By Julia Sommer for Ashland.news
A small group of volunteers who call themselves RepairSO offers free sewing repairs at Bellview Grange from 9:30 a.m. to noon the fourth Monday of every month. They bring their own sewing machines in for the work, including a 1936 Singer.
Started in 2017 and initially held at Ashland’s Senior Center, the group of women joyfully repair up to two items/person. After discussing what needs to be done, people can leave their items and return later for pick-up. The volunteers stress that they do repairs, not alterations. More volunteers are needed.
RepairSO is modeled after Portland’s Repair PDX, which also offers repair of small appliances, bicycles, knife sharpening, etc. The Repair Café concept started in Amsterdam in 2009. By encouraging repair rather than replacement, waste reduction is promoted.
One man came to RepairSO at the Grange with only one shirt to his name; he took it off for a seam repair.
Another grateful man brought in a quilt for repair that had been made by his recently deceased wife.
“We can’t fix every item that comes our way, but we’ll give it our best,” says RepairSO co-founder Heidi Gottlieb. “We want to reduce waste by repairing items that might otherwise languish in a corner and then go to the landfill. We have fun collaborating with our patrons, whether it’s finding a fun contrasting button or an interesting patch that accents a hidden repair; we enjoy the creative camaraderie.”
“This project started out as an idea focused on reuse and waste reduction,” says co-founder Paulette Pratschner, “but it turns out the biggest reward for me is the service to our community. It’s really rewarding to rescue a favorite pair of hiking pants or a little kid’s bear costume.”
The reward of community service is echoed by Lola Capp, the first sewer to join the project and an avid quilter.
While the service is free, donations to RepairSO are welcome; they pay for sewing supplies and a nominal rental fee to the Grange.
Email freelance writer Julia Sommer of Ashland at [email protected].
