Textile & Electrical Repairs @ Ilkley Thingery
Hello, thanks for dropping in to find out about repair at Ilkley Thingery.
Repair @ Ilkley Thingery launched on International Repair Day 2023 (Saturday, 21 October). We initially offered textile repairs (e.g., clothes, bags, bedding, toys). We now offer electrical (for small and medium size electrical portable Things) repairs to all Ilkley Thingery members. We also offer repairs for bikes, and small pieces such as sewing boxes and other objects too.
Why Repair?
Claire Carlisle published a good read in the Ethical Consumer magazine in April this year: Upcycling, repairing & second-hand clothing | Ethical Consumer. By using our clothes longer, through repair or recycling, we can make environmental savings - if we buy fewer new Things too.
There are many reasons to repair textiles and other Things - some practical, some related to enjoyment, some to taking care of our planet and Things. I grew up in a house in which my parents repaired our Things - textiles, washing machines, toasters, furniture, fences, ornaments, cutlery, teddy bears, jugs... Repair was ordinary, it's what we did. If we could, we mended damaged or broken Things rather than throwing them away and buying bright new shiny Things. Many people share similar experiences. Perhaps partly because of my repair memories, I love mending things, darned Things, handmade Things and learning how to repair more Things. Repairs can be visible or invisible - there are many ways to mend Things.
Our First Textile Repairs @ Ilkley Thingery.
Between 21st October 2023 and 21 March 2024, I repaired 45 Textile objects. Those repairs have been a great success, including repaired seams, visible and invisible patches on clothes (for humans and other animals), bedding, bags and a much loved textile badger who needed a new tummy. It's been a real pleasure to see the Things that have been brought in.
Textiles Repairs - Email: Repair@ilkleythingery.org.
Not taking at present - if you can repair textiles and would like to volunteer to provide this service through the Thingery, please get in touch.
Electrical Repairs - Email: Repair@ilkleythingery.org.
If you have any electrical objects you'd like repairing, email me at repair@ilkleythingery.org, with the following details: what you'd like repairing, what problem's you've had with the item, any preferences for style, and what your budget is for the repair (including parts and labour).
How Much Do Repairs @ Ilkley Thingery Cost?
As a way of supporting Ilkley Thingery, textile and electrical repairs are available only to Thingery members. You can become a member to access the repair service. Details of membership and link to membership are available on this website via the following page: become-a-member.
Our repairers donate their time to repair your Things (we currently have only two repairers, one textile, one electrical). However, we ask for a financial donation in return for your repair, to support Ilkley Thingery. Suggested donations are £6-10 per hour, plus any materials that we need to buy to complete the repair. Do feel free to pay more if you can support the Thingery in that way.
Textile Donations.
If you have good pieces of material, wool, good quality threads, or sewing things that you don't want or need, contact me, Erika, at repair@ilkleythingery.org with details of what you'd like to donate; I'll let you know whether I can make use of them. I'm hoping to begin the repair workshops again this year.
More Information, News and Links - Coming Soon!
I'll be adding more details and links to this page over the coming days, and weeks - do come back to find out more about repair, and our repair sessions @ Ilkley Thingery. I'll be running some repair workshops soon.
Thanks for dropping in - hope to see you soon!
Erika (Project Manager. Ilkley Thingery).
Page last updated: 16/02/2026.