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 textile and electrical (for small and medium size electrical portable Things) repairs to all Ilkley Thingery members. In the near future, we might also offer repairs for bikes and possibly small pieces of furniture 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.
Bring Your Textiles for Repair, or Email: Repair@ilkleythingery.org.
If you have textiles (e.g., clothes, bags, bedding) that are in need of repair, bring them to Ilkley Thingery with your details (name, contact number), and a description of how you want your Thing mending. Or, email us at repair@ilkleythingery.org, let us know what you'd like us to repair, and how you'd like us to do that (e.g., visibly, invisibly, with bright colours, or subdued, etc.).
Electrical Repairs - Email: Repair@ilkleythingery.org.
If you have any electrical objects you'd like us to repair, email us at repair@ilkleythingery.org, let us know what you'd like us to repair, and how you'd like us to do that.
How Much Do Repairs @ Ilkley Thingery Cost?
As a way of supporting Ilkley Thingery, we're making the textile and electrical repairs available to Thingery members. Details of membership and link to membership are available on this website via the following page: become-a-member.
Our repairers are donating their time to repair your Things. We'd be very grateful for donations in return for repairs to help support Ilkley Thingery. Suggested donations are £6 per hour, plus any materials that we need to buy to complete the repair. Do feel free to pay more if you want to support us in that way.
Textile Donations.
If you have pieces of material, wool, threads, or sewing things that you don't want or need, we'd be very grateful for them. We can probably make use of them to complete repairs. If you have anything to donate, contact Erika at repair@ilkleythingery.org, or call in to the Thingery during opening hours (Wednesdays & Fridays 3 - 6pm, Saturdays 10am - 4pm).
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).