Sustainable Fashion: Upcycle, Recycle and Creative Mending

Course Overview

Slow Fashion is the new trend, but with more style!If you are an advocate for environmental and social justice in the fashion industry, and want to learn the skills to upcycle or recycle your clothing and have basic sewing skills, then this course is for you!

We wil delve into the art of upcycling and recycling clothing while cultivating your creative mending skills. Slow Fashion is not just a trend, it’s a sustainable lifestyle choice that aligns with environmental consciousness and social responsibility. Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast or someone looking to breathe new life into old garments, this course offers hands-on experience in making a positive impact.

Join us in embracing the principles of Slow Fashion, where creativity meets sustainability. In no time you will know how to transform and breathe new life into your wardrobe, all while contributing to a more conscious and responsible approach to fashion.

Macquarie Community College operates from a range of venues across Northern and Western Sydney. We have campuses in Blacktown, Carlingford, Chatswood, Epping, Mt Druitt, Richmond, and Ryde. Enrol now!

Learn more about this course

What you will learn

Course outline

In this course, you will:

  • Learn a short introduction to fabric and yarn hand stitching.
  • Explore ways on how to upstyle t-shirts.
  • Discover some of the different skills to upcycle.
  • Explore and improvise more ways to be stylish with both old and new garments.
  • Briefly cover some techniques (however, we will not be covering any or all of these skills in any detail):
    • Hand sewing
    • Fabric and yarns 101
    • Restyling basics
    • Darning
    • Embroidery
    • Crochet
    • Applique
    • Felting
    • Patching
    • Dyeing and Shibori
    • Knitting
    • Japanese Boro
    • Basic pattern alterations

Course outcome

By the end of the course, students will:

  • Have a greater understanding of how to clothe yourself and your family in a way that will be kinder to our planet earth.
  • Have new skills, but new ideas on how to make a difference in the environment.
  • Celebrate your sustainable achievements with a wonderful sustainable fashion show.

What you need to know

Entry requirements

Essential to have basic sewing skills and machine sewing skills. This is a creative journey, so bring your imagination along with your other skills!

What you need to provide

You will need to bring:

  • Bring your own kit for hand-sewing. This will include a range of needles: A standard sewing needle (such as sharps), an embroidery needle (such as crewels where the eye is large enough to take bulkier threads, but has a sharp point), if you have larger needles such as tapestry and/or hard-to-source Japanese Sashiko ones, bring them too.
  • A selection of threads to go with the needles: so standard sewing thread, and thicker threads that will fit through the eye of your embroidery, or similar needles
  • Scissors: essential to have scissors to cut fabric, ideal if you also have smaller scissors and snippers as well
  • An unpicker
  • Different coloured threads
  • Buttons
  • Beads
  • Patchwork pieces
  • Assorted fabric scraps

In the first lesson we will discuss your personal projects, and what equipment to bring to best support your creativity.in the following weeks. It is anticipated that you will need a sewing machine, if you have one, do bring it.

Coming soon

There are currently no classes scheduled for this course.

Please check back later as classes are added regularly or get in touch for more information.

Delivery Mode

To meet the needs of our students Macquarie Community College balances delivery and engagement across permanent, regular and temporary delivery sites and offer face-to-face, remote zoom classes and self-paced learning options.

Ways to Study

  • On campus

Our college campus locations are:

    • Blacktown
    • Chatswood
    • Carlingford
    • Epping
    • Ryde
    • Mt Druitt
  • Virtual classroom
  • Complete workplace training
  • Combine ways to study

FAQ

How you got questions? Please see our comprehensive FAQ page for everything you need to know about Macquarie Community College, our policies, student support, application and enrolment procedures.

How to Enrol

Step 1 - Choose Your Course

  • Select the non-accredited short course you are interested in.
  • Find a day and time that suits your schedule.

Note: Enrolment is open to anyone 18 years or older.

Step 2 - Enrol and Verify

  • Click ‘Enrol Now’ after selecting your course and schedule.
  • Enter your details on the enrolment page.
  • Verify your email through a secure link sent to your email address.
  • Complete the secure checkout and payment process.

Ensure you read the Terms and Conditions available at: Macquarie Community College Terms and Conditions. For assistance, call customer service at 1300 845 888.

Step 3 - Receive Your Enrolment Details

  • You will receive an immediate enrolment confirmation email upon successful enrolment. Check and read the attached Terms and Conditions.
  • The payer of the enrolment will receive a tax invoice immediately after processing.
  • You will receive a course reminder email a day before your class begins.
  • For Online Zoom classes, a Zoom link and password will be emailed the day before class. Use the same link and password for subsequent sessions if applicable.