Denim Repair with Janell Wysock

This workshop is a part of Fibershed’s 2022 Mending Challenge Series. (Haven’t signed up for our challenge? Signup here!)

Dedicated to keeping waste at a minimum and the concept to use what we have, artist and designer Janell Wysock, is focused on repairing and making clothes functional. Janell produces a line of sweaters, dresses, shawls, and outerwear accessories as well as installation art. She is passionate about not creating waste so in tandem with what she produces she revels in the beauty of what we wear daily keeping those favorite items in rotation to be used and enjoyed. After discovering about 80% of her own personal clothes needed some type of mending, she decided to start a summer of truly caring for her own clothes and those around her. Taking on any type of repair, big or small, to bring clothes back to life was both empowering and important in solving issues around sustainability. If we fix what we have, we don’t go searching to replace it. We are not taught to even consider spending time keeping the condition of our clothes in working order. If we can continue to use what we have instead of reinvesting in something new, we have a shot in reducing our consumption.

Join us to move past the space of “needing it repaired” to a space of “getting to wear it and feeling proud”. In this Denim Repair workshop, we will bring a pair of jeans back to life and learn how to repair and embellish with embroidery.

When: Tuesday, August 9, 2p PT/ 5p ET

Length: 2 hours

Where: Zoom

Cost: Sliding Scale, recommended offering of $15-35

Max. Number of Participants: 25

Items needed:

• Denim garment or textile for repair
• Needle
• Thread
• Scrap fabric (similar to thickness of your jeans)
• Pins
• Pencil
• Embroidery floss
• Scrap cardboard
• Small embroidery hoop – optional

More About Janell Wysock:

Janell Wysock is a textile artist and designer who builds fabrics structures and designs large scale fiber strands or yarns which she makes to use in various types of textile projects. Typically, she calls upon very traditional classic materials often used in textiles such as wool and linen, and in contrast remnant and discarded materials such as bed sheets, clothing in disrepair, plastic bags and video cassette tape film. Many of the fabrics she makes are translated into one of a kind fashion pieces. Her work also encompasses textile art pieces for interiors and installations for both indoors and outdoors. Creating an environment is her focus, and various elements that make up the extent of her scope of work often come together in unison whether it is an independent piece or blending together multiple components. Allowing the viewer to participate in various ways such as helping on community projects through, donating old materials to be up-cycled, or helping make strand, their own personal weaving and different points of access to watch and learn through video and her teaching practice is what makes connecting with Janell unique. Her intention is to allow the viewer or participant to align with their own personal ideas of art, expression and sustainability feeling grounded and inspired to constantly improve in what it is they do to contribute to arts, culture and an environment that works for everyone.