Connecting Through Art and Handcrafts
Bringing people together for creative fun in a judgment-free spaceOngoing Art and Handcraft Programs
WHRL’s Community Craft Circle
Time: Wednesdays from 1-3 pm
Our Community Craft Circle brings creative people together to make stuff in a laid-back, fun, and judgment-free space. Everyone is welcome, from seasoned makers to those just beginning to dabble.
Bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery, quilt squares, scrapbooking, drawing – whatever creative thing you’re working on and join us at WHRL weekly on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 pm. There is no commitment required; join us whenever you feel like it!
Join us if you:
- want to commit to making time to be creative;
- wish to spend time with friends, new and old, in a fun way;
- would like to work among others who inspire and encourage you;
- or want to spend a couple of hours creating something beautiful with your hands.
If MSAD#37 schools (Milbridge, Harrington region) are closed due to snow/ice, we will not meet – join us the following week!
WHRL’s Mending Cafe
Time: Monthly on the second Tuesday, 6-8 pm (beginning 10/8/24)
Have you always wanted to learn how to mend your clothes? Do you have a pile of clothes you love that need a little TLC before they can be worn again? Are you a seasoned mender who wants to meet and connect with other folks? There is a place for you at WHRL’s Mending Cafe! Share your favorite technique for putting a patch on your jeans, sewing on a button, darning your knitwear, and more! Some repairs may benefit from a sewing machine; we will always have at least one available.
We welcome all skill levels to this program. Although this will not be a class, there will be menders who can help you brainstorm ideas for your repairs. We will have some tools and materials available, but we recommend you bring your favorite sewing notions home. We will have plenty of fabric scraps, embroidery floss, yarn, and iron for pressing. We will also have some of our favorite books on mending techniques available for in-class use and inspiration!
Tea and coffee will be provided.
Imagine the community you want.
Together, we can create it.
WHRL’s Handcraft Workshops
Mending Clothes with Patches
Mending Clothes with Patches
Did the knees finally give out on your favorite jeans? Did you find a mysterious tear in a beloved shirt? Let’s mend them together! Join Lizzie for a class dedicated to patching, where you will learn the basics of repairing your cloth goods with this tried and true method. Bring an item of clothing that has a hole, a tear, or a thin area in the fabric - all great candidates for a patch! A variety of different fabrics will be available to create patches, but if you have a preferred fabric (or even a pair of old clothing that you'd like to cut up and repurpose!), please bring it along.
This program is not intended for knitwear, which is better addressed by darning, a different mending technique that is a type of weaving. Questions? Give Lizzie a call at 413-717-7827 or send her an email at lizzie@whrl.org.
We all love a good deal on clothing, but "fast fashion," or the rapid mass production of inexpensive, low-quality clothing mimicking popular clothing trends, has enormous consequences, from a variety of environmental impacts to its exploitation of garment workers. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "by endlessly offering new trends at cheap prices, fast fashion brands such as Shein, Zara, and H&M encourage consumers to continually buy more clothing. Consequently, previous purchases, perhaps worn a handful of times, are soon discarded."
Let's talk about some of the impacts of fast fashio...
Mending Cafe Begins
Mending Cafe Begins
Have you always wanted to learn how to mend your clothes? Do you have a pile of clothes you love that need a little TLC before they can be worn again? Are you a seasoned mender who wants to meet and connect with other folks? There is a place for you at WHRL’s Mending Cafe! Share your favorite technique for putting a patch on your jeans, sewing on a button, darning your knitwear, and more! Some repairs may benefit from a sewing machine; we will always have at least one available.
We welcome all skill levels to this program. Although this will not be a class, there will be menders who can help you brainstorm ideas for your repairs. We will have some tools and materials available, but we recommend you bring your favorite sewing notions home. We will have plenty of fabric scraps, embroidery floss, yarn, and iron for pressing. We will also have some of our favorite books on mending techniques available for in-class use and inspiration!
Tea and coffee will be provided.
Note, this program will happen monthly on the second Tuesday of the month on a drop-in basis.
Sewing a Downeast Thunder Farm Felt Black-capped Chickadee Ornament
Sewing a Downeast Thunder Farm Felt Black-capped Chickadee Ornament
Susan has been designing and creating felt ornaments since 2013. She has over 250 patterns to her credit, including birds, animals, and seasonal/holiday-themed designs.
Class limit–8
Registration will open in October.