Two local brands are hosting sewing workshops in Stackt Market

Do you have a sewing machine that’s collecting dust while you procrastinate learning how to use it? Or maybe a pile of clothes that you can’t wear until you get them mended? From July 9-20th at Stackt Market, you can finally cross these things off your list through a series of workshops hosted by local sustainable brands, Studio Dialectica and The Shared Bag. 

Starting July. 9th the brands are teaming up to teach practical sewing skills like upcycling, mending and altering through a variety of workshops that range from $25 (a 1-hour sewing project) to $200 (a two-part workshop in which you turn pre-owned clothing into a custom upcycled vest.)

First up is the basics. The Shared Bag is hosting drop-in spots for sewing sessions ranging from one to three hours across the two weeks–you just have to reserve a spot. Participants are invited to choose from a variety of sewing projects including drawstring/ tote bags; embroidery, stamping and patching; aprons and tool belts; or mending and repairs. Sewing machines will be provided on site, as well as thread, bobbins, scissors, snips, a variety of fabric scraps and pre-owned garments, and hands-on guidance from seasoned sewing instructors and designers. 

Other workshops focus on more specific skills, like an upcycled denim tote bag workshop and a hemming workshop (both $60 and running for two hours) and a button sewing workshop ($40 and running for one half and a half.) The two-part upcycled vest class is the most involved, taking place July 11/18, and July 13/20. Guided by Studio Dialectica’s founder and designer Arushi Chopra, participants will draft a vest pattern for their body measurements, design it with their own materials (heavyweight garments like jeans, thick shirts, jackets, workwear), and construct an original piece. 

There is also a two-hour sewing machine workshop running on both Saturdays, July 12 and 19, for $60. Participants will learn sewing machine anatomy and basic use, how to properly thread and operate a sewing machine, tips to troubleshoot common issues (like tangled thread, skipped stitches, using the right needle, etc), regular upkeep and maintenance, and what types of projects your machine is best suited for and which machine you should get. It’s also an opportunity to practice common sewing skills with an on-site machine and by hand. 

Chopra launched Studio Dialectica in hopes of expanding sustainable fashion options by merging the clothing of different cultures (such as merging her own Indian culture with North American trends to create more contemporary pieces that are accessible to a wider demographic). All of their designs are unisex for the same reason. 

“I grew up watching my aunts, uncles and grandparents, mixing two different cultures together, trying to integrate their Indian wardrobe and North American wardrobe. I think once you take a cultural silk fabric and you turn it into a button down shirt, it becomes attractive to anybody. And that extends the life of that fabric so much further,” they say. “That’s why Studio Dialectica is made for everybody, and all kinds of bodies can feel comfortable in the kind of clothing that I'm trying to make.”

Through hosting in-person pop-ups, Chopra began to realize that their clients were not only interested in sustainable options, but had a desire to learn how to sew themselves.

“I think that a couple decades ago, everyone was exposed to a little bit of garment making in their homes. They might have had a grandmother who sewed. Maybe their mom had a machine that she would pull out every now and then. And we may have even been encouraged to do a little bit of sewing at school,” she says. “But that's really lacking now, and a lot of people, though they have machines that have been passed down, they have no idea how to use them. I think we've lost that really practical side of sewing, and I'm trying to bring that back.”

To empower more people with everyday sewing skills, Chopra teaches sewing and design at the Haute Couture Academy Of Fashion, Fine Arts & Design, which she attended herself in highschool. Ever since, she’s hoped to host workshops in larger community spaces to bring these skills to even more people, which is why it felt so serendipitous when the founders of The Shared Bag approached them during a pop-up event hosted in collaboration with non-profit Fashion Takes Action.

“Suanny is one of the co-founders of The Shared Bag and she said, ‘if you would ever consider teaching, we'd love to have you teach a workshop.’ And I immediately was like, this is meant to be,” says Chopra. 

The Shared Bag, which helps community members adopt sustainable clothing practices by curating workshops, collaborations, markets, and clean ups, is lending all of the sewing machines for Chopra’s workshops, as well as hosting the series of drop-in sewing sewing sessions. 

Chopra intends to collaborate with them again in August, and hopes to continue a long-term partnership. For now you can check out the workshops at Stackt Market from July 9-20th, and reserve your spots here.

“It's something that I haven't really seen before in Toronto, because there are a lot of courses for sewing, which span weeks, and are typically focused on creating a new garment and going really deep into that skill. But we're trying to be really realistic here,” she says. “This is about  learning the basics and feeling confident in that.”