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The Ladies’ College has donated seven vintage sewing machines to the Repair Café, run by The Clean Earth Trust.
The sewing machines will be used to teach islanders how to repair and make clothing and upholstery, whilst also renewing people’s confidence in using their own machines.
The College’s art department has used sewing machines as part of students’ art studies for several years, including during the first lockdown. The students used the sewing machines for embroidery, using photographs and fabric as well as canvasses and thicker papers to create more textured work.
The vintage sewing machines were not fit for purpose when using heavy-duty materials needed for student’s work, and so the College has invested in two new sewing machines to replace them.
The College reached out to Guernsey Waste’s Recycling Officer, Tina Norman-Ross, who encouraged the school to contact Emily Gabb. Emily runs the Repair Café on behalf of The Clean Earth Trust and was delighted to give the sewing machines a ‘new lease of life’.
Art Technician at The Ladies’ College, Sophie Anderson, said, ‘We’re pleased to have donated our machines to the Repair Café. They are still in good working order and it didn’t feel right to dispose of working machines. At the same time, we simply do not have the room to store seven sewing machines as well as all the other equipment in our department.
‘We are thrilled the local community will be able to utilise our sewing machines and they haven’t just ended up in landfill.’
