This week I have the absolute pleasure of introducing Kim! I loved following along with Kim's Mending Migration journey. Literal journey. She took the loom everywhere with her, they took the train, they met a wild horse, they sang to wildflowers, they went to Celia Pym's SOCKS exhibit, and of course they inspired fellow menders together at Kim's Darn It! Workshops.
If it fixes an item it is right!
In her workshops, whether teaching mending or other sustainability-focused crafts, Kim emphasizes progress over perfection. She says, "perfection is not the aim! Having beautiful and neat mends comes in time... focus on the process and act of mending and prolonging the life of an item rather than worrying if you’re doing it “right”. If it fixes an item it is right!"
Mending slowly and purposefully
Kim: I mend because I find it relaxing and mindful, but more importantly, I see it as an act of rebellion. When fast fashion is everywhere and the world is so sped up, mending slowly and purposefully to prolong the life of my textiles feels like a personal and meaningful act of defiance.
Mending everywhere!
Kim: I love mending on the go! I often have something to mend in my bag so I can do it when I get a spare moment. It often engages strangers in what I’m doing too and I have interesting chats with people about mending and their relationship to it. I also run an array of stitch socials and often take my mending to that.
Where do you source your supplies?
Kim: I co-run a textile reuse hub/scrap store so I’m lucky to have access to donated and varied mending materials. We have a dedicated mending supplies section in the shop! Alongside this, I love using crewel wool as it felts and wears beautifully. I found this harder to come by but recently found a fantastic shop near York (the Viking Loom) with crewel wool in every colour you could want!
Kim Searle runs creative workshops as Darn It! Workshops for a wide range of community groups, charities, art centres and event spaces. Introducing people to techniques that are sustainable as well as engaging and enjoyable is at the core of all she does. She co runs a textile reuse hub, Thread Republic and hosts a variety of stitch socials, including Sew Queer, a stitch social for the queer community! She lives in Huddersfield, Yorkshire with a craft room looking over moors and valleys. She likes to walk and dance when she’s not making!