Make It Your Own

Easy Ways to Mend and Alter Your Clothes

Resources for learning to mend and alter clothes, and finding sewing community, online and in-person. Have a resource you'd like to add? Fill out the form below!

Black graphic of a needle with thread looping above it and going through the eye of the needle.

The Zine

View or download "Make It Your Own: Easy Ways to Mend and Alter Your Clothes" for free below.
Print as many as you want! Sharing is encouraged!

Digital Zine: PDF file meant for digital viewing.Bi-Fold Zine: Print and fold each page in half. Can print single- or double-sided. Flip on short edge if printing double-sided. Stack folded pages in order and staple on the inside fold.Cut Quarter Zine: Print double-sided on three US Letter-sized pages, ensuring to flip pages on the long edge. Then, cut each page in half from long edge to long edge (see image below). Stack in order, fold in half, and staple on the inside fold.

graphic of a tall rectangle representing a page with a dotted line and a scissors graphic showing to cut horizontally through the page.
Graphic of two rectangles representing a page that has been cut through the center. There are dotted lines vertically down the center of each page half, and arrows pointing from each page half to images of paper that has been folded in half.
An open cookie tin with spools of thread and sewing needles inside.

Resources

Here are resources for free stores and sewing community.

Free Stores & Mutual Aid Hubs

Swap Shop at Midcoast Solid Waste, 90 Union Street, Rockport, MESOS Room at Heavenly Threads thrift shop, 57 Elm Street, Camden, MEFREE STORE at The Landing Place, 63 Park Street, Rockland, ME (for youth and young adults)Waldoboro Free Clothing Closet, 124 Friendship Road, Waldoboro, MELewiston Free Store, Lewiston, ME (email [email protected] for info)

Mending & Sewing Community

Stitch Social, Waterfall Arts, 256 High Street, Belfast, MEMake and Mend Group, Appleton Library, 2916 Sennebec Rd, Appleton, MERepair Cafe, Patten Free Library, Bath, ME / Habitat Restore, Bath, ME / Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, MEUnity Fiber Arts Group, Unity Public Library, 38 School Street, Unity, MECheck with your local library or community space!

Have a Resource to Share?

A tomato-shaped pin cushion with multicolored pins sticking out of it.

Online Community

Join the "Make It Your Own" Discord server where we can learn and mend together in virtual community.

An assortment of spools of thread some lying on their sides and some sitting upright.

This project is a part of Out in the Open's Rural LGBTQ+ Power and Belonging Network's fellowship program. RLPB Fellowships are intended to cultivate interconnectedness and are a step towards building a powerful network of mutuality, safety, belonging, and positive social and cultural change.

Yellow and teal Out in the Open Rural LGBTQ+ Power and Belonging Fellowship logo.