Sustainable Sewing & Upcycling Course

Got fabric scraps, unworn clothes, or unfinished sewing projects tucked away? Instead of letting them go to waste, bring them along and learn how to transform them into something new.

This 4-week Sustainable Sewing & Upcycling course is all about giving existing textiles a second life while building your skills and confidence. Through hands-on projects, you’ll explore how to deconstruct garments, work with reclaimed materials, and turn what you already have into practical, well-made pieces.

Across four sessions, you’ll design and create your own upcycled projects—learning techniques such as patchworking, appliqué, and fabric manipulation. You’ll also gain a better understanding of how to plan your projects, combine materials effectively, and make thoughtful design decisions when working with limited or irregular fabrics.

You’ll complete at least two original pieces, such as reworking old jeans into a tote bag or transforming fabric scraps into a cushion cover or wall hanging. Along the way, you’ll develop approaches to sewing that are more resourceful and mindful, with techniques you can continue using at home.

This course is designed for those with basic sewing experience who are ready to explore a more creative and sustainable approach to making.

Course content

During the course, participants will be guided through key concepts, techniques and approaches that typically include:

• Understanding upcycling, recycling, and downcycling, and identifying reusable fabrics from old clothes and textile scraps

• Deconstructing garments and linens to recover fabric, trims, and stabilisers

• Planning and starting an upcycled project using techniques such as patchworking, appliqué, and fabric slashing

• Developing a second project, combining fabrics, pattern making, piecing, and finishing seams

• Applying zero-waste sewing strategies and decorative finishing techniques

• Finalising and presenting projects, and developing approaches to continue upcycling at home

Intended audience

This course is suitable for confident beginners with basic sewing skills who are interested in exploring sustainable fashion and creative sewing projects.