Volunteering with my local Repair Cafe

I've wanted to volunteer for some time now, and have been looking for an organisation that aligns with my values on sustainability and caring for the environment.

At the start of 2023 I reached out to my local Repair Cafe at Woolloongabba to find out if they needed more sewing volunteers to help people with mending and keeping their textile items out of landfill. I attended all 6 cafes during the year and hope to volunteer at many more.

For my first cafe I helped out on the front desk, showing people in and gathering feedback forms as they left. It was a great introduction to how the cafe works and helped me meet many of the volunteers.

For my second cafe, they needed an extra pair of mending hands and I was as ready as I was going to be to help out.
It’s one thing to mend your own items and for friends and family, but mending for strangers is a daunting idea. Do they like visible or invisible? What quality are they expecting?

I packed a selection of bits and bobs that could come in handy. The cafe organisers send a list of the appointments beforehand so you have some idea of what items to expect. I packed all my threads, machine needles, seam rippers, and scissors. I packed some buttons, elastics, and a whole box of scraps. The last item to pack was my machine!

Lucky for me all the sewing volunteers are kind, friendly, and knowledgeable! They helped me feel comfortable and I could see they checked in with each other often on their approach to an item.

The people coming in for repairs are kind and friendly too. They’re grateful we’re offering this service and know the repairs might not look professional! One volunteer captured it perfectly when they said the conversations you have at the cafe are just as important as the repairing.

As the year went on I gained confidence and started remembering people’s names. I even repaired items for the same people at separate cafes, which was nice.

I definitely feel like I’ve found my volunteering home. I’m learning, teaching, and connecting with people in my community. I get to stretch my creative muscles and enjoy the company of like-minded people who care for our environment and each other.

At the last repair cafe of the year, a new person showed up to help with mending. I was so pleased to show them around and talk them through what to expect from the day. I realised I wasn’t a newbie anymore. I’d done my first full year mending at the repair cafe and was just part of the group.

The first cafe of 2024 is in February and I’m really looking forward to being there. I’ll be able to chat with the other volunteers about holidays and what crafts the other sewists have been working on since I last saw them. I’ll be able to chat with people from the community and get some beloved items back into shape for their owners to wear and enjoy!

I’d encourage everyone to find out if they have a repair cafe nearby. You can benefit from their services and who knows, offer your skills to volunteer in the future.