Stitching the old into the new

MATTAPOISETT —  In the basement of the Mattapoisett Library, a group gathered together to learn sewing techniques for mending clothes on Saturday, Jan. 18.

After recently retiring from teaching art in elementary schools for over 25 years and teaching summer camps, Cathi Karp now leads workshops to teach the sewing basics.

“I assume everybody is a beginner, and I pick five stitches to teach because I feel like they’re the most useful, the ones that you’re going to use the most, but also some of them you’ll never use,” she said.

Karp added that she always teaches several stitching techniques, including back, blanket, running and hip stitches, how to properly thread a needle and the proper angle to hold the needle.

She explained her teaching process as “keeping things sort of in an order that makes sense, and then leading up to more complicated things.”

Once attendees start practicing the stitching techniques, Karp said she then walks around helping people with their projects.

Participants were asked to bring in items of clothes they wanted to mend or practice with, which included sweaters, pairs of jeans and a blanket.

“A lot of people bring in things that have sentimental value,” Karp said.

Karp showed attendees items of clothing that had been mended, including jeans, jean jackets, socks and shirts, giving examples of simple patch jobs to taking advantage of a hole or tear to add some creative flair to the clothes.

There is more to it sewing than mending clothes, Karp added.

“It’s a relaxing, almost meditative practice,” she said. “It’s a slowing down, meditative activity that I enjoy.”

Amanda Lawrence, who helped organize the event, brought in a pair of pants to mend, using a striped fabric to cover a tear, which she said made them look a little “ridiculous.”

“I had so much fun,” she said. “I’m going to definitely continue to try to practice the things that I learned.”

Prior to the event, Lawrence had very little sewing experience and said she found it a little challenging to master the different stitches.

“I feel like you need to do it more and more and more to really get it down,” she said.

Karp, who has been sewing since she was a child, said that while clothes won’t last forever, mending them will make them “last a little bit longer.”

“I like the idea that I’m going to get a little extra life, a little more extra life out of something that I love,” Lawrence said.

While the workshop is three hours long, Karp said she tries to make it an experience that doesn’t end when participants walk out the door.

“I try to leave people with … some resources for them to continue learning, to source their own materials and get inspired by other artists,” she said.