Clothing Repair Café

For Teens and Adults

About the Program

Fashion is responsible for a significant environmental impact, but repairing and reusing clothing is a simple way to reduce waste and save money. Bring new life to your well-loved garments at this relaxed clothing repair café.

Connect with fellow community members while mending clothing with holes, stains, loose buttons, or minor damage. Learn and practice repair techniques such as stain removal, hand stitching, machine sewing, darning, applying iron-on patches, and sewing on buttons. To ensure everyone can receive support, please bring no more than one or two items to repair. Snacks and light refreshments will be provided.

About Roots and Shoots 

A group of teens from the WPL Teen Events Team recognized the need for environmental literacy opportunities at the library and have planned 20+ programs and events across all locations focused on reducing textile waste and helping pollinators. To make this program possible, the teens and WPL staff worked together to secure a grant from the Roots and Shoots program from the Jane Goodall Institute, which is focused on inspiring and equipping the next generation of conservation leaders.

Roots & Shoots is a globally recognized youth leadership program run by the Jane Goodall Institute that empowers young people to create positive change in their communities, for animals, and for the environment. This event is an opportunity to celebrate the work of WPL's Teen Roots & Shoots team and the projects they've developed throughout the summer.

Accessibility Accommodations: We strive to make our programs welcoming and accessible for everyone. If you have any accessibility needs, accommodation requests, or questions about participating, please contact us at wplprogramming@wpl.ca and we'll do our best to support you.

Photography Notice: Please note that photographs and videos may be taken at this event and may be broadcast, reproduced, and/or made available in print or online. For individual or small group photos, staff will make attendees aware of their presence and will ask permission before taking photos. 

For larger public events, please note that by attending, you are consenting to the use of your appearance, image, and voice in print or digital productions created by the Waterloo Public Library for promotional use only. Please speak to library staff at the event if you’d like to be excluded from any photo/video. 

Staff: Maddy