Edinburgh Open Workshop in Leith launches its biggest ever sewing and textiles programme

Leith's community makerspace is giving more people the chance to make and mend their own clothes. Edinburgh Open Workshop has launched its biggest ever programme of sewing and textiles workshops, responding to growing demand from members and course participants.

The award-winning makerspace has introduced a range of new classes for beginners and experienced makers alike. Highlights include machine knitting, garment construction, Pojagi-inspired textile art, scrap-busting soft toy classes and laser cut-and-sew workshops that combine digital fabrication with sewing. A new four-week laser cutting course has also been added, with power tools workshops planned.

The textiles classes sit alongside the workshop's established programme of woodworking, welding, furniture making, DIY and fabrication. All are taught by experienced professional makers, many of whom are resident makers or members.

Jen Stewart, education officer, said the courses evolve alongside the community and the workshop's growing range of pay-as-you-go facilities. Each course is designed to develop hands-on skills, send participants home with a piece of work and build their confidence to use the tools independently as members.

The idea is that people learn on a course and then carry on using the equipment on their own projects, whether that is a sewing machine, a laser cutter or the knitting machine.

Clothing repair is a big theme. For Doors Open Day in September, the workshop opened for free tours and demonstrations, and Edinburgh Street Stitchers presented an exhibition celebrating creative clothing repair, with drop-in garment repair sessions. Director Natasha Lee-Walsh said the day was a chance to welcome people who may have walked past many times without knowing what goes on inside, adding that you do not need to be an experienced maker to come along. Families were kept busy too, with TinkerTown running a hands-on building activity in the yard using scrap materials.

The workshop also runs community sessions encouraging reuse. Its free Scrappy Halloween Fun session on Saturday 24 October invited families to make costumes and decorations from old bedsheets, scraps and leftover materials, and even to use the workshop's knitting machine to create knitted spiderwebs.

With repair and reuse becoming part of how many people think about fashion, the workshop offers a practical place to learn.

Classes, membership and community events are listed on the Edinburgh Open Workshop website.