Traditional clothing repair workshops in the castle

September 12, 2023

Tamworth Borough Council is holding a ‘Misfit Creations’ event on Saturday 16 September and Sunday 17 September at Tamworth Castle, as part of its Heritage Open Days; A national festival in September celebrates our great heritage and brings history to life.

Learn traditional techniques such as sashiko stitching, darning, using patches (which can be decorated as you like) and recycling old clothes to create a new look. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance to avoid disappointment as numbers are limited to 15 tickets per workshop.

The castle hosts the event in its dining room, providing each workshop with the perfect historical setting.

This Missfit Creations project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Visitors are invited to join Debbie Murphy of Missfit Creations, learning about the origins of clothing repair throughout history. Try your hand at sewing sashiko and boro cloth and then mend and mend. Discover visual repair, how patches became popular in the 1960s and discover ways to transform old clothing into new designs.

Workshops include:

Sachiko and Boro – Saturday 16 September, 10.30am – 12pm

Learn traditional Japanese repair techniques in Japan that have spread into modern clothing fashion.

If you have your own denim to decorate, bring it with you.

“Do and Fix” – Saturday, September 16, from 1:30pm to 3pm

Travel back to World War II, when the nation was encouraged to extend the life of clothing by reusing, repairing and reusing clothes.

If you have some old woolen clothes like socks, sweaters, etc., bring them along and try your hand at darning.

Visible repair – Sunday 17 September, 10.30am – 12pm

Inspired by the hippie revolution of the late 1960s, join this workshop and make some custom patches. Denim patches will be provided that can be decorated, embroidered or embellished.

Upcycling – Sunday 17 September, 1.30pm to 3pm

Clothes that are past their sell-by date don’t need to be thrown away in a landfill. Learn how to give new life to damaged and unwanted clothes.

Bring along an old or unwanted t-shirt and see the many different ways it can be recycled into new designs.

The workshop lasts for an hour and a half, and is suitable for children aged seven years and above. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Full details and how to book can be found on the castle website: www.tamworthcastle.gov.uk.

Andrew Barratt, Chief Executive of Tamworth Borough Council, said: “We are very excited that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is helping us bring more hands-on workshops to the Castle.
“It’s great that Debbie Murphy delivers workshops to reuse, repair and reuse old fabrics and clothing.

“We hope these workshops will help explore creativity as a way to engage the public with our fascinating history.”

For information on any events relating to the castle, opening times and entry prices, please contact the castle on 01827 709626 or visit: www.tamworthcastle.gov.uk.

Missfit Creations was founded in 2002 by Debbie Murphy, a dressmaker and restorer who specializes in vintage and fashion. She is also the founder of Tamworth’s Mending Circle which meets every two weeks at The Community Café on The Castle Grounds.

Debbie worked with artists of all descriptions wearing tribute acts, pop bands and drag artists for several years before focusing fully on keeping clothing out of landfill.

Notes:

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a key pillar of the UK Government’s Leveling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride of place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and places. and supporting local businesses, people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.

In 2022, a case study into Missfit Creations was conducted by the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute at Aston University. Pioneering research has found that the company’s zero waste policy and sustainable practices have resulted in savings of approximately 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year.