Visible Mending: Embroidery Basics

Repair, Customize & Reinvent Your Wardrobe!

Join us at Sunset Commons, your neighborhood DIY arts and crafts café, for a hands-on Visible Mending Workshop with Kaye DeHart, a local textile and multimedia artist passionate about slow fashion and sustainability!

Bring a worn-out or damaged piece of clothing, and leave with new skills, inspiration, and a one-of-a-kind creation. This class is beginner-friendly and will focus on building a solid foundation for visible repair with essential and versatile embroidery techniques and lots of hands-on practice.

What You’ll Learn:

• Hand sewing basics like starting and finishing, choosing thread and needles, and undoing stitches
• Common embroidery techniques including the running stitch and backstitch
• How to sew on a button
• How to stabilize and reinforce damaged fabric
• Tips for creative design planning and visual storytelling through stitches
• How to build your own visible mending style at home
• All participants receive an 8 page mini zine with information to continue mending on their own!

Why You’ll Love It:

• Sustainable: Keep your favorite clothes out of landfills
• Creative: Express yourself through color, texture, and stitch
• Mindful: Enjoy the calming, meditative nature of slow stitching
• Community-driven: Connect with fellow makers and menders
• Skill-building: Walk away with practical knowledge
• Bonus: Leave with a repaired item of clothing you’re proud to wear again

About the Instructor:

Kaye DeHart is a San Francisco textile and multimedia artist passionate about slow fashion and sustainability. Drawn to the expressive power of fashion from a young age, they draw inspiration from punk and other fashion subcultures as well as traditional practices such as Japanese boro fabric, patchwork and quilting, and the exquisite craftsmanship of historic and couture sewing, when materials were much more precious and the lifecycle of a garment was considered more thoughtfully. They have been repairing, altering and designing clothes for over ten years.

About Sunset Commons:

Carmen and Steven started Sunset Commons to provide a space to connect and build community through arts and craft activities led by talented local artists. Inspired by a love for creativity and a desire to foster connection in the Sunset District, we envisioned a “third space” where neighbors can gather, unwind, and form meaningful relationships. Our mission is to empower self-expression, boost confidence, and offer an inclusive haven for everyone, from introverts seeking a calm environment to those enjoying health-focused traditional teas. Sunset Commons is not just a business - it’s our way of enriching the community we love and to the city we both grew up in.

*Our events are often photographed and filmed so we can share the fun with our community. If you don’t want to be on camera, no worries—let us know before the event.