WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

darning classes and workshops

16 November, 2018, Knitting History Forum, London. I will be teaching two classic darning techniques: Swiss darning, also known as duplicate stitching, and the stocking darn. More information and tickets here.

26 January, 2019, Selvedge Magazine, The Art Workers’ Guild, London. I will teach you three techniques to repair knitwear: the classic stocking darn, Swiss darning, and a knitted in patch. Tom will share his wealth of knowledge, show his own work for inspiration, discuss motivations of repair and his own sources of inspiration. You will leave with a comprehensive hand-out of techniques covered, a selection of darning needles, and the skills to tackle any holes. You can buy tickets here.

22-24 March, 2019, Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Edinburgh. I’m pleased to let you know I’m returning to Edinburgh Yarn Festival! I’ll be teaching four workshops, including a new one, focussing on sock repairs. More information on the workshops and tickets can be found here (please note, tickets go on sale on 13 October 2018.)

Brighton Repair Café

I volunteer at the Brighton Repair Café. We meet every last Saturday of the month and help you repair your stuff, ranging from garment repairs to small electrical goods, bicycles, and more. To find up-to-date information about venue and date of the next Repair Café, please check their blog here.

exhibitions

I have currently no exhibitions planned.

31 Comments »

31 Responses

on January 22, 2013 at 8:32 am | Reply Mending Resources – Recursos de Zurcido » Jo's Loft

[…] of Holland offers darning classes if you happen to be in the UK. Si estáis en Inglaterra, Tom of Holland ofrece clases de […]
on April 29, 2013 at 5:49 pm | Reply galeforcewindy

Have you ever considered online classes? I’d love to attend a workshop where you present your Visible Mending Programme, but it’s not likely I’ll be in the UK in the next two years. I’d attend online if you held a video chat session. Or I’d buy your course if you presented one on Craftsy.com or the like …
on May 7, 2013 at 11:50 am | Reply itwasjudith

any classes planned after May? London area, Brighton would also be ok.. or anywhere that is cheaply reachable from central London – student budget 🙂 cheers
on May 13, 2013 at 9:43 am | Reply Bev or Quiltingbee

Just LOVE your darning ….. is it possible to get notification of your classes?
- on May 13, 2013 at 9:59 am | Reply tomofholland
  
  At the moment the easiest way to stay up-to-date with my classes is by liking my tomofholland facebook page.
on June 24, 2014 at 8:02 am | Reply E-book update | My Make Do and Mend Year

[…] The Visible Mending Programme to highlight the art and craftsmanship of clothes repair. As well as exhibitions, events and workshops, Tom is a regular at the Brighton Repair Café, and flies the flag for visible mending wherever he […]
on July 15, 2014 at 3:46 pm | Reply chloe's window » Blog Archive » Unwind Brighton – Part 1

[…] we attended the darning drop in class by Tom of Holland. Again a first time experience for me, seeing the arrays of cute darning […]
on November 19, 2014 at 3:09 pm | Reply mended | on a colonial farmon a colonial farm

[…] I lived in United Kingdom, I would register for Tom van Deijnen’s darning class in just two day’s time in Dalston, London. Van Deijnen started The Visible Mending Programme, […]
on January 26, 2015 at 6:30 pm | Reply Repair: an act of creativity and singularity

[…] If you want to learn to darn, check out Tom of Holland’s workshops & events or follow […]
on April 13, 2015 at 1:39 pm | Reply Visible Mending Programme, UK | first and lasting

[…] In addition I have a small number of darning workshops I’m just finalising, so I won’t be able to publish details just yet, but you can keep an eye out for them here. […]
on May 26, 2015 at 11:22 am | Reply Karen Hutchens

I have been searching for books on darning. Are you able to suggest any?
- on May 26, 2015 at 4:46 pm | Reply tomofholland
  
  Sure! Here’s a blog post I wrote about the very subject: https://tomofholland.com/2014/07/23/mending-books/
on September 17, 2015 at 1:00 pm | Reply Slow Thinking Part 1: Blurred Boundaries | tomofholland

[…] Workshops & Events […]
on October 19, 2015 at 1:01 pm | Reply Slow Fashion October, Week 4: WORN | Fringe Association

[…] Tom van Deijnen (aka @tomofholland) runs the Visible Mending Programme and launched the #visiblemending hashtag on […]
on March 21, 2016 at 11:25 pm | Reply mended

[…] I lived in United Kingdom, I would register for Tom van Deijnen’s darning class in just two day’s time in Dalston, London. Van Deijnen started The Visible Mending Programme, […]
on April 4, 2016 at 1:57 am | Reply Judith Angelo

I have never been interested in knitting, but I love the whole notion of mending and want very very much to learn darning – from socks to worn elbows to ripped scarves to fine Irish linen. I’ve been collecting vintage threads and mending yarns…
Do you take inexperienced fakers who don’t knit?

Thank you for your wonderful work and sharing.

Judith
- on April 4, 2016 at 6:26 am | Reply tomofholland
  
  Thanks for your message Judith. For the darning master class you do not have to know how to knit. For the Big Holes specialist darning class you do need to be able to knit. Hope this helps, Tom
on August 23, 2016 at 8:07 am | Reply Sheila Mothes

Great initiative!
on June 12, 2017 at 1:23 pm | Reply Nic

Hello, my husband is keen to attend one of your workshops – we’re based in London. Do you have any upcoming workshops in the UK please? Thanks
- on June 12, 2017 at 1:49 pm | Reply tomofholland
  
  I’m in the process of finalising a workshop in July. Once it’s confirmed I will update the Workshops and Events page, any maybe write a short blog post, so please keep an eye out: hopefully more news soon!
on November 22, 2017 at 9:21 pm | Reply Elizabeth Vanderpump

HiTom. Is there a repair Café on Saturday Nov 25th in Brighton?At Preston Barracks, or is that closed for renovation? Would love to come down if indeed repair cafe happening.
- on November 22, 2017 at 9:34 pm | Reply tomofholland
  
  Hi Elizabeth, unfortunately the Preston Barracks venue is now closed. We’re finalising plans for a new venue, but it’s not 100% certain yet. We’re planning to start again in January. It’s best to check on the Brighton Repair Café blog for details.
on November 23, 2017 at 9:26 am | Reply Marcela Vallejo-Montoya

Dear Tom, your work is amazing. I am in need of a “visible mending” workshop. Badly! Any plans to give a workshop in The Netherlands or in Belgium in the near future?
Greetings.

Marcela
- on December 1, 2017 at 3:56 pm | Reply tomofholland
  
  Hi Marcela, thanks for your message. I’m afraid I don’t have any plans for a workshop in The Netherlands or Belgium in 2018. Best, Tom
on January 8, 2018 at 10:41 pm | Reply jenn

Dear Tom, it looks like I will be in the UK at the end of June 2018. Do you think you will have any workshops during that time? I’d love to take a class with you.
warmly,
jenn
- on January 9, 2018 at 11:59 am | Reply tomofholland
  
  Dear Jenn, thanks for your message. I will not be running any workshops in June. Sorry to disappoint you. Hopefully another time!
on January 25, 2018 at 9:31 am | Reply Cindy

Hello,
I wrote you a while ago to ask if you ever travel to the US for workshops. I am located north of San Francisco,California and would be delighted to have you teach a class at Healdsburg SHED. Would you let me know if you might be landing on this continent anytime soon, and would be willing to travel to Healdsburg?
Thank you kindly,
Cindy
Healdsburgshed.com
- on January 25, 2018 at 10:59 am | Reply tomofholland
  
  Hi Cindy, please email me at tomofholland@gmail.com and we can discuss further. Tom
on March 13, 2018 at 12:23 pm | Reply Anna

Ditto ‘itwasjudith’ Brighton/London class decorative darning would be terrific?
on December 21, 2018 at 2:13 pm | Reply Rachel

Hi Tom,

I am a fan of your blog. I hand and machine knit and have plenty of knits to mend as well as all my and my husbands jeans for work.

Since you have mentioned using your treadle for sewing, and have an extensive library on repairs, maybe you can answer this question.

Are there any good techniques for applying patches on legs and sleeves using non-free arm machines?

Up until recently, we patched the knees on our work jeans using my mothers Pfaff, which has a free arm. Unfortunately, this machine is now broken, and I am told, probably unfixable.

I now use my Singer Featherweight, and am putting my Singer treadle in working order. I love them, but they don’t have a free arm.

So before I go to the expense of buying a machine just for this one task, any insight you might have would be wonderful

thanks,

Rachel
- on December 21, 2018 at 5:09 pm | Reply tomofholland
  
  However much I like my treadle sewing machine, I prefer to do those things by hand.