Visible Mending with Leah Giblin
The sustainable fashion movement might seem like a new trend but at Susannah Place (built in 1844) in The Rocks, the mending of clothes and other household items was a necessary part of life for the working-class residents of this inner-city community. Over 100 families called Susannah Place home, and their thriftiness is evident throughout this terrace of four houses.
Join Museums of History NSW curator Anna Cossu and Leah Giblin, clothing and textile artist and author of How to keep your clothes forever (Harper Collins, 2025), for a fascinating visible mending workshop. You’ll learn how to mend your clothes with decorative and artistic features, including contrasting threads, creative stitching, patches and darning. Discover how to give your clothes a new lease of life and stop them from ending up in landfill.
No previous sewing experience is necessary.
Bring along a small to medium mending project or use the materials provided to practice techniques you can use at home.
Members get more: Member enjoy pre- sale access and a 20% discount on tickets.
About Leah Giblin
Leah Giblin is a clothing and textile artist, consultant, educator, author and sustainable fashion advocate working in Sydney, Australia.
Leah currently teaches fashion and textiles at UNSW Sydney. Her educational focus on mending, natural dyeing and upcycling has seen her deliver workshops at museums, schools, councils and festivals. With an educational focus on sustainability and the elimination of textile waste, Leah champions care and repair. She advocates for meaningful and long-lasting relationships with our clothing.
Related
HomeGrown Series
The series explores Australian homes, gardens and domestic life past and present through a rich and eclectic mix of workshops
Susannah Place
58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000Plan your visit- Sunday 19 October 10.30am–12.30pm
Susannah Place stories
Childhood at Susannah Place
Growing up in a small inner-city house in mid 20th century Sydney involved being outdoors pretty much most of the time
Conservation
Susannah Place conservation project
A behind-the-scenes look at some of the complex work that goes into conserving and preserving the fascinating Susannah Place Museum
Plant your history
A mossy analogy for Susannah Place: small but mighty
Mosses are everywhere! They are small, mighty, unsung and inhabit the most unusual places. They can be found in all our museum outdoor spaces if one looks closely enough
‘Everyone worked at the waterfront’
Sydney Harbour was the lifeblood of the thriving working‑class community who once lived in The Rocks, including the residents of the four terrace houses that now make up Susannah Place Museum