Make & Mend

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Make & Mend

Making & Mending from my sewing studio in Athenree. Sewing Workshops
Repairs & Alterations
Pattern Making
https://makeandmendnz.com/

28/10/2026

Term 4 Sewing is underway ✂️

This term is a little different to my usual way of teaching. Instead of everyone working through the same project together, we’re all bringing something different to the cutting table.

There are shorts, dresses, multiple pairs of family pants and shirts, with everything from vintage sheets being cut into, beautiful organic linens, delicate silk, and even men’s shirts getting a second life through upcycling.

I love seeing all the different projects unfold side by side and being able to help each person bring their own ideas to life.

The Wednesday sessions are now full, but if this sounds like your kind of sewing day, I have a one-day workshop in Katikati on November 21st where you can bring along your own project and I’ll be there to help guide you through it.

Got a pattern sitting untouched in your stash? A project you’ve been too scared to tackle? Or a garment you’re ready to give a new life? Bring it along!

23/10/2026

There’s something lovely about bringing out the same handmade Christmas decorations year after year, especially when you’ve made them yourself.

We’re getting together at Envirohub in Tauranga for a few hours of sewing and a little Christmas making.

We’ll be making Christmas stockings, but if stockings aren’t really your thing, you can turn yours into a bag instead.

Everything you need is here, including fabric and sewing machines, although you’re very welcome to bring along your own fabric if there’s something you’d like to use.

This workshop is for the grown ups. Come on your own or bring a friend. There’ll be plenty of guidance, time for a chat and hopefully a finished stocking or bag to take home.

Sunday 15 November 10am - 1.30pm $30 per person (partially funded thanks to Envirohub) Envirohub, 31B Glasgow Street, Tauranga

Book your spot at makeandmendnz.com

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Make and Mend is an Athenree based sewing studio offering pattern making, alterations, made to measure clothing and workshops across the Bay of Plenty with a focus on making well, reworking what we have and sharing practical sewing skills.

16/10/2026

When someone tells me they’ve given up on a piece of clothing, I'm curious to know why.

Maybe it doesn’t sit quite right anymore. The zip has gone. The elastic has had it. Or it’s been hanging in the wardrobe for months because something about it just feels off.

Sometimes there’s an easy fix. Sometimes there’s a bit more figuring out to do. And sometimes, actually, it’s okay to let it go.

But if you still love the fabric, the shape, the way it makes you feel, or you just really want to wear it again, I think it’s always worth having a look at what’s possible.You might be surprised by how much we can work with.

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Make and Mend is an Athenree based sewing studio offering pattern making, alterations, made to measure clothing and workshops across the Bay of Plenty with a focus on making well, reworking what we have and sharing practical sewing skills.

12/10/2026

A lot of sewing makes more sense once you understand why you’re doing something.

Pressing a seam at the right point can make the next step sit beautifully. The order you put a garment together matters. And when something isn’t sitting quite right, there’s usually a reason for it.

These are the little things I like to talk about while we’re making.

You don’t need to know them before you start. But each time you sew, you begin to notice a little more. How fabric behaves. How things are constructed. What to look for when something doesn’t quite work.

And that knowledge follows you into whatever you make next.

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Make and Mend is an Athenree based sewing studio offering pattern making, alterations, made to measure clothing and workshops across the Bay of Plenty with a focus on making well, reworking what we have and sharing practical sewing skills.

30/09/2026

When I make a custom made garment, I’m looking at your measurements, your proportions, how you like your clothes to sit and how you want to feel wearing them.

Because two people who buy the same size off the rack can have completely different bodies. A standard size has to make a lot of assumptions that I don’t have to make when I’m sewing for one person.

That’s the nice thing about making for one person. I’m not trying to make you fit a standard size. I’m working from the person standing in front of me.

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Make and Mend is an Athenree based sewing studio offering pattern making, alterations, made to measure clothing and workshops across the Bay of Plenty with a focus on making well, reworking what we have and sharing practical sewing skills.

28/09/2026

This textile piece is currently on display at Lume Gallery on Waiheke, as part of the group exhibition ‘Intertwined’ — a collection exploring connection, creativity and the threads that bring us together.

Made from textile remnants and pieced together using the traditional Korean technique of Bojagi, it explores connection, layering, light and the beauty of bringing small pieces together to create something new.

I’ll also be heading to Waiheke next weekend to share this technique in a hands-on Bojagi workshop at Lume — a few hours of stitching, creativity and playing with scraps.

If you’ve been curious about Bojagi, this is your chance to come along and have a go.

25/09/2026

Not made to a size. Made to you.

I’ve never believed that you should have to change yourself to fit your clothes.

Bodies change. Life changes. Sometimes our style changes too. And sometimes a piece you’ve loved for years just doesn’t work for you in quite the same way anymore.

That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the garment, or with you. It might just need to change with you.

That’s what I love about alterations. Sitting down with someone, hearing what isn’t working anymore and figuring out what we can do with what’s already there.

Sometimes it’s a small change. Sometimes we rethink the garment completely. Either way, I want your clothes to work for the person you are now.

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Make and Mend is an Athenree based sewing studio offering pattern making, alterations, made to measure clothing and workshops across the Bay of Plenty with a focus on making well, reworking what we have and sharing practical sewing skills.

Address

Athenree
3177

Website

https://www.makeandmendnz.com/

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