Contents of upcycled mending kit includes a block printed “Strive for Zero Waste” by Leni Fried of the Old Stone Mill Center.

As a Resident Director, one of my responsibilities is to plan and execute a Life After Williams (LAW) event. LAW events are designed to teach students practical skills that will be useful after we leave Williams, skills that we might not learn in the classroom. For my LAW event, I decided to partner with the FabLab to hold a mending and hemming workshop. Participants were invited to learn basic sewing skills and take home a mending kit, promoting both self-sufficiency and sustainability.

To plan this event, I reached out to David Keiser-Clark, Makerspace Program Manager, who was truly invaluable throughout the process. He connected with the Old Stone Mill Center, a zero-waste makerspace in nearby Adams, MA, and sourced mending kits for our workshop including upcycled materials such as antique sewing scissors, button thread, regular thread, denim scraps for patches, embroidery thread, cork, pins, safety pins, sewing needles, a few buttons, chalk, and a thimble. The Old Stone Mill assembled these materials into custom zippered pouches that they created from upholstery samples.

Students participating in the Life After Williams workshop created by the Residential Life Team

50 upcycled mending kits for this and future mending workshops, created by the Old Stone Mill Center in Adams, MA

Students participating in the Life After Williams workshop created by the Residential Life Team

Final elements, such as fabric tape measures, in-house 3D printed sheaths (for the scissors), seam rippers, and industrial thread, were added to each kit the day before the event. Each kit was a unique work of art and clearly made with care. The event was held on the final day of Earth Month, and I’m grateful to the Zilkha Center for helping to publicize it.

Reflecting on the event itself, I would say it was a great success. I am grateful to Maile Ruiz ‘26, a FabLab student worker, for sharing her expertise as an instructor. Nine students attended, and two of them learned to sew for the first time. I personally mended one of my favorite scrunchies and helped a fellow senior fix the cuff of her sweater. As we all sat around the table, our conversation revolved around the emotional and environmental value of caring for clothing. The senior reflected that she had brought the sweater with her to study abroad and therefore it held memories for her. In repairing it, not only was she able to decrease clothing waste, she was also able to retain the physical reminder of her memories. It was gratifying to know that these kits might empower students to take more agency in maintaining their clothes and, by extension, in reducing waste.

(Thank you to Anderson Keiser-Clark for contributing his Fusion360 design for the scissors sheath. We 3D printed these in flexible TPU (50% infill) and they offer a perfect grip.)

PrusaXL 3D printing a batch of scissors guards

Fusion360 design for the scissors sheath.