Such a brilliant concept and such a fun weekend activity with friends. Luke is such a friendly, welcoming teacher. We loved it!
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Intro to Upcycling // Full Day Workshop
Learn to sew, upcycle pants and make a lined tote bag with this 5 hour weekend workshop.
This is a great session to share with a mate, learn to sew or see if the world of bag upcycling is for you. You’ll leave with a set of new sewing skills and your own tote bag made from busted pants.
LEARNINGS & OUTCOMES: This five hour workshop (which goes hella fast) covers how to efficiently break down a pair of jeans to maximise working material, learn the process of assembly for creating durable totes and process of assembly for sewing badass totes at home. Which includes:
- Domestic sewing machine fundamentals (if you need to touch up on your skills).
- Guidelines to effectively break down clothing for upcycling.
- Upcycling design (storytelling) and basic patterning (which parts go where)
- How to reconstruct clothing ready for upcycling.
- Tote bag process of assembly (step by step how to make a tote).
- Leave with your own custom tote bag!
👜 Workshop Overview
Turn a pair of pants into your favourite new carry bag. We all have that busted pair of once loved pants hiding up the back of the wardrobe. Op shops won't take them, but you can't bring yourself to throw them out... the good news is, pants are perfect for upcycling! They're durable and if we know how to process them, they have lots of workable surface area to create with... so let your pants live on! Bring them back to life as your new fav tote bag.
*we have dozens of pairs of pants here ready to upcycle if you don't have a pair of pants to bring in :)
♻️ Workshop Learnings
This five hour workshop covers how to efficiently break down a pair of jeans to maximise working material, learn the process of assembly for creating durable totes and process of assembly for sewing badass totes at home. Which includes:
♻️ Domestic sewing machine fundamentals (if you need to touch up on your skills).
♻️ Guidelines to effectively break down clothing for upcycling.
♻️ Upcycling design (storytelling) and basic patterning (which parts go where)
♻️ How to reconstruct clothing ready for upcycling.
♻️ Tote bag process of assembly (step by step how to make a tote).
♻️ Leave with your own custom tote bag!
♻️ Who this workshop is for:
This class is for beginner to intermediate sewers who are keen to learn key upcycling skills to apply to future projects.
Maybe you remember sewing years ago but want to brush up on your skills, maybe you've never sewn before but you want to bring some of your wardrobe back to life.
- No prior sewing skills required.
- Accessible to all skill levels. If you're a gun sewer, we will push you to get even more creative!
- Anyone that hates landfill and loves creating
*All of our courses are designed to meet you at your current skill level. If you're new to sewing, we will guide you through fundamental processes. If you're more experienced, we can push you for a more complex design and manufacturing process.
🚀 Workshop format
🚀 Learn how to effectively cut up clothing for upcycling
🚀 Choose a tote style to create with your pants (size, pocket, strap, lining)
🚀 Make your tote!
🚀 Snacks provided
🚀 Each student will have their own sewing machine. Everyone is welcome to BYO machine if that's preferred.
♻️ Waste Materials
If you don't have a pair of old pants, we have heaps to pants here to choose from.
💚 Included in the workshop:
Each class is guided by two of our expert upcycling facilitators.
We run a maximum of 1:8 expert facilitator : student ratio to ensure everyone get lots of one on one time with each facilitator.
You will learn on your own domestic sewing machine for the 5 hours (you're welcome to bring your own if you prefer)
Includes access to pants and additional waste materials for your bag.
Walk away with a custom made, durable, upcycled tote bag made entirely by you!
All this for $199 per person.
Due to the group sizes of our workshops and the need to organise staffing levels and materials accordingly, the following cancellation terms apply:
Cancellations
- More than 21 days before the workshop: Full refund
- Within 21 days of the workshop: No refunds.
Booking Transfers
- You can transfer your booking to another person (at no charge) by notifying us before the workshop begins.
- Other requests to change workshop dates are subject to availability and our discretion.
Illness
- Please do not attend if you are unwell or have any symptoms of something that could be contagious.
- If you notify us before the workshop starts that you cannot attend due to illness, we can transfer you to another workshop date, within 12 months.
- Refunds are not available within 21 days due to illness.
Non-Attendance
We cannot accommodate refunds, credits, or transfers for non-attendance without prior notice.
Exceptional Circumstances
Any requests outside the above will be considered at our discretion.
To see if the classes are right for you, try our one-off 2 or 5 hour Intro to Sewing or Intro to Bagmaking Classes! :)
Pants into carry
Bag Upcycling
Student Review
Everyone’s tote bags were different, showing great personalities! Thanks for a great day!
Amanda J Smith
FAQ - Bag Making Workshop
You don't need any prior sewing experience to start this workshop. We will teach you how to sew at the beginning of the class and help guide you throughout the session.
If you like it! We have a five week bag making course to continue developing your skills in making epic bags from trash :)
You are welcome to... but you absolutely don't need to. We have an abundance of excess pants here, just ready and waiting to be upcycled.
Uhhhh heck yeah, yes please. This Saturday morning, caffeinated workshop is a great way to catch up with someone over coffee and upcycling.
In fact, if you book at the same time, enter ' BYOMATES ' at checkout for $30 off.
Great question... we are located at 2A Robert St, Collingwood 3066. It's a 3 minute walk from the Peel St tram stop on Smith St. Or it's right off Wellington St and its epic bike path.
Dang right you can... The bag making process is highly adaptable so you can continue making your own versions from home or you can jump on board our next bag making course which begin every few weeks. Check out the next one here.
Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 29 reviews.
A wonderful day! Luke was a great teacher and so much fun to upcycle used material into a funky bag. Thank you!
Such a brilliant concept and such a fun weekend activity with friends. Luke is such a friendly, welcoming teacher. We loved it!
My daughter and her support worker loved the class and the bags they made!!!!
great lil activity. fun and relatively straight forward. my class had wide range of ages and everyone seemed to really enjoy the day :)
My daughter and I enjoyed every minute of this fabulous class and gained some great skills. Luke is amazing - so patient and a great teacher. Thank you for a wonderful class!
LOVED everything about this day! I have told everyone i know to do themselves a favor and attend a workshop!! I did the 4 hour, Make a bag out of a pair of jeans workshop. Loved it soooo much, cant wait to do another!
Had a go at the tote bag up-cycling workshop and loved it! great little Saturday morning activity. learnt a lot and had fun. Highly recommend.
Fabulous class. Had the best time! Highly recommend!
This class delivered everything it promised and gave us the tools to make more at home! We had a great time and loved our results!!
It was a fun way to spend some time. It was well organised, super supportive and completely interactive. I travelled from the Sunshine Coast to do this. I’ll go again.
Teachers were so great so patient and calm, it was such a fun class. 10/10
This is such a fantastic concept. We loved making our own bags out of pre loved jeans. I have never used a sewing machine before and was able to still have a brilliant day and create a very cool bag. Highly recommend the workshops for a great day out.
I had a great time. I would love to do more. It was easy with the great instruction.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to start sewing. I was so happy I brought my friend - she really enjoyed it, even though I realise now she is already quite experienced at upcycling textiles! There were a few moments where I was a little stranded - no space to cut, or had to wait a while before I could ask a question or whatever. But overall I really loved it.
I learned how to sew and construct things! I was really scared picking up sewing because the machines seemed so intimidating but the faciliators (Saskia and Luke) were amazing. My sister was super reluctant to go but she was super happy I pulled her along. I have a lot of old clothes so now I have a better idea how to upcycle them and will definitely continue doing it. I will recommend this workshop to my friends who want to pick up sewing or a hobby!
Absolutely would recommend to anyone no matter what your experience. A low key intimate vibe added to the enjoyment.
Best fun ever. Loved it.
Whilst I gave myself a 5 out of 10 regarding precious sewing experience, I loved the simple design and detailed instruction and support given over 4 hours. I picked up lots of tips and have applied them in making bags for Christmas presents. Well done! Looking forward to more workshops.
A great experience. Fantastic people, guidance and a fun 4 hours!
I learned so much. The class was such with a supportive fun environment! I can’t believe I made a bag!!
I absolutely loved this course! Made a beautiful and functional tote bag. The course facilitators were really helpful and knowledgeable, and the room and vibe was great. Highly recommend!
Facilitation was great! Learnt all the basics of sewing in a straight line and keeping things together. Upcycling is a great way to get started into this hobby! Definitely will be recommending
Great fun! Sasha and Kieran were both informative and fun to be around. The group all interacted well, making for a great day making ourselves totes. Everyone’s tote bags were different, showing great personalities! Thanks for a great day!
The class was for upcycling jeans into a tote bag, it was a lot of fun! The teachers were very friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. I really enjoyed getting creative with my bag.
Class was great! We ended up with a lovely bag and Saskia was so lovely - she was very patient and kind and made everything easy and enjoyable. I learnt a lot about using The sewing machine and ended up very happy with the final product - she was also great at adjusting the class for various knowledge levels and did everything to support us making the bag we want and personalise it. I'd recommend everyone to go and it's great value - free coffee, all materials provided, and we spent 4 hours there getting everything perfect. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to learn a bit more about sewing, making an upcycled bag, or have a great weekend activity.
Fantastic Workshop! I arrived with no prior sewing experience and got out with a new tote bag!
It was easy to follow the instructions and the teachers were very helpful
As someone who did a design course over a decade ago, this was the perfect way to dip back into using a sewing machine again. Further it is a great short session for learning how to use unconventional materials. Will be back to do the full 6 week course!
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