Tell me about your Repair Cafe experiences

MSE_ForumTeam3

The Repair Cafe gets mentioned frequently on the Forum - it runs centres where you can take your broken things (electrical appliances, clothing, furniture etc) and get help repairing them. It's free but donations are welcome.

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I'd like to hear from people who have used one. What did you have repaired? Before and after photos would be a bonus!

Thank you.

Slinky

No photos, but I had a skirt repaired at our local Repair Cafe. The lining fabric was tearing by the zip and a lady very kindly restitched it far more neatly than I would have done. It's my favourite skirt so I was very pleased to get it repaired.

I've also had garden tools sharpened.

thriftwizard

Not usually a customer, but a repairer here! I volunteer at our local Repair Café, doing textile repairs with my daughter's machine or by hand, but also helping adjust customer's own sewing machines as long as there's no electricity involved - the electricians are welcome to sort that out, I'll sort out the threading/tension problems! That said, I will be taking in my own Dremel next time we're "on" as there's clearly a loose connection inside to be sorted out.

I'll see if I can take some pics next time, with permission; in the "sewing room" we've done all sorts, usually clothing, but also hemmed curtains, replaced or mended zips in cushions, re-stitched handbag & backpack handles, visibly or invisibly darned jumpers, replaced the velcro on a pair of trainers & given a very elderly teddy new button eyes. In the big hall, there are electricians, woodworkers, computer, phone & TV techies, & the actual café, and outside there's a bicycle repairer. We only do small-ish jobs, the sort that professional repairers usually turn down, as we wouldn't want to take trade away from them, and we do pass people on to them if appropriate. Every café is different & has volunteers with different skill-sets, we can only envy one up to the north of us that has a knife-&-scissor sharpener, for example. It's great fun being involved, very sociable, and feels like a very worthwhile thing to do; people always seem to be delighted when we can help them.