Visible Mending with Leah Giblin at Susannah Place

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.