A chat with Repair Cafe Wales..

Here’s our conversation written by Kath, I hope you enjoy, Gem…

In the second of our series of interviews connecting with other organisations in Wales which share our core values of waste reduction, skill sharing and community cohesion, I met up with Gemma of Lark Design Make which is based in Roath, Cardiff. After spending 12 years as a Design & Technology teacher overseas, Gemma, a passionate crafter, returned to her hometown and fulfilled a life-long dream of opening up her own crafting business.

I first met Gemma last December when I joined one of her sewing classes to learn how to make reusable festive gift bags, so I already had first-hand experience of her enthusiasm for skill sharing and helping others to reduce waste. As one of our key aims at RCW is to repair things rather than throw them away, I was keen to find out other ways that Lark Design Make's activities result in waste reduction:

"One of my current projects is the 'Ready, steady, craft' competition for children which I set up after lockdown began. Every Monday morning, I use Facebook live and set a challenge for participants to make something from six items of rubbish that I select. One week the challenge was to make 'a balloon popping vehicle' and another was 'talking sticks'. The children have a week to make their items and have been really imaginative. The entries are posted on Facebook and anyone can vote and they win crafty prizes and a chance to help me plan the next challenge.

“I also create videos of ideas to give household items a second life such as making soft worms and monkeys from old socks. Another popular video is how to make face wipes from old towels, sheets and pillowcases which can be used instead of cotton wool to remove make-up. Not only does this give old household items another use, but it also means that less cotton wool is thrown away."

I was eager to find out even more about how Gemma promotes skill sharing, another of our prime objectives at RCW. Our visitors are invited to sit with their volunteer repairers to watch and discuss the repair, enabling skills to be passed on:

"I'm very keen on sharing my 'top tips'. I usually try out several ways to create something, so once I've found the best and easiest, I share it either on the website or on Facebook. I've recently been finding out the most practical way to make a face covering and posted it on YouTube. I've included tips on how to make the pattern if you don't have a printer and also how to sew by hand or with a machine. As any natural material can be used, old items such as cushion covers can also be repurposed.”

Also, at the beginning of lockdown, I made a video about how to knit or crochet hearts for NHS workers and I was amazed by how many people of all ages got involved. Unfortunately, due to health and safety reasons, we were unable to give the hearts to NHS workers. We didn’t want them to go to waste so we added the hearts to greetings cards and asked our customers to nominate friends and family who would like a card and we popped them in post with a personalised message, all we asked in return was that they ‘shared the love’ and did something nice in their community, we also placed bundles in the local telephone boxes which are being used for libraries.

I also asked Gemma how Lark Design Make promotes community cohesion which RCW's pop up sessions aim to do by inspiring and connecting local residents from different backgrounds:

"I hope that everyone feels welcome at Lark Design Make. As I've lived internationally and have spent time in many places including Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines and Cambodia I have friends from all over the world and from different backgrounds. Lots of different people came to Lark Design Make before the current restrictions were imposed and I hope they will all come back when it is safe to. For example, my studio was used every Monday by a parent group from Cathays High School who had embroidery sessions. Although I didn't take these sessions, I always popped in to say hello to the ladies who were mainly from Bangladesh and Afghanistan. My regular craft nights on alternate Thursday evenings are open to everyone. The cost of £2 includes tea and coffee as well as the material for everyone to make something and take home with them. These evenings are relaxed and fun and a great way of meeting new people. Fortunately, we've been able to continue the sessions online during lockdown on zoom. I've also streamed about 50 videos which are freely available online."

This led me on to my final questions regarding the current restrictions which have meant that RCW has been unable to hold public events. Instead, we have been streaming virtual repairs which can be watched here: (Cerys to insert link). Although Gemma had already told me about some of the changes brought about by the COVID-19 situation, I wondered whether there were any other effects:

"I've really embraced Zoom and have enjoyed lots of virtual events. This has included birthday parties making macramé plant hangers as well as the craft nights, where participants currently bring their own material to work on and we have fun and a chat. I also deliver material locally by bicycle for anyone who books an online craft workshop and I've started an online shop where local people can click and collect their craft material which they can make themselves using my accompanying videos for instructions. I have rental kits for soap-making, lipstick & lip balm making, memo boards and weaving which people of all ages can enjoy, and once used they are returned to me for reuse which means that people do not need to buy their own moulds, looms, staples guns and so on which they may only use once."

So, if you've been inspired, as I certainly have been, and would like to make some of the items discussed, have a look at Lark Design Make's link for tutorials: https://www.larkdesignmake.co.uk/tutorials

Join us next time to find out more about another Welsh organisation which shares our core values.

Gemma Forde14 July 2020Cardiff, cafes