The rhythmic whirring and thumping of sewing machines rang steady at the Leaven Community Center Saturday morning as volunteers from across Portland came together to mend old clothing and other fabric items for people free of charge.
Cheryl Baker, one of the dozen volunteers at the PDX Repair event and a sewer of 60 years, carefully guided a blanket through her machine as small feathers escaped the seams. What’s seemingly ruined can almost always be restored, she said.
“It’s a great way to get across the point that just because something needs to be mended doesn’t mean it needs to be thrown away,” Baker said. “We don’t need to add to the landfill.”
That ethos is what formed Repair PDX in 2013. The organization hosts events where people can bring broken appliances and torn clothing to be repaired for free by volunteers. Saturday’s event was exclusively for sewing, but the group hosts other events throughout the year.
“I think people that come to these events really appreciate it that their things can be fixed,” Baker said. “I love to see at the other events, when people bring in their vacuum cleaners and that kind of stuff, what people can actually fix very quickly.”
Scores of people in need of clothing repair came through the community center’s doors at 5431 N.E. 20th Ave. Repair PDX recently made the location its home base.
Jeffrey Silverstein was attending for the first time after a friend recommended the event. He needed a hat strap restitched.
“This seems like it puts up at least somewhat of a fight against fast fashion and waste,” Silverstein said. “Events like this offer community, sustainability and you might learn something, too.”
Co-founder of Repair PDX Lauren Gross was studying in Denmark when she went to her first “repair cafe.” She wanted to bring the concept back home to Portland and started Repair PDX with other sustainability-minded people, she said. The repair program also offers workshops to help people learn how to fix things themselves.
Repair PDX has around 350 people on its volunteer list, all with different skills and expertise, Gross said. The group has received grants from Metro and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in the past, but is otherwise self-funded.
“Our planet is precious,” she said. “The materials we use are limited. We need to take care of our things and we need to take care of each other, and that’s why we do what we do.”
Gross is a proponent of affordable repairs, and was closely following the bill recently passed by the Oregon Legislature giving consumers a legal right to fix their own home electronics. She said it’s a huge step in the right direction in a culture so dependent on replacing broken items.
“It’s one of the strongest repair bills that’s ever been passed in the country,” she said. “It’s exciting because small appliances are also considered home electronics, so hopefully this creates more repair access for those things, too.”
Repair PDX’s next event is 6 p.m.-8 p.m. April 18 at Buckman Elementary School. Those interested in attending something sooner can check out the Milwaukie Repair Fair 10 a.m.-1 p.m. March 16 at Ledding Library, 10660 S.E. 21st Ave.
— Austin De Dios covers public safety and diversity, equity and inclusion. Reach him at 503-319-9744, adedios@oregonian.com or @AustinDeDios.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.