Sustainable Sewing with Lauren Jade
Learn to sew in Bunbury, Western Australia with Lauren Jade Makes. Tips and tricks for learning the ancient art of sewing, with a special focus on sustainability.
Melissa Thimios · 25 May 2026 · 4 min read
Join Melissa from CourseSpot as we shine a light on teacher-preneur Lauren Jade, who is sharing her gift of sewing with others via her classes in Eaton's Community Hive. We especially love Lauren Jade's passion for sustainability and upcycling fabrics into groovy new garments. Check out Lauren Jade's instagram here and her website here (built with CourseSpot, of course!)
What’s the most rewarding part of teaching sewing classes?
I absolutely love teaching people how to sew; it’s a dream come true, really! Most students that do my Beginner Garment workshop have never turned on a sewing machine. Then to watch the pure joy and excitement as they hold up their first make and exclaim “I made this” is the best!
Watching them process all the steps and then seeing it all come together and make sense, it’s like they have just performed a magic trick.
A lot of my students come back again and again and just want more; they catch the sewing bug and that brings me a huge amount of joy, I am really proud to be able to provide this service to people.
If your sewing machine could talk, what would it complain about most?
Oh my gosh it would scream at me to clean and oil it and stop using blunt needles! I really need to slow down sometimes and take the time to care for my machines, I just get so busy!
If someone wants to start sewing at home, what equipment do they actually need?
This is a great question and something I think can stump people and hold them back from starting. You actually don’t need a lot so here are my recommendations:
A simple sewing machine! When you start looking you will notice a huge variation in price and extra features. Some will be computerised, some will have a huge amount of different stitches. These are not necessary for a beginner and in my opinion actually make things more complicated. As a beginner you don’t need to spend a lot of money, a basic machine that does a straight and zigzag stitch will keep things simple and you can sew a beautiful wardrobe of clothing with it.
A sharp pair of fabric scissors. Most people would recommend Fiskas, but try them out in the shop and see what feels comfortable in your hands. This is something worth spending a little bit extra money on.
Pins
A sewing tape measure
Fabric pen, the heat erasable pens are the best!
Note pad, pen and ruler.
I also like to remind people you don’t need to buy any of these things brand new either; my only advice for buying second hand is make sure your machines (sewing or overlocker) have a manual!
I saw that you sometimes offer Upcycled Winter Coat Workshops (awesome!) How can sewing help people live more sustainably?
If you practise sustainable sewing methods it can essentially eliminate any need for you to buy new clothing, sewing supplies and fabrics. It can mean that you are no longer contributing to fast fashion, you are helping to slow down the environmental impacts that the fashion industry has on the planet and you are saving a whole heap of things from going into land fill.
There is so much already out there that I have very rarely had to by anything brand new. 90% of my wardrobe is made by me from sustainable textiles such as tablecloths, bedsheets, doona covers, second hand clothing and vintage fabrics. If you take the time to go and find these things at places like op shops and garage sales, you will get everything you need. This also makes it far more affordable too!
What fabric can you never walk past at an op shop without wanting to rescue it?
Oh anything with a retro print on it, think 70s wallpaper vibes! 70s bedsheets with floral prints in purples and blues or oranges, browns and yellows ... I die! They are becoming harder to find, but I would never ever leave one behind! I also almost always grab a good linen tablecloth as they make excellent pants.