What a pleasure it is to be joined by Athenree-based Sharn on Friends of TFS this week! An artistic creative, educator, patternmaker and sewist, Sharn can be found over on Instagram as @makeandmendnz. We love Sharn's ethical approach to education, and the respect for mending and garment care that is evident in her work. Read on as we chat to Sharn about her sewing journey, hobbies, and projects past and present!

Hey Sharn, please give a brief introduction of yourself to our readers!

I am seamstress, pattern maker, and educator passionate about sustainable fashion and conscious making. I run Make & Mend, where I offer clothing repairs and alterations, custom-made garments, pattern-making services, and sewing workshops aimed at empowering others to relearn valuable skills that have been largely lost in our generation. 

We’d love to hear about your sewing journey - what led you to sewing, how long have you been sewing for etc.

My sewing journey began when I was around ten years old, when my mum taught me the basics. I wanted clothes that I couldn’t find in shops, and sewing quickly became a way for me to express my own style and creativity. 

What is it about sewing that brings you joy?

Sewing allows me to completely lose track of time. All thoughts, responsibilities, and distractions fade away. I find it calming, grounding and creatively fulfilling. 

Tell us about Make and Mend! How did it come about, the ethos behind it, what you hope it offers the community etc.

As my eldest child approached five, my husband and I began looking for a smaller community that could offer a slower pace of life and a nurturing environment for our kids. We found ourselves in Athenree, a small village of around 900 people just outside Waihi Beach. 
After years working in the fashion industry, I wanted to create a business that genuinely served the needs of my local community. Make & Mend was born from that idea. I offer a wide range of sewing services, including pattern making, custom garments, alterations, mending, sewing workshops, and private lessons. Alongside this, I freelance as a designer and pattern maker for Twig & Tale, working on their domestic pattern brand. At its heart, Make & Mend is about caring for the clothes that already exist, up-skilling our community, encouraging creativity, and looking after the environment.

 

Describe the space you use for sewing in 5 words... "Messy, colourful, calm, well loved, imperfect"

Do you have any special sewing tips you’d like to share? Perhaps a little-known tip that you’ve learned from someone wise, or something special you’ve picked up yourself along the way.

Don’t underestimate the value of a toile as well as basting and trying things on as you go. Tweaking the design and fit as you go leads to creating a garment you love to wear thats just right for you. 

Share with us what you learnt from your biggest sewing success

Trust in the process. Taking the time to properly fit, test, and refine a garment always pays off.

And what you learnt from your biggest sewing flop!

Almost anything can be unpicked, and if not it can be turned into something else, which might end up a better design that you had originally set out with.

What projects are you working on, or planning towards, at the moment?

At the moment I’m balancing a mix of client work and personal projects. I’m running regular mending and sewing workshops, working on custom garments and alterations for locals, and continuing my pattern-making work with Twig & Tale. 
I’m also exploring working with textile offcuts as an art form. I have recently sold my first Bojagi inspired patchwork wall hanging in an Auckland Gallery, and would like to expand more into this, as well as custom made Bojagi curtains. 

What kinds of fabrics do you prefer to sew with?

I’m drawn to natural fibres — linen, cotton, wool, and silk. I love fabrics that age beautifully and tell a story over time, and I often work with pre-loved materials or upcycle old garments into something new.

And your top 5 sewing most-used tools?

Set square ruler, snips, Singer industrial plain sewer, mechanical pencil, and my koala pin cushion which ties on to the front of my machine. It the first thing I made when I was studying fashion design and is still going strong 20 years later.

Tell us the story of your favourite wardrobe item/s (doesn’t have to be made by you!)

While I enjoy making clothes, the items I treasure most are vintage pieces I’ve found. I love thinking back to where in the world I was when I found it and the quiet curiosity of who might have worn it in its previous life. Pieces that look handmade or have already been mended feel especially special.

What do you wish you knew about sewing before you started?

I wish I’d known that there’s no single “right” or “wrong” way to sew. Everyone develops their own methods over time, and what matters most is finding what works for you. Sewing can be flexible, forgiving, and creative - it’s okay to experiment, adapt, and make it up as you go.

 

We’d love to come along to one of your mending workshops! Can you tell our readers what to expect when booking a Mend session with you? 

I run a regular Stitch & Bitch evening, in a cosy bar in Waihi Beach. Its social, relaxed, supportive, and hands-on. You can bring along garments that need repair and learn practical mending techniques suited to your skill level. I guide people through visible and invisible mending, as well as altering garments. It’s as much about reconnecting with our clothes, and others in our community, as it is about learning new skills.

Are there any other hobbies or activities you enjoy besides sewing?

When I'm not sewing or crafting with my kids, I enjoy being outdoors - bush walks, ocean swims, kayaking, camping adventures 

If we were visiting Athenree for a day, what would you recommend we do and see!

It would be a very full day, but here’s what a dream day in Athenree would look like: an early morning kayak, followed by a bush walk over to Orokawa Bay, a beachside sauna and ocean swim, and finished off with a margarita from The Secret Garden.

Are there any favourite books, podcasts or blogs that you’d love to share?

I listen to a lot of podcast while I am sewing. I have quite a range of different genres, but one of my favs would be Super Creative.