SETU Carlow Library now has make and mend kits available to borrow, containing everything you need to mend or patch your clothes. We also have crochet kits for anyone who wants to learn how to crochet, including a crochet hook and your choice of four colours from a beautiful selection of 100% cotton yarn.  

These resources were acquired by the library to support a sustainable fashion Community of Practice: SETU Carlow students and staff who met weekly throughout the 2025/26 academic year. Together we learned to mend our clothes and how to crochet – with varying levels of success! Some of our creations were a little wobbly, but while our crochet skills were developing, we built strong connections over seven months of weekly meet-ups.

Community of Practice 

A Community of Practice is defined by Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner as a group of people who “share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” Our Make and Mend community of practice has been an absolute pleasure to be involved in. From the outset, the project attracted a diverse group of students with a shared interest in sustainability and creativity. We met weekly in the Library Learning Lab for an hour of conversation, peer learning and support, with attendance varying depending on class schedules and assignment deadlines.

Déanamh agus Deisiú 

In March, the Make and Mend community welcomed Roisin Sheehy, SETU’s Irish Language Officer, for a bilingual session. Many of the 2025/26 participants were international students, but there was still plenty of chat as Gaeilge. Those from Ireland discovered their Irish was better than they remembered, while those from outside Ireland picked up a cúpla focal.

Sitting around a table with everyone occupied in a shared activity proved to be a great way to spark conversation and build friendships. We are very much looking forward to running the project again during the 2026/27 academic year.  

Find out more  

All information about the project, including the kits and the book collection, is available on the Make and Mend Project LibGuide.  

The Make and Mend Library Project was funded through SATLE (Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement), administered by the Higher Education Authority’s National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.