Our upcoming Bike Repair Workshop runs on Saturday 28th October at 10am here at the Alphington Community Centre and costs $25.

It will be super for teenagers who ride to school or anyone who rides to work etc. It is an interactive, hands-on bike maintenance experience, and in the workshop you will learn:

• ABCD check: the essential safety check before every ride.

• Bike fit: how to set your seat at the correct height, and other adjustment related issues.

• Inner tube replacement: what to do when you get a flat tyre, what essentials to carry when riding.

• Puncture repair: how to use a patch-kit to patch a punctured tube (better for the environment).

• Brake adjustment: how to check and adjust your brakes, or replace brake pads as needed.

• If time allows and if it is of interest to the group, disc brake adjustment, care, maintenance, decontaminating, and pad replacement

• Chain replacement: what to do if your chain comes off during a ride.

• Drive-train clean and lube: how to keep clean and lube your drive-train to keep your bike running smoothly and extend the life of expensive components.

Book your place here. Places are limited.

The next repair workshop we are hosting will be a great one.

It runs on Saturday 21st October at 10am here at the Alphington Community Centre and costs $25.

This Bicycle Repair Workshop is an interactive, hands-on bike maintenance experience. It includes demonstrations and explanations of bicycle maintenance essentials, and opportunities for participants to practice on their own bikes.  

In the workshop you will learn:

• ABCD check: the essential safety check before every ride.

• Bike fit: how to set your seat at the correct height, and other adjustment related issues.

• Inner tube replacement: what to do when you get a flat tyre, what essentials to carry when riding.

• Puncture repair: how to use a patch-kit to patch a punctured tube (better for the environment).

• Brake adjustment: how to check and adjust your brakes, or replace brake pads as needed.

• If time allows and if it is of interest to the group, disc brake adjustment, care, maintenance, decontaminating, and pad replacement

• Chain replacement: what to do if your chain comes off during a ride.

• Drive-train clean and lube: how to keep clean and lube your drive-train to keep your bike running smoothly and extend the life of expensive components.

Book your place here. Places are limited.

Preston Garden Club is holding a special event at their October meeting. They will have a cuttings and seedling giveaway. a talk on Permaculture and a free supper.  

The meeting is at Preston Shire Hall at 8.00pm, Wednesday, 25/10/23.  

Preston Shire Hall is at 286 Gower Street, Preston.

Women in the Shed continues in Term 4.

Be quick to book a place in either the Introduction or the Intermediate course.

The 6 week program begins on Thursday 19th of October. We hope to see you here.

Our clothing repair workshop is coming up in Term 4, on Saturday 28 October. It starts at 10am and costs $10.

If you’d like to repair your clothes but you don’t know how to sew, this workshop is for you!

Join professional mender Mary-Ellen Jordan to learn simple sewing skills that just use a needle and thread, before progressing to some more advanced skills such as decorative stitching and patching for funky visible repairs. This workshop will cover:

• Types of needles and thread and their uses

• Basic hand sewing stitches

• How to hand stitch up a seam that’s come undone

• How to hand stitch up a hem that’s come undone

• How to sew on a button

• How to make a patch and stitch it onto your garment

• Some fancier stitches to boost your visible mending game

• Ideas and tricks for visible mending

Bring along a garment that you’d like to repair, or just come along and use the available materials to learn the techniques for future use.

Mary-Ellen Jordan is a professional mender who almost always uses simple hand stitching techniques in her work. She specialises in visible mending, putting a contemporary twist on traditional mending techniques by using them to fix a problem and add a touch of colour, pattern or texture to the garment. You can see some examples on Mary-Ellen’s facebook and instagram accounts @thetinyinstitute.

Book your place here.