Visible garment mending workshop with the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is hosting a visible mending and embroidery workshop at the Parkway Central Library on Saturday, October 24. It's a three-hour session that runs from 12 PM to 3 PM in the library's Art Department, and it's free to attend.

The project is led by Pride & Prevention, the chapter's LGBTQ+-focused team. They're working with factory-second T-shirts—shirts with small flaws that would otherwise be discarded—and teaching visible mending and embroidery techniques to transform them into one-of-a-kind pieces. The idea is to lean into the repair rather than hide it, turning a mistake or a tear into a feature that celebrates creativity, sustainability, and self-expression.

Beyond the sewing, the workshop is meant as a gateway to mental health resources and AFSP programs. The organizers describe it as an affirming space centered on connection, creativity, and mental wellness. That focus comes from a heavy place: The Trevor Project's 2025 U.S. National Survey found that 36% of LGBTQ+ young people had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, a number that rises to 40% for transgender and nonbinary young people, compared to around 15% of all U.S. high school students.

The session is held in the Art Department on the second floor of the Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway. The building is fully accessible, with a wheelchair-accessible entrance on Wood Street near 20th Street, a lift to the second floor, and public restrooms on the first floor and ground floor. It's free, and it runs from 12 PM to 3 PM on Saturday, October 24.