MAAKbar Leuven

This non-profit is a repair lab in Leuven at maakleerplek, Stapelhuisstraat 13, by the Vaartkom. MAAKbar is not a shop but an experimental lab for repairing, sharing and reusing, run by a large group of volunteers. If you would rather mend your clothes than throw them away, this is the place and these are the people to do it with.

MAAKbar grew out of seven years of Repair Cafés in Leuven and opened a permanent space at maakleerplek on 1 April 2019. Behind it all is a simple vision: repair instead of throwing away, and borrow instead of buying. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. You pick up skills, but you also swap tips and ideas with other makers. MAAKbar is a Leuven repair lab where volunteers teach you to sew, mend and swap, without you needing to be handy already.

In the TextielLab you can join the free Open Ateliers: there is an open sewing workshop, a knitting and crochet session and a visible mending evening, where a repair deliberately becomes an eye-catching detail. No registration is needed, and you can arrive late or leave early. At the Repair Café for textiles, experienced sewers help you repair your clothes for a voluntary contribution. If you want to really get the hang of it, there are workshops and a basic sewing course by Femma that teaches you to use a sewing machine step by step. Prices differ per workshop, and with an UiTPAS you pay a lot less. People who do not yet speak Dutch fluently are welcome too. Twice a year there is a clothing swap and a fabric swap, where clothes and fabrics you no longer use find a new owner. Besides textiles, there is the tool library, where members borrow tools instead of buying them. MAAKbar is part of the Leuven Circulair network and works with neighbourhoods, schools, community centres and local businesses. Teams, associations and school classes can rent the workshop space for their own sessions.

Looking for a place in Leuven to repair clothes or learn to sew without spending much? Then drop by MAAKbar at maakleerplek, Stapelhuisstraat 13, by the Vaartkom. Feel free to bring a piece that has been waiting for repair for ages, or just your curiosity. You do not need any skills to start: the volunteers show you how, and you often learn just as much from the other people around the table.