Make/Change Collective

10/06/2026

Did you know that Woman Grows Jeans began as a collaboration between textile artist Justine Aldersey-Williams and fashion designer Patrick Grant, best known as a judge on BBC's Great British Sewing Bee?

Together they set out to answer an extraordinary question:

Could a pair of jeans be grown entirely on British soil?

What followed was a years-long experiment involving flax, indigo, spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing. More than 600 hours later, Justine created the UK's first pair of homegrown jeans.

This Friday we're delighted to host the Scottish premiere of Woman Grows Jeans at Studio Moffat.

After the screening, Justine will be joining us live online for a Q&A.

Friday 12 June • 7pm • Studio Moffat • Scottish Premiere • Live Q&A • Suggested contribution £8 • Pay what you can

Book here:
https://www.ticketsource.com/makechange/woman-grows-jeans/e-vgdapl

08/06/2026

WOMAN GROWS JEANS • SCOTTISH PREMIERE • LIVE Q&A WITH JUSTINE ALDERSEY-WILLIAMS

This Friday at Studio Moffat we're delighted to host the Scottish premiere of Woman Grows Jeans.

The film follows textile artist Justine Aldersey-Williams as she sets out to grow, harvest, spin, weave and sew a pair of jeans entirely from scratch.

After the screening, we'll be joined live online by Justine herself — the woman who grew the jeans — for a Q&A.

Check out the trailer to find out more.

📅 Friday 12 June, 7pm
📍 Studio Moffat
💷 Suggested contribution £8 (pay what you can available)

Tea, coffee, soft drinks and home baking included.

Book tickets: https://www.ticketsource.com/makechange/woman-grows-jeans/e-vgdapl

Watch the whole 50 minute documentary here https://kinema.com/films/woman-grows-jeans-full-film-ccr2vyWhen an ambitious experiment between a textile activist...

08/06/2026

What We Do #1: We Bring People Together

People often discover Make/Change through a film, a gig, a workshop, the Seed Library, the Timebank or one of our community events.

At first glance those things can seem quite different, but they're all connected by a simple idea: bringing people together.

Some people come along to meet new people. Some want to learn something useful. Some are looking for ways to get involved in their community. Others are simply curious.

We believe good things happen when people have the chance to spend time together, share ideas, learn from one another and make things happen together.

That's what sits behind everything we do.

How did you first come across Make/Change?

05/06/2026

I've found myself thinking about Woman Grows Jeans a lot since I first heard about it.

Not because I want to grow a pair of jeans. I know myself well enough to realise they would end up in my pile of UFOs (UnFinished Objects) - or worse, be left in the seed packet for decades.

But it really brought home how little attention we pay to the work that goes into making the things we use every day.

How much was your last pair of jeans? Not so much that you'd have to work for 75 days to pay for them, I bet. Yet director Justine Aldersey-Williams spent around 600 hours (or 75 eight-hour days) growing, spinning, dyeing, weaving and sewing a single pair from scratch.

I'm not saying that we should all rush out and make our own clothes (have you got a UFO pile too?).

But it's that question of value. Do we really honour the time, labour and skill behind the things we buy? And what have we lost as more and more of those skills disappear from our everyday lives?

We're delighted to be hosting the Scottish premiere at Studio Moffat on Friday 12 June, followed by a live online Q&A with Justine herself. We'd love you to join us.

Book tickets: https://www.ticketsource.com/makechange/woman-grows-jeans/e-vgdapl

28/05/2026

We’ve been talking a lot recently about what it actually means for Moffat and the surrounding area to become more resilient — not in a grand dramatic way, but in small, practical, neighbourly ways that make life better now as well as in the future.

One idea we’d love to explore through the Upper Annandale Timebank and Climate Ready Moffat & District is a community “Garden Hit Squad”.

Across the area there are gardens which have become too large or difficult for their owners to manage alone, while at the same time many people want opportunities to grow food, learn skills, spend more time outdoors or simply do something useful together.

So we’re wondering…

Could we help bring some of these spaces back into use?

The idea would be simple:
🥕 volunteers help clear, reclaim and grow food in unused parts of gardens
🥔 produce is shared with the householder and the growers
🥬 any surplus could go to local food hubs and community sharing projects

Some people might want to:
• help with digging, weeding or watering
• share growing knowledge
• offer tools, seedlings or compost
• grow food alongside others
• offer part of a garden that’s become too much to manage

You absolutely wouldn’t need to be an expert gardener. This is more about community, mutual support and learning together.

At the moment we’re simply testing the waters to see whether there’s interest locally — so if this sparks something for you, leave a comment or send us a message!

26/05/2026