The Making of Defashion Dorset
Jennifer Morisetti has been passionate about textiles since her teens, when she began repurposing second-hand clothes into new outfits. Her early interest in making was shaped by time spent with her mother and grandmother — both of whom knitted or crocheted, though neither sewed. That absence is partly what sparked her own sewing journey. That early curiosity turned into a lifelong relationship with sewing, mending, and sustainable fashion. She went on to study textiles and fashion design, and wherever life took her — whatever job she was doing — there was always a sewing project close at hand, something on the go in the evenings or spare moments.
She is the founder of Defashion Dorset, a two-day event focused on fibre, mending, and local making, held each May at Hawkers Farm. With a strong emphasis on education and skill-sharing, exhibitors are carefully chosen to reflect the values of sustainability, creativity, and community connection.
A Farm for Fibre
Hawkers Farm sits near Duncliffe Wood, with views stretching across the Blackmore Vale. When Jenny and her Husband bought it in 2005, it had been neglected — broken fences, outbuildings crumbling, the orchard overgrown. They set to work restoring the land, planting hedges, and bringing the old milking parlour back to life.
That parlour is now the heart of Hawkers Re-Creatives, a stitching hub that hosts drop-in repair and sewing sessions every Thursday morning. People come with their own project and there are experienced sewers to give advice if needed or they join in a communal project like making use of unwanted ties. There are plenty of free resources available including fabric and thread.
Defashion Dorset: A Celebration of Local Fibre
In May 2025, Hawkers Farm welcomed spinners, stitchers, weavers, and wool lovers from across the region for the third Defashion Dorset. Held over two days, the event included talks, demonstrations, a fabric giveaway, and stalls full of natural fibre clothes, yarns, tools, and more.
On Friday, the focus was on “making do” — with mending workshops, clothes swaps, and practical advice on getting the most from what you already have. On Saturday, the spotlight turned to local fibres: Dorset wool, hand-harvested flax, and even a project making jeans from plants grown in Sussex.
Jenny beams as she tells me about a moment during the weekend: “We had a flax grower talking to a lacemaker, and suddenly they were planning a collaboration. It was exactly what I’d hoped would happen.”
Workshops ran throughout the weekend — spinning, embroidery, sewing, upcycling — and there were demonstrations of everything from flax processing to lace techniques. Food was available from the café, and visitors could also browse the Wear Me Out clothing library, which lends out beautiful occasion outfits — including hats and handbags.
“It’s not a fancy event,” Jenny says. “It’s a practical one.”
A Stitching Life
Jenny’s roots in fibre are both personal and global. For the last 20 years, she’s also supported a women’s charity in India that teaches sewing and business skills. Many of the upcycled sari clothes at Hawkers Farm come from there.
The Thursday sewing group at the barn continues all year round, and new visitors are always welcome — especially if they’re curious about stitching and natural fibres!
“Some of the ladies who come are incredible,” she says. “They’ve been sewing for decades. They remember when you really had to make do — because there wasn’t anything else. They’ve got so much to teach.”
Want to Visit?
Drop in to the Thursday stitching group — 10–12.30 at Hawkers Farm, SP8 5LZ
Browse or borrow from the Wear Me Out clothing library
Join the mailing list at www.hawkersfarm.org
Email Jenny: info@hawkersfarm.org