a Game about Mending
I made this game as part of the 2020 Global Game Jam. The theme for the year was "repair" so I chose to make a game leveraging my 20 years of sewing experience to teach players how to mend a hole in an actual garment or other cloth object.
Developed in Twine, Threads takes players through a series of webpages that provide sewing instruction. In the first stage, players collect the skills needed to mend an object (basic stitches, ironing, etc.) The transitions between skills attempt to use players' mouse clicks to emulate the motions of sewing. Repetitive clicking creates a line of stitching that increases the player's skill level so that each simulated seam allows them to progress to the next stage.
In the future, I'd like to add a narrative element that also connects the players/sewists to important social and historical events in the history of women's labor and the fashion industry, as well as stories from the sewing community.
Though not necessary to play the game, if you would like to try your hand at some real-world mending you will need:
-a cloth object to be mended
-a sewing needle
-thread
Depending on the mending needed you may also need:
-a patch of fabric either matching or contrasting from your project (will be visible)
-iron-on interfacing, either single sided for mending a tear or double sided for mending a hole.