Over the course of 12 weeks, we’ve been teaching sewing skills at temporary accommodation Woodward Court, which enabled us to really connect with the participants, and provide a varied programme. The weekly crafternoons were a great place for residents to relax, learn skills, and foster a community space.
Residents learnt to use a sewing machine, and how to translate that into mending, reworking, and creating. We made draught excluders out of reclaimed fabric and filling, which will enable them to help insulate their homes with a unique style. Others worked on their own projects, like a series of flag patches that were personally significant to them, using techniques such as quilting and cross stitch. It was a great way to connect with people and give them a space to explore their own creativity. Excitingly, these crafternoons will be continuing after our programme. We’re passionate about using our skills and experience to set up these third spaces for communities, which can self run in the future.
We love getting the opportunity to work over a longer period with a group or organisation, as there’s so much we can help them with and build over the weeks. If you’d like us to work with you to create a similar programme of events, we’d love to hear from you.
