Throughout October and the lead up to the 31st, retail, e-commerce sites and grocery stores cast spells over customers to make them buy mass-produced Halloween food, candy, costumes, decorations and other paraphernalia.
And this is only the beginning.

In July we started a new collaboration with the wonderful work of the South Dunedin Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers with their Read, Share, Grow project. 

We are thrilled to have engagement with students and their innovation and energy towards our mission to inspire and build community through creative practices, while reducing textile waste and its impact on our environment.

For our 8th year, we anticipated changes as we moved from being a ‘start up’ and becoming a long term sustainable service in our community. For all our growing pains, we are considerably wiser and stronger than we were a year ago.

The last six months have been… challenging, as the social and financial impact of COVID-19 has sunk in.

We know we’re not alone in finding things tough as the year winds up, but we’ve had fun coming up with fundraising ideas that could provide some welcome relief in more ways than one, providing ways to come together and achieve common and individual goals.

Inspiration to help you fall in love with using ‘scraps’, and let your creativity thrive while making the world more awesome by keeping these materials out of landfill.

A new chapter is beginning at Stitch Kitchen. We have just celebrated our 7th Birthday, and it seems a natural time to revisit the achievements of the years past, and make fresh plans for the years to come.

As a volunteer-lead organisation, we know the joy of volunteering as a way to enrich our own lives as well as adding what we have to give to enrich the people and the environment around us.

At Stitch Kitchen, like people, fabric comes in all shapes and sizes. From scraps smaller than the palm of your hand that make you wonder ‘what can you do with this?’, to huge rolls of many meters of fabric, that make you wonder ‘what can you do with THIS?’.

Of the 8 million metric tons of plastic waste that enters our oceans every year, as much as 236,000 tons of it are microplastics. THE GUPPYFRIEND WASHING BAG extends the life of your clothes while protecting our environment.

You’ve probably picked up that we have fabric at Stitch Kitchen… and patterns and yarn. We have all those extras you need to complete your project too!

Join us at Stitch Kitchen in celebrating the 9th year of Fashion Revolution. The international network that empowers individuals and communities to learn about the industry, to voice concerns, and celebrate those who are helping to create a just and equitable fashion system for people and the planet.

When faced with over 1000kgs of fabric, you can either get buried… or get sewing! Our custom made not only make our collection approx 8kgs lighter, but give you a beautiful pouffe to use as a kids seat; footstool or simply as a peace of soft sculpture in the corner of a room <3

In these days of ordering online in a minute, and then spending hours resizing, only to have the fabric fall apart after the first wash… returning to the slower ways of home dressmaking is becoming more appealing once again.

Bridget Dalley started with us as a volunteer last year, she gave a helping hand in our classes and was an excellent part of our customer service team in our Maker's Pantry. This year, we are super excited for Bridget to step up as the lead tutor in our Sewing for Beginners class

But what to do with all the 'impossibly small' off-cuts? (Some only 3x6cm. Many of them odd shapes and sizes.) The knit material doesn't lend itself to the traditional scrap buster of patchwork...or does it!?

Thanks to everyone who has been involved and supported us in small and mighty ways throughout the year! You make what we do here possible!

If you'd like to be part of our amazing community in 2022, we'd love to see you!

Each year, Dunedin sends 4 THOUSAND TONNES of textile waste to the Green Island landfill! These textiles make up 5% of the total waste, and 8% of the carbon emission produced by the landfill.

With awareness growing about the need for us to re-think how we produce and manage waste, and reduce our carbon emissions to slow global warming, we have created a project that takes these heavy issues, and makes them... a little lighter!

Repairing things isn’t a new idea. Anyone who has made anything understands the vested interest in not having to make it again without good reason, as it’s far easier and cheaper to repair, adjust, refine, repurpose than it is to recreate from scratch.