Impossible Blankets
Some time ago, we were sent approximately 10 banana boxes of small off-cuts of knitted merino from the Glowing Sky manufacturers in Invercargill. Some of these off-cuts were a great size for making children's-were, such as t-shirts, leggings and singlets, and many a happy shopper has left our studio with big bags of this beautiful quality merino knit and even bigger smiles.
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!?
In the spirit of taking conundrums to the community to problem solve together, we soon had a solution!
Fienie is one of our beloved long term volunteers and a very tallented at working with merion and knitwear to mak clothing for her lovely grandchildren, and she came up with an innovative use for her off-cuts! She began making small patchwork snuggle rugs for her grandchildren <3
Another of our amazing regular volunteers, Jo, who is a keen spinner and weaver (as well as a very talented upcycler!) had been involved with her local craft group making blankets for Dunedin Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Suddenly the cogs in our brains whirled into action, we talked with the volunteer coordinator at NICU, and we had a new Community Project!
We've had fun working out the process for production, but we're starting to make great progress and pick up speed, and gaining confidence with our creativity!
The beauty of our Community Projects, is that anyone can join in. You don't need to have a sewing background, as everyone works together and shares skills and learns together. It's a great way to build experience and confidence, as well as enjoy some social time getting to know a wide range of lovely people.
We meet and work on this project each Thursday, from 10:30am - 1pm (ish).
See our event calendar for updates!“I have been a volunteer at Stitch Kitchen for about 5 years as I support their philosophy to reduce fabric waste, recycle, repurpose, upcycle and to teach people to sew, mend and repair clothes and other skills. Education about how to care for clothes, to shop wisely, to consider what type of fabric to use and to promote ethical brands or to shop for good quality second hand clothing are also important aspects of what their aims are.
I have noticed other volunteers embrace and support what is done at stitch kitchen, gain confidence and learn new skills. The benefits of social interaction between volunteers and reaching and teaching people of various walks of life and nationalities are also evident.
Regardless why people attend workshops run by Stitch Kitchen the additional social benefit of being with other people is not to be overlooked. I have noticed this in particular for people from other nationalities who have the opportunity to meet and interact with locals in a non-threatening and safe social environment.” ~Fienie
To join us, simply get in touch or pop into the studio anytime we're open, and we can go from there. Any questions welcome!
We would also love to hear from anyone keen to contribute to this project by 'sponsoring a quilt' by making a donation to Stitch Kitchen. Our Community Projects cost approximately $6,000 per year to run. We are very grateful to the DCC Community Grants scheme, which will fund this project for the rest of this year (July-March 2023).
We are still catching up though for the full year, and value all community contributions and donations to help us cover costs of planning and running the working bees.
