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News and Inspiration

Fabric Sale 2.0

10/8/2019

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We are always delighted to have people pop in to Stitch Kitchen and access our amazing 'pantry' of fabrics, notions, patterns and assorted textile-related oddments!  At our first major FABRIC SALE back in May, we realised there was fun to be had in pulling out ALL the boxes which usually get tucked away in the day-to-day running of the studio, and giving people the full Aladdin-esque experience of our own cave of wonders.
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Disney's Aladdin in the Cave of Wonders... if only we all had such self-control :)
Beside the fun had last time, we have two serious reasons to hold another Studio Sale now:

The first being the abundance of amazing donations we have been receiving; including vintage patterns, wool samplers woven at Roslyn Mill, merino wool knit fabrics, and velvet galore... all of which is taking up room where there wasn't room available to take up (fabricaholics among you will know exactly what I mean)! Plus, there's nothing like inviting people to visit to motivate spring cleaning and getting things in order.


The second reason is an invitation we received to share about our work at this year's Costume and Textile Association of New Zealand national conference,  in Nelson, and the need for funds to get there.

Last year's conference was held in Dunedin, and Fiona (Clements), Desi, and I (Fiona Jenkin) greatly enjoyed awakening our inner academics; learning about wide ranging topics of past research and future development; and most of all, meeting and sharing discussions with the other delegates and presenters.

When we learned that the theme for this year's conference was "A Common Thread", we put forward an abstract to present our work: 'Stitch Kitchen: recipe for building community', about our projects, and our vision for enhancing community, through creative textile projects that help to build resilience and reduce waste.  It was a great honor to have our abstract accepted, to add our story to the wider discussion on fashion, history, and culture.

Now we just need to book accommodation, and register for the rest of the conference, and get there. A small matter of finding $2000 ish and traveling 1400km.
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Route to be traveled via hybrid (electric) van to and from CTANZ conference.
I imagine it will take us slightly longer than 9 1/2hrs through, as the lure of galleries and op-shops diverts us. We will have to be disciplined, however, so we don't end up coming back with too much found treasure. But then again, we know some good ways to share it.
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11am - 4pm
@ Stitch Kitchen Studio
88 Vogel Street, crn Jetty Street

BYO bag/box. Eftpos will be available, but cash preferred
(technical gremlins slow things down considerably).

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Jane Milburn visit to Dunedin

7/8/2019

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One of our great inspirations, Jane Milburn, will be returning to Dunedin for a brief visit later this month!

Jane is a Sustainability Consultant, Slow Clothing pioneer, TEDx speaker, upcycler, and agricultural scientist. Many of you will remember her fabulous talk and upcycling workshop from when she was here during Fashion Revolution Week and ID Fashion Week in 2017 (see our blog post on her previous visit here).

Jane will be at Stitch Kitchen for our open afternoon on Friday 23rd August.  This will be a perfect afternoon for you to bring in your upcycling projects to get inspired.

We will also be hosting a social evening of sharing inspiration for natural fibres and upcycling at the studio, from 5-7pm
.

This is a chance for everyone to discus ways to ..."slow down, take stock and consider the substance, not just the style, of the clothes you choose to wear. Become conscious of your wardrobe: buy less, choose natural fibres, mend what you have, value story, love second-hand and vintage, refuse cheap fashion, avoid toxic dyes, read labels, restyle what you have, share and swap, or buy ethical brands. If it suits you to do so, be empowered to sew, restyle and refashion clothing already in circulation. The slow clothing philosophy is summarised in a manifesto of actions and choices: think, natural, quality, local, few, care, make, revive, adapt and salvage" (from Jane's website Textile Beat)

While visiting NZ, Jane is looking forwarding to gathering a range of new material for another book and her website, including stories of favorite upcycling techniques and what inspires you, particularly around wellbeing and sustainability. 

For those who haven't yet read her wonderful first book, 'Slow Clothing: Finding meaning in what we wear', you're welcome to pop in and read our copy, or you can now purchase a copy of your own from us!
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Thinking Outside the Box at ID Upcycling workshop

16/4/2019

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A skirt made from shirts... a dress made from table cloths... a cardigan made from two jerseys... and luxurious nightgown from a sentimental souvenir... a coat made for walking Canada's cold streets in in the 1980's, now re-tailored for city life in Dunedin for winter 2019.

These are some of the projects we worked on at the top of Dunedin Public Library last month during ID Fashion Week.

Desi and I were joined by four attendees with a wide range of background sewing experience, all keen for ideas on how to re-imagine items which had been stashed away (in several cases for years).

Treasured items made from silk, cashmere, organic linen and denim (from days before Lycra and polyester were added).  Items that were hand-made by them decades ago, or by family members, or 'the tiny gentleman who worked in a cupboard-sized workshop just off the street in Bangkok' ...

These are common themes we experience with Upcycling: items where the provenance is personal, the fabric of a quality that seems undervalued in the current form, or simply the desire to make something more practical for our contemporary taste and lifestyle.

It is hugely rewarding to take inspiration for what something already is, and consider what form it could be to become more than what it was - more practical, more appreciated, more beautiful, and much more personal.

In our Mend & Make Awesome workshops, we see this on a small scale. People repairing or altering items to improve them. Upcycling however, is a much bigger (and often trickier) enterprise, involving many hours work, and often facing challenges when the previous shape resists your efforts and you have to think again. It's easy to become disheartened and stuck, and end up with grand plans put indefinitely on hold.

This is where having some outside advice is so valuable. Having another person to bounce ideas with, suggest alternatives techniques, or to make the tea!

This workshop was a delight on all levels, and we hope to organise more in the near future!
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University Study on Upcycling

27/2/2019

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What makes you an ‘upcycler’? Why do you go about it? And how does clothing upcycling impact on the fashion industry?

These are the questions being asked in by Masters of Sociology candidate Kirsten Koch, in new research facilitated through the University of Otago, Department of Sociology, Gender and Social Work.

Kirsten has has already achieved a Master of Fine Arts in Textiles; Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology, Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Development, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Anthropology. She is also a practicing textile artist, upcycler, and (when she can fit it into her schedule) guest tutor at Stitch Kitchen.

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Her latest research project aims to investigate current textile practitioners utilizing clothing upcycling as a component of their practice. It will shed light on issues such as:
 
  • What motivates people to upcycle, and how does their upcycling relates to the wider fashion industry?
 
  • What methods of upcycling they use?
 
  • Why upcycling clothing important is important to these individuals?
 
  • And how economics feature in their practice (i.e. working conditions, arrangement of business/practice, having time, economic sustainability)?
In recent years, upcycling has become well known term, used by amateur home sewists to high end designers, textile artists, bloggers, authors and reporters, as reworking clothing has become popular across a wide cross section of ages, lifestyles and cultural backgrounds. 

Kirsten has defined ‘upcycling clothing’ as: a practice which utilizes second-hand
textiles to create new and original garments. She has defined ‘practice’ as: the making, marketing, displaying, interaction and exchange of upcycled clothing and textiles.
Upcycle blogger Sarah Tyau as featured on https://mymodernmet.com/upcycled-clothing-sarah-tyau/
Upcycled jeans apron by local member of Creative Fibre group.
Kirsten Kosh eco dying of a vintage wool cardigan.
Work by Desi Liversage at a recent local craft market
From her own experience, Kirsten believes practitioners may upcycle for a variety of interrelated reasons such as enriching their and others lives, DIY, sustainability, affordability, beauty, politics, aesthetics, experimentation, and self-differentiation.

As part of the study, Kirsten will be organising a public forum, where participants in the study will share with the wider community, their inspiration and creations. The role of upcycling within the wider context of the fashion industry will also be highlighted in this forum to be held on Wednesday 24th April, coinciding with international Fashion Revolution Day. This forum is open the public, and will be a fascinating insight into this increasingly popular practice. For more information about the seminar, please email Kirsten: kocki817@student.otago.ac.nz

We are each looking forward to taking part in this fantastic research, and seeing how it will highlight the value of repurposing clothing, not only personally, but in understanding and enriching our ever changing culture of fashion.

Would you like to be part of this study?
Download the information sheet
here to read the details. Or email Kirsten

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Summer Times on Radio NZ

7/1/2019

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A short time ago, Fi and I spoke with Lynn Freeman about fashion, waste, and the revival of sewing and mending.

Our conversation was aired on 3rd January 2019, and you can listen again via the Radio NZ podcast.
Listen Now
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Munch and Make @ Morning Magpie

13/4/2018

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Introducing our new creative social networking session!

When we had our pop-up shops in 2016 and 2017, we enjoyed the comradery of people popping in for lunch, a chat, and to share their current hand-craft project.

With our new name, it was natural to reintroduce this shared space, and one of our favourite cafe's has provided the perfect location!

No matter what your level of experience or interest in textile arts, everyone is welcome to join the table for shared conversation, inspiration and practical hand crafts. It's a fantastic way to meet like minded people.

Bring your handwork (knitting, needlework, darning...) or whatever is inspiring (or frustrating) you at the moment, and gather for problem-solving, chat and inspiration.


Date:  Third Thursday every Month!
Time: Anytime from 1-3pm
Place: Morning Magpie Cafe, 46 (Lower) Stuart St, Dunedin
Cost: Just what you order
*
Registration: Not essential, walk ins welcome. Or email us and we can keep an eye out for you.


(*We usually get a pot of tea for the table, so no need to feel out-of-place if you choose not to order anything.)
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Full Plate with UNSTITCHED 2018 and Fashion Revolution!

13/4/2018

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We are super excited about being able to participate in this year's international campaign for Fashion Revolution!

This will be our third year where we have organised events to coincide with this global campaign to increase awareness, and  develop creative solutions, to the devastating problems in the contemporary fashion industry.

As in the past 2 years, we will be calling our project "UNSTITCHED".  Highlighting our wish to 'unstitch the myths of the fashion industry' and help people to become informed about actions they can take to make positive differences.

This year, we are doing something slightly different. We
have researched the local impact of the fashion industry, and will deliver an interactive seminar presenting this information, adapted to suit different audiences and time frames.

Our aim is to connect with groups to empower their members and wider public audiences with the ideas of a 'pro-fashion revolution':
How they can learn more about the choices available; understanding care labels and garment quality; using resources, such as the 'Good On You' app, to identify companies/labels which reflect their personal values; and the benefits of supporting local business and independent design.   

Join us for an informal, interactive discussion on contemporary fashion and our place in this global industry.

Plus, we'll introduce you to 'craftivism' and help you make a small scale embroidered patch, which you can use to cover holes in jeans... stitch to your jacket sleeve... display in public... give a friend... anything you like.

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Image Credit: Rebecca Roberts
Date: Wednesday 18th April, 2018
Time: Between 1-4pm
(come when you can, stay for as long as you like)
Place: Otago Pioneer Women's Memorial Building
Cost: Free
Registration: Recommended, but not essential.

Special thanks to:
Otago Pioneer Women's Memorial Association; Creative NZ; and Fashion Revolution 

We will also be presenting variations on this interactive session in association with Quilters & Patchworkers of Otago; Otago Creative Fibre group; Otago Girls High School Environmental Group; Bayfield High School Enviroschools group.

We still have spaces available, and if you are connected with a community group, school or organisation around Dunedin we would love to hear from you and adapt this to suit your group. Please email us for more information.


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