DONATE NOW: https://chuffed.org/project/sew-together
Frangipani Fabrics would love to share the gift of sewing!
We are very excited to announce our first crowd funding campaign in conjunction with Li-Ve Tasmania!
We are holding an all-abilities workshop to make the joy of sewing available to all Tassie kids. Kids with disability and their siblings can sew something to keep & to give away!
Sew Together from Briony Alderslade on Vimeo.
A little bit of context
Our Story:
Our business is changing (for the better). Frangipani Fabrics is a Hobart owned and operated business and we have been teaching Tasmanian children and adults to sew for 5 years. We love that we have become a part of people’s lives. We are a safe place to visit, learn and challenge yourself, a place to build connections and communities and memories.
The Power of Sewing (okay, we already know this, but there is actual science behind it):
We all feel better when we sew. Sewing is a mindful activity. It improves mental health by reducing the risk of depression, calming the mind, elevating mood, re-energising the body and offering a great sense of accomplishment.
Did you know that when the hand and brain are connected in repetitive and absorbing movements, such as sewing, you start to diffuse stress and distract the mind from patterns of negative thinking? During mindfulness brains can start to form artistic ideas, and new memories and connections that are essential for mental well-being.
Sewing is also fantastic for developing fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination; both essential for classroom and daily tasks necessary for learning and growing*.
Pretty powerful stuff!
But there’s a problem
We see these benefits in our classroom EVERY DAY and want them to be available to all Tasmanians, but they’re not.
Learning to sew is out of the reach of a lot of the most vulnerable members of our community. It can be expensive (think lesson costs, fabric, patterns and tools, adapted equipment), and inaccessible (stairs, small doorways, no accessible toilet facilities, or extra classroom space for carers and support workers).
We want to support Tasmanian children with disabilities and their siblings to learn to sew.
Families need opportunities to enjoy activities together where everyone is appropriately included and supported to have a great experience.
We’re committed to giving all members of the Tasmanian community the opportunity to explore the psychosocial benefits and creative joy of sewing, but programs like Sew Together are non-existent.
We want to change this by working with Li-Ve Tasmania to hold (what we hope is the first of many) Sew Together workshops.
Who are Li-Ve Tasmania?
For over 65 years, Li-Ve Tasmania has been a not-for-profit disability support provider in Tasmania. They’re an organisation that’s passionate about showing what’s possible for every person and situation. Li-Ve Tasmania’s 430 staff provide genuine, person-centred support to more than 300 people, including children, who live with complex and diverse disabilities.
We are proud to be working with Li-Ve Tasmania to make sewing accessible for people with disability, and to support them and their families to build community connections.
We have a plan!
The Sew Together class:
In this workshop in the September 2020 School Holidays, up to twelve kids, aged 8-17, with a disability and their siblings will come together to sew.
They will make:
- a cushion or a soft toy for themselves AND
- a felt or fabric heart to give back to the Hobart community through the 1000 Hearts Project (the project is based around small pocket hearts which are handmade from wool felt and stitched with love and good intentions. These hearts are then offered to people as a symbol of compassion, care and kindness).
They will get:
- expert sewing tuition from the Frangipani team
- kits and projects tailored to all levels of ability (hand and machine sewing options available)
- a great day at the Moonah Multicultural Hub - an accessible venue with plenty of space for carers or support workers.
But we need your help to make it happen. Our target - $1987 - will pay for:
- venue hire ($36)
- class cost ($456)
- kit cost ($300), and
- four adaptable sewing machines for use during this and (hopefully many) future classes ($1196).
Any donation is welcome (and will help!), but here are some examples of what your donation can do:
Or, you can donate another amount.
Our BIG Thank You
All contributors will be immortalised on our Wall of Fame on our website and in store (unless you’d rather stay anonymous). Donors who give $50 or more will also be thanked via social media.
Always wanted to have a sewing machine named after you?
If you are able to pay for a sewing machine, you are a legend! We will name it after you with a personalised sticker so that you will always be remembered by our Sewists. We will also thank you on our Wall of Fame and on social media.
You are amazing!
Future Plans
We would love to hold regular classes for children with disabilities and their siblings, as well as other vulnerable members of the Tasmanian community in the future.
We are planning classes into 2021.
If you would like to donate regularly to our Sew Together Program, you can select the Monthly Donation option for your donation. Thank you!
*https://www.theottoolbox.com/fine-motor-skills-needed-at-school-and/
https://chuffed.org/project/sew-together