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A new community group, called Nest, is focused not only on textile-related skills, like sewing and crafts, but also on sustainability.
The two things are deeply intertwined for the group’s organiser and facilitator, Helen Bakker.
Helen has been sewing and making with fabric since childhood and the group will enable her, and others, to pass on those skills. That, in turn, will mean more people can repair rather than throw away, and foster the idea of fabric as a resource that can be reused and recycled in many creative ways.
The first meeting, on Monday, February 12, drew eight people – enough to get the group onto a footing. It has since grown to around 15.
She is concerned about the amount of fabric that ends up in landfill – Nest has formed under the umbrella of the environmental group Sustainable Orewa.
“So many people don’t know how to hand or machine sew, but are keen to learn,” she says. “Knowing how to repair clothing saves it going into landfill and there are many ways to upcycle material that would otherwise be dumped, such as old blankets and curtains or unwanted clothing.”
As well as a chance to upskill, the group provides a social outlet and connection.
“Working with fabrics is a very calming activity,” Helen says.
The group meets weekly on Mondays at 216 Hibiscus Coast Highway, 12 noon-3pm. Anyone interested in joining can make contact via the NEST Facebook page, www.facebook.com/groups/1828095287661646/?ref=share_ or come to a meeting.
