A Brighton group dedicated to helping people sew is expanding after a $4000 grant from the Coastal-Burwood Community Board Strengthening Communities Fund.

Stitch-O-Mat New Brighton provides a learning space, equipment and fabric for people in the community to create their own projects, repair or mend items or learn to sew with a facilitator on hand to give support.

They have been operating three days a week from 10am to 2pm, Tuesday evening and every other Sunday but the new funding means they can also run workshops for novice sewers on Saturdays.

Manager Samantha Fay says they are entirely reliant on funding grands like Strengthening Communities.

 “We try to run as cheaply as possible so that we can make our services accessible to people who wouldn’t normally be able to access sewing lessons.”

Interest in sewing has skyrocketed over the past couple of years. Ms Fay estimates Stitch-O-Mat has 60 people a week coming through the doors each week.  

She puts this down to a resurgence of interest in traditional skills like sewing, weaving and breadmaking.

 “People are looking at ways to slow down and be more conscious in their choices. Fashion is the second biggest polluter in the world after petrochemicals.

“That’s why a big push for us is waste reduction. Last year we were able to divert one and a half tonnes of textiles away from landfill which people then used for their projects with us.”

Curtain producers and retailers and fabric shops are the primary source of textiles for the group, which also received a $6000 Christchurch City Council Waste Minimisation Fund grant last week.

Recent projects with a waste reduction focus include making produce bags for a vegetable co-op, beeswax wraps and face masks.

Stitch-O-Mat also supports groups in the community with their projects, such as a recent working bee with Shirley Boys’ High School to hand sew their Kapa Haka uniforms.

The Coastal-Burwood Community Board supported 54 groups in the latest round of Strengthening Communities Funding. The grants support organisations that contribute to the strengthening of community wellbeing.