Love sewing? why not sew for the dress a girl around the world campaign...

Hello, 


I'm Claire-Louise the Secretary for Stokey WI. 
I was recently asked to make a video on how to make a little girl's dress from a pillowcase. As a professional stitcher (my alter ego is The Thrifty Stitcher) I am keen to give something back and put my skills to good use. Last year I searched for sewing based charities, and although there seem to be many great charities for knitters to give something back, there was little for stitchers like me.



I discovered only one sewing based Charity- "Dress a girl around the world", and it frankly slipped my mind. One day whilst on twitter I saw a tweet from Sew Scrumptious about the dress a girl campaign, and having just shot the video on making a pillowcase dress and it seemed like serendipity!


In essence "Dress a girl around the world" send dresses to countries in the developing world. The dresses and boys shorts are made by sewing enthusiasts, and provide valuable clothing for girls and boys whose parents couldn't afford to provide good clothes for them


I got in touch with Louise from Sew Scrumptious who has become a british ambassador for this charity, here's what she told me-


"Every Girl Deserves a Pretty Dress

This statement really struck a chord with me when I read it in a sewing magazine last year, An American charity was asking people who could sew to make simple pillowcase dresses to be sent to girls living in poverty in developing countries. I could sew and had lots of fabric lying around so I felt I had to get involved and make a dress or two. I have a sewing blog called Sew Scrumptious and decided to blog and tweet about what I was doing to try to encourage other people to get involved and to date I have collected nearly 1200 dresses from all around the UK and Ireland. I am now the UK International Partner for the charity and also responsible for finding homes for all the dresses too! Over 600 have been distributed so far to children in Malawi, Ghana, Kenya and India with the rest going off to Uganda, India and Ghana over the next few months.

We still need lots more dresses though! We want to continue making and sending dresses to girls and are encouraging schools, colleges, sewing groups and WI's to get involved. Its a great opportunity to get involved in a charity project in a practical way (we don't want any money, just your time!) and a fun way to connect with other like minded fabric addicts! The dresses can be made from new fabric or recycled pillowcases (hence the name!). Each dress is made from the same simple pattern but each one is individual and unique and can be decorated in any way the maker chooses. 

I photograph every dress I receive and feature them on my blog before they are sent off to projects in developing countries (often schools and orphanages). It is the most fantastic feeling to see a photo of a girl on the other side of the world wearing a dress that you have made. You can also make shorts for boys too! We are currently trying to collect 127 pairs of shorts for boys aged 5 to 14 to go to Uganda in June.

There is lots more information on my blog including links to tutorials and patterns along with my contact details  http://sewscrumptious.blogspot.co.uk/p/pillowcase-dress-info.html

There are also some lovely photos of some of the dresses being worn. There is also a facebook page too http://www.facebook.com/DressagirlaroundtheWorldUK

I would love to see what the WI ladies could make!!

Louise @ Sew scrumptious

So!.....

Stokey Wi are going to get some dresses made. This is not only a fabulous charity,  but it's also a way for us to get more people sewing. We'll be running training events and if you don't know how to sew or don't own a sewing machine, we'll be running workshops and training sessions very soon, dates TBC

Right now what we need is a stash of pillowcases. If you've got some you'd like to donate, please e mail CL stokenewingtonwi@gmail.com and quote "dress a girl around the world"

As soon as we get some training sessions lined up we'll let you know, but if you watch the video above you may just fancy having a go and donating a dress instead...

We've raised a bit of cash for ribbons and trims, so it won't cost any money to get involved, just some keen and nimble fingers and a needle

Claire-Louise Hardie- Secretary Stokey WI

Getting rid of moths!

If like me, you enjoy a good spring clean, then this is the perfect time of year to control moths. the last couple of years has seen a massive increase in moth infestations, particularly in Stoke Newington. Whilst it's not life threatening, losing your favourite clothes to these pesky critters isn't fun!

Spring cleaning

Here's my top tips for de-mothing!

Clothes, fabric and wool that are stored will attract the Webbing Clothes Moth. Moth eaten fabric and clothes are depressing and the holes will weaken the fabric and in some cases make it unwearable or unusable. You can bring moths into your home from buying clothes/fabric, transference from someone who has moths in their home, and they fly in during summer months!

• You need to use deterrents, and they need to be replaced every 6 months.
• If you get an infestation, the moths will attack not only fabric but books, papers and photographs, so all your precious memories can be reduced to dust!
• Start by using lavender bags/sachets, and cedar. I personally can’t bear moth balls which are super effective, but stinky!
• The best and cheapest resource and supplier of moth products I’ve found is this one.

http://www.mothcontroldirect.co.uk/acatalog/Clothes_Moth_Control_Pack.html

• Pheromone traps are a great way to break the breeding cycle without using chemicals. The moths think they are all male! These sticky traps are also a good way to monitor how big a moth problem you may have.
• Spring cleaning is a tradition for a reason. In order to get rid of moth eggs, you need to empty drawers and cupboards and clean out all the surfaces. Moths like to breed under static areas like furniture, so moving your furniture out and cleaning underneath breaks their cycle. Sunlight also kills eggs, so getting rugs and carpets outside and thoroughly beating them and leaving in sunlight will kill any eggs/larvae.
• If like me, you don't have access to a garden, then running a sticky roller brush over your clothing can lift off eggs.
• Ensure you change your hoover bag regularly. You may well hoover up eggs, and the hoover bag is a perfect environment for the moths to breed in! It's pretty gross, opening up the hoover and finding a big bunch of moths.....

Storing Fabric and clothes

This can be a nightmare. In terms of fabric storage I need to be able to access my stash, and see exactly what i've got.

Using plastic for storage is a contentious topic. Whilst plastic vacuum bags are great in the fight against moths, they can leak plastic fumes, which isn't great for valuable vintage fabric and clothes. Personally i don't want to see my lovely old things being eaten away by moths, so I do use some plastic storage.

I have limited space in my home for fabric storage, so i try and use what I already have. CD storage towers are great for showcasing smaller pieces of fabric, just make sure it's not in direct sunlight as the fabric will fade

A great system for easily storing and finding fabrics is the Antonius System in the Ikea wardrobe range which you can customise to suit your own needs

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S69884381/

April Meeting- 16/4/2012. Green fashion- how to look stylish without costing the earth

Green fashion- Looking stylish without costing the earth! 

Please note that this session is on April 16th, not our usual second monday of the month, due to the easter Holidays

Ethical and green fashion is hot amongst celebrities right now. Livia Firth is championing the cause with her green carpet challenge,  and many designers are jumping on the band-wagon. Brilliant news! but not all of us can order a John ford outfit, so where does that leave us mere mortals?

 

Long before it was hot to wear ethical and sustainable fashion Veronica Crespi was at the forefront of the "Slow Fashion" movement.

Veronica is a style and fashion consultant, with a quintessential Italian flair who set up ReWardrobe in 2009.

Veronica has a background in Design and Styling and she understands colour, textiles and fashion trends

At Rewardrobe, Veronica offers all the services of a traditional Image Consultant: advice on colour, personal style, wardrobe organisation, suitable outfits for business or special occasions, personal shopping – as well as Style and Slow Fashion workshops for small groups. But she has also made Slow Fashion the focus of her work, advising clients on how to link sustainability with style.

Think green fashion means no style? Veronica will be sharing tips on how to look on trend, whilst upcycling and re-working what you already have in your wardrobe.

She'll be doing a mini style surgery, so if there's something in your wardrobe that doesn't work or you just don't wear, do bring it along.

Here's some of the wardrobe tips and tricks experienced stylist Veronica will be sharing with us-

Donate - There are plenty of organisations that collect clothes for a specific purpose. 

Sell - Most of us have a few items that have barely seen the light of day. Some impulse buys have either been worn once or twice, or not at all! These practically new items can be sold on, freeing up a little cash in our budget

Upcycle - You may have a few items that are not fitting at the moment, but whose fabric or print you still love, or have a sentimental attachment to. Rewardrobe has teamed up with some talented designers, that accept commissions to transform your pieces into new creations of customised design. Alternatively, if you are happy to donate your unwanted pieces to them, they'll be happy to incorporate them into their own designs, thus prolonging the lifespan of the material and continuing our mission of sustainable fashion with style!

She's even got a supplier for eco hangers!

This month it's free for members to attend and there's our usual £4 fee for visitors,  do remember to grab a drink from the bar on the way in.

RSVP here!

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A fabulous virtual tour of the WSPU exhibition of 1909

Our March meeting was a fabulous Virtual tour of the WSPU exhibition of 1909.

Nigel Shephard, a local composer and film maker has been researching the suffragettes for over 5 years, and has a film on the topic ready to go into production. Nigel joined forces with Naomi Paxton, an Actress and PHD student researching the Actress Franchise league. Together they presented rare photos, and insights into this amazing event.

I personally knew little of the suffragette exhibition, and was taken aback by how "modern" the women's faces seemed. It was like looking back in time to see contemporary women in "costume" almost. For the first part of the talk, we enjoyed a slide show that showed floor plans of the exhibition, witty anecdotes from attendees of the exhibition, and saw many wonderful images. Throughout the slide show, both speakers talked us through the images, their relevance and gave us some glimpses into a little seen part of the suffragette history.

There were bands in attendance at the exhibition, milliners selling extraordinary work and all number of tradeswomen selling their wares at the exhibition. My favourite image was the suffragette giving self defence demos, whose partner had fallen ill, and used a policeman as a stand in!

This little video, in no way gives the full experience of the night, but if you couldn't attend then it's a wee taster!



The Women's Institute's history is wrapped up with that of the suffragette movement, and Nigel is reaching out to the WI for help. Getting a movie made in the uk is expensive, and with the arts council cuts recently, it's becoming increasingly hard for independent film makers.
There are over 250,000 members of the WI in the uk, and if each of us gave a pound towards the making of this film, Nigel would be able to get it off the ground.
Stokey WI has donated a pound for each of our members, and we're looking to spread the word! Nigel and Naomi are available to give this presentation to other WI groups, so do get in touch if you'd like them to speak at your meeting?

Textile Graffiti for International Women's day 2012

Wowee...

The afternoon of March 7th our planned action day was incredibly blustery, and i personally got blown off a pavement and soaked! I was anxious that the event would be a wash out, but karma was on our side, and the evening dried up and was mild enough that we could get cracking with our Textile Graffiti.

Every year since the Stoke Newington WI was formed, there has been some kind of action around Albion parade to celebrate International women's day. It began with giant knitting and the "Yarn-bombing" of one of the trees in Albion Parade. Last year's Pom Pom's even made it into the guardian, having been spotted by the journalist Suzanne Moore as she passed by on a bus!

This year had a more "fabric" themed action, so we renamed it "Textile Graffiti" Our February meeting was spent making over 35 fabric and upcycled plastic rings. And we also made 20 Suffragette Rosettes.

On March 7th, armed with a couple of ladders, and lots of enthusiasm, we strung up one of the trees on albion parade with our suffragette coloured rings.

Not only was there tree decorating, but we marked the occasion with some Suffragette songs too!

Thanks to all the lovely ladies that came along on the night, and thanks also to the ladies at february's meeting for put together all the fabulous wreaths and rosettes.

We were lucky enough to have 2 ladies visit from other North London WI groups. Amy from N1WI who kindly took all of these lovely pics, and Yvette from the very new Stroud Green WI group

Here's the Textile Graffiti Gang!

The liberty book of home Sewing- a review

The Liberty book of home sewing is a visual treat from the front cover to the back page.

Peppered throughout the book are pages of the iconic Liberty print cottons, which in themselves are a visual treat for fans of the delicious fabric

This book is aimed not just at new stitchers, but at the more advanced stitcher too. There is a project in this book for everyone, wether it's their simple but elegant cushion cover, the eco shopper bag or the gorgeous quilt.

 

The instructions for each project are very well drawn, beautiful clear diagrams. There is comprehensive text description alongside the diagrams too, making it nice and clear how to make up the projects.

At the beginning of the book is a nice section on  how to get started, again illustrated with gorgeous diagrams, and there's a useful kit list too. Most of the techniques you'll need to get a professional finish are covered well in this section. a good example is notching and clipping seams before turning through, and I think they've done a great job in this section.

Apart from being a great sewing handbook, this really is an aspirational book. The images of things you could make are just so beautifully shot. There are so many fabulous photos here that I can't see how anyone won't be inspired to get their sewing machine out and have a go! I'm a big fan of the corsage, and this is my favourite image from the book.

My only niggle about this book, would be that as with most  new sewing books, there aren't full sized patterns included. The book supplies diagrams, which you are required to scale up to a full sized pattern. I'm an impatient stitcher, and scaling up patterns is to me a bit like maths- Torture!  I believe the reason for this is that to print and publish books with full sized paper patterns is very expensive, and would make the book ridiculously costly.

I was given a copy of this book to review, however the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Claire-Louise Hardie- Secretary SNWI

March is international Women's month- Here's how we can get involved

It's March, and it's international women's month. What does that mean for us 21st century women? We've got the vote, most of us are free to pursue the careers we choose, and marry whom we like. 

I recently met with Victoria, a representative from the charity Women for Refugee Women. It's a very small charity based out of Tindlemanor which is a fabulous and unique "women only" building that houses many female organisations. I was struck by how little I knew about the life of refugee women in the UK. I had always assumed that our welfare state would take care of them. After chatting with Victoria I was filled with how my life couldn't stay the same if I was "transplanted" from the UK to another county with no finances, no local language skills, and no access to family or support. All the things I take for granted as an educated middle class woman, would be meaningless. Without speaking the local language, I could no longer work in the industry in which I have extensive education and training. Essentially I'd become a different version of the woman I am here in London.

Here's a little about the charity, and how we as local WI members can help out

Women for Refugee Women challenges the injustices experienced by women who seek asylum in the UK. They work to empower women who have sought sanctuary here to speak out about their own experiences to the media, to policy-makers and at public events. They are particularly concerned about women fleeing gender-related persecution, such as rape, forced marriage, honour crimes, threats of female genital mutilation, and trafficking for forced prostitution. Many women who have fled such experiences are turned down for asylum on arriving here. If women are refused asylum they face destitution and detention in the UK, and deportation back to places where they feel they would be in danger.  They aim to give a voice to women who are all too often unheard and unseen.

Women for Refugee Women support the group Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST) London. The WAST London meetings provide a safe welcoming space where these women can share their experiences, and find strength and solidarity in one another. Weekly English classes, advice sessions and lunch are provided to the group at Tindlemanor in Old Street. WAST London also meet on a Saturday each month.

They are currently looking for creative women who are happy to volunteer to share their arts and crafts experience with the group. If you are interested in meeting members of the inspiring WAST London over some sewing and knitting this spring just let us on the Stokey WI Committe know by  e mailing on stokenewingtonwi@gmail.com

Here's a couple of other things you can do during international Women's month-

3 March: Million Women rise march

8 March: On the Bridge march, Women for Women International

9-11 March: Women of the World Festival (WOW)

March meeting- A virtual tour of The WSPU exhibition of 1909

A virtual tour of the WSPU Exhibition of 1909

Nigel Shephard is an independent filmmaker and composer, based in Stoke Newington. He has been researching the Suffragettes for five years for a film Banners and Broad Arrows which is ready to go into production. He is started a campaign to raise funds for his film, and is hoping that every WI Member in the UK will donate £1 towards getting this british film on screen

Naomi Paxton is an actress and PhD student researching the Actresses Franchise League. 

Naomi and Nigel would like to take you on a virtual tour of the WSPU Exhibition at the Princes Skating Rink, Knightsbridge in 1909.

The exhibition was a showcase for the Suffrage cause and, using rare photographs and contemporary material they will give you a glimpse into the variety, colour, sights and sounds of this hugely popular and successful event. Featuring fortune tellers, brass bands, theatre performances, installations, some extraordinary models and the first ice-cream soda fountain in England - as well as stalls from societies across the United Kingdom-  the exhibition was a chance for Suffrage supporters to gather and celebrate as well as for curious visitors to explore and enjoy.

There will be a small fee of £3 for members to attend and £4 for visitors, remember to grab a drink from the bar on the way in.

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Fabulous February's Rings and Rosettes for International Women's day

Wowee.....

February's meeting was Monday 13th Feb at our regular meeting place upstairs at the Prince Pub. We had asked for ladies to bring old fabrics and carrier bags in the colours of the suffragette movement- Purple White and Green. The response was over whelming and joined by members of the Stroud WI and N1 WI we made over 25 wreath rings and 14 rosettes!

We started with a mount of bags, wire hangers and fabrics including old dyed sheets, unwearable clothes and scraps. We set upon the piles below with scissors and pliers and got to work.

So, as they say a picture tells a 1000 words...

The rings will be used for our annual International Women's day action in March. We'll be posting/e mailing about that event next week, so watch this space. 

This year's IWD event will now be called TEXTILE GRAFFITTI and we're hoping that the event will be a combined Mega-WI meeting with lots of other North London groups joining us

stokenewington@gmail.com

Fabulous February's "Yarn Bombing"

Fabulous February is  "Yarn bombing" creation month!

Since Stokey WI was formed, every year we have done some sort of a "Yarn Bombing" event to celebrate International Women's Day. This year we are planning a collaboration with other local london WI groups, and women's groups in our Area. We're still keeping what we'll make this year under wraps, but the theme is sustainability and the colours of the suffragette movement- Green, White and Purple.  Please start collecting carrier bags, in this colours, along with any other materials that we could use to make things to decorate Albion Parade.

These are a couple of pics from last year's event

     

   

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday. 

The day honours the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of some of the global inequities that still to be redressed. 

So let's all put our fingers to work on Feb 13th, and get creative for International women's day whilst sipping some lovely wine, and enjoying the company of our lovely group.

No charge for members to attend, just grab a drink from the bar on the way in.