After a fairly gentle start back after the Covid rāhui the Clothing Rescue scheme is getting ready to step back up another notch as August rolls around.
Starting on Tuesday 4th August at Anō Anō! we've got a denim jeans into aprons workshop with Jules Smith who is an amazing upcycler based in Whāngārei. Those who did her Zoom mask making workshop during the rāhui will confirm that she's an excellent tutor. She does work with Intercept, the clothing rescue scheme in Whāngārei, and has her own business 'Again' selling her unique upcycled creations.
The workshop runs from 11am to 2.30pm with a half hour lunch break (byo or pop out to one of the many nearby takeaways) and just costs $5. Places are limited by space so please do register asap to make sure you get a spot.
You will get the opportunity to learn how to make aprons with both a bib and without, and gain plenty of top tips along the way.
If you decide you want to continue upcycling jeans into pinnies as part of the Clothing Rescue scheme you can earn timecredits for your mahi, and we'll refund your $5 workshop fee! So even if you don't think you fancy making a pinny for yourself come along and learn how to make them for others. Jeans are one of the hardest things for Op Shops to sell, so there's always plenty of surplus stock to work with.
On Thursday 6th August we'll be starting a regular weekly drop in session 2-5pm. Come along and help sort through the latest consignment, make t-shirt bags, pet beds, or tackle more adventurous projects. There's always stuff to do, the more the merrier!
At the pet bed making session on 21st July we ended up with 10 beds (one taken home to complete) to be distributed between the SPCA Shelter and Donna Doolittle's Animal Rescue. The beds were a mixture of the 'hug' jumper beds, and stuffed pillowcases. Pet beds are a great way to use up large quantities of textile waste that would otherwise be destined for landfill, and they give a bit of extra physical and emotional comfort to the animals in need. The idea is that they can then take their bed with them when they get rehomed, so there is a need for a constant supply!
There is an enormous amount of clothing waste from our Kaitāia Op Shops as they simply don't have the capacity to store all that doesn't get sold within a given framework, or do simple repairs etc. The Salvation Army alone put out an average of 12 wheelie bins a week, the majority of which is clothing! And that's just one out of four Op Shops in town...
With this in mind we're looking for ways to increase the amount of surplus that we can process. We're looking for more volunteers (sign up for Tai Tokerau Timebank and you'll earn timecredits for your mahi!), ideas for workshops, and people willing to work on stuff at home as well as at Anō Anō! on Bank Street.