Sewing Collective & Madderhouse Partnership Celebrates What It Means to Belong
December 2019 Edition of Partnership News by the Peterborough Immigration Partnership
The Sewing Collective is a training program supported by the New Canadians Centre that empowers newcomer women with sewing and English language skills to provide them with options that can support their future employment.
This fall, the Sewing Collective partnered with Madderhouse Textile Studios to co-design and produce a line of housewares that were launched at this year’s Finer Things Show & Sale (FTSS). FTSS is a Madderhouse Textile Studios production that brings together accomplished artists and craftspeople, as well as hundreds of visitors from around the region.
The design chosen reflected themes of belonging, in support of the NCC’s 40th-anniversary campaign #WeBelong. Sewing Collective trainees contributed with words from their native languages that remind them of what it means to belong: being surrounded by family, friends, and community, and feeling respected and welcomed. These words were transformed by Leslie Menagh, owner/operator of Madderhouse Textile Studios, into beautiful designs that were then printed and sewn by the Sewing Collective into the products displayed and sold at FTSS. All profits made went directly to the trainees.
Responding to the question “What does belonging mean to you?” in their native languages, participants screenprinted their answers onto fabric which was then transformed into houseware items. Amongh the answers were: family, friends, community, being respected, all of us.
Throughout 2019, our partnership and collaboration with Madderhouse Textile Studios has helped introduce our Sewing Collective trainees to new skills and techniques, and provide them with a chance to network with others in the local arts community. Showcasing their work at FTSS provided the trainees with opportunities to learn about what it means to be a vendor at craft shows and to get a glimpse of what is entailed in production, marketing and sales.
Working together to screen print and sew items
Established in 2008, the Peterborough Immigration Partnership (PIP) is a community-based partnership of individuals & organizations which envisions a community where the meaningful economic, social and cultural integration of newcomers ensures a prosperous and inclusive community for all. The New Canadians Centre is the lead member of the Partnership.
Please contact us for more information and to become involved in this partnership.