Old banners made into book bags

Posted: Thursday Oct 05, 2023

Local pre-schoolers have beautiful, colourful bags to carry their books in, thanks to a collaboration between the Read Share Grow community reading project and Stitch Kitchen.

View original article with images here: Old banners made into book bags | Otago Daily Times Online News (odt.co.nz)

Using old council banners, Stitch Kitchen volunteers with the Thursday morning sewing group have worked together over several weeks to make 30 book bags for Concord Kindergarten children.

Stitch Kitchen co-ordinator Fiona Jenkin said the project had been fun for the sewing group, and was a great opportunity to give "retired" council banners a new life.

"They have really cool designs ... depicting local bird life, and we have sewn on patches printed with the Read Share Grow logo as pockets," Ms Jenkin said.

"And we used old lanyards to make the handles — another great way to recycle," she said.

Read Share Grow project co-ordinator Allan Silvestro dropped in to Stitch Kitchen last week to collect the bags, which he planned to take to Concord Kindergarten, with a large selection of books for the children.

"The idea is for the children to choose a book they want to keep, and to get a really cool book bag to take it home in," Mr Silvestro said.

Concord Kindergarten was a great supporter of the read Share Grow Project, as a good way to encourage children to read.

"The love of reading does such a lot to enhance children’s lives. It gives them access to stories and knowledge," he said.

"Books can open up worlds, build empathy, and give readers the chance to experience different lives than their own."

Since it was founded in 2019, the Read Share Grow scheme has distributed more than 20,000 books to young readers in the South Dunedin community.

Read Share Grow is a collaboration between the National Library, the Ministry of Education, Dunedin City Council, Dunedin City of Literature, Otākou Marae and Puketeraki Marae.

Ms Jenkins said sewing the book bags for Read Share Grow was one of many fabric re-use and recycling projects for Stitch Kitchen, in conjunction with local organisations.

"We are very busy with our projects. To be honest, we sometimes have more ideas than we have hands," she said.

"And we have definitely seen a big increase in the number of community groups we are working with.

"We really enjoy applying our skills to recycle fabrics, save fabrics from landfill, and do community good."

Along with its projects, Stitch Kitchen works with people in the community who want to repair and upcycle clothes, and improve their sewing skills.

"And there is something very relaxing and enjoyable in getting together with others to work with your hands."

- Stitch Kitchen is holding its annual Fabric Sale this week, offering its vast collection of fabrics, haberdashery, and pre-loved sewing supplies for sale, as a fundraiser. The sale, will continue until this Saturday, October 7, from 10am-4pm daily, at Stitch Kitchen, 474 Princes St.