The ‘Stitch’ project has involved local and migrant/refugee communities across the Auckland Region creating embroidery panels depicting images of what for them is the essence of where they are from and who they are as a people.   This has been a very successful project and has been about giving the many diverse communities, not just migrant and refugee communities but also people with physical, intellectual and mental needs a sense of belonging to New Zealand as a whole.

Meetings:

• Every Monday at the Norman King Building in Northcote from 12noon to 3pm
• First Thursday of the month: Way Out West, 6b Paramount Drive, Henderson from 1pm to 3.30pm
• Second Thursday of the month: Onehunga Community Cente, Mountjoy Room, Church Street, Onehunga from 1pm to 3pm
• Third Thursday of the month: Orewa Youth Centre (behind Estuary Arts Centre) Hibiscus Coast Highway, Orewa from 12 noon to 3pm
• Fourth Thursday of the month: Te Puke O Tara Community Centre, (behind the Otara Shopping Centre) Otara from 1pm to 3.30pm

The follow on project ‘The embroidered landscape of communities’ is about:

Embroidered Landscapes is about participant’s creativity and learning.  The landscapes project is about making and raffling each quilt as completed.  The monies raised from these quilts will go towards grass roots initiatives in areas of specific need in the community.   Some of the funds raised will be kept by the group enabling the group to eventually become self-funding.

What Embroidered Landscapes of Community involves:

The facilitate and promote the groups  (currently based in Northcote, Henderson and Otara) to have a sense of ownership the programme will be run by volunteers with a staff member from Raeburn House mentoring and giving guidance. Each participant will be given a 30cm square of fabric and will be asked to embroider his or her own interpretation of the theme of quilts.

 The 2011 theme was ‘hands of friendship around the world’ and we are currently finishing those quilts off.
The 2012 theme will be ‘growing your roots’, which is about the environment and the space that we occupy in it.

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Raffle tickets for the 1^st hand embroidered quilt of ‘hands of friendship around the world’ are currently on sale for $2per ticket.  Tickets will be on sale until the 25 April. The raffle will be drawn under police supervision and results will be published in the NZ Herald on the 30 April 2012

Tickets are for sale at the Norman King Building and Raeburn House or contact: Joan Hamilton on 489 8952, email: joan@raeburnhouse.org.nz

Currently amongst some of the participants are some very experience embroiderers who are keen to share and pass on their knowledge of stitching. Within the participants there is a wealth of untapped knowledge and creativity, which enhances the local landscape around Auckland.

Working together we can create some beautiful and unique quilts to further grass roots community work.  No stitching experience is required, no materials to bring, just yourself

‘Embroidered Landscapes of Communities’ will be running from July 2011 until December 2012

Get involved with Embroidered Landscapes of Community…..

Raeburn House welcomes calls, emails and enquires from maori, pacific peoples, kiwi, migrants, disability and mental health groups – in fact all the community!  This is about friendship, connecting people and creating beautiful quilts along the way.

Contact Details

Please contact Joan Hamilton at Raeburn House:
Phone: 486 8952
Email: joan@raeburnhouse.org.nz
Address: 138 Shakespeare Road, Milford, North Shore 0622 or 
PO Box 36 336, Northcote, North Shore 0748