Stitches in Time began as an experiment to see if sewing could start conversations between strangers. This small experiment in 1993 turned into our giant founding project, the creation of 50 tapestries made by over 3,000 local people. Read more about it here.
25 years later, we now engage with over 2,000 people per year. But the support we offer is much more than just sewing. It starts with offering a safe, supportive space to develop and share a creative skill, but expands and wraps around to support the ranging needs and aspirations of our beneficiaries.
Some of our key actvities last year involved:
300 hard-to-reach, BAME, long-term unemployed women with English as a second language joined one of our creative classes, to improve their skills, confidence, English skills and employability
We provided 4 weeks of arts activities for 120 children facing multiple disadvantage, through our Children in Need funded playscheme
23 elders facing isolation attended our weekly sewing social class, meeting with over 200 people from the local community, giving embroidery demonstrations and inviting the public to take part in a large-scale embroidery of a historic map of Stepney
We expanded our Fabricworks programme running 14 classes each week in 5 locations across Tower Hamlets
We launched our third Mini Stitches collection, a community-made childrenswear brand, designed and made by our FabricWorks social enterprise, providing employment and industry experience to 35 marginalised women. Find out more here.
Our projects are devised with and at the request of our diverse local community. Our imaginative textile and creative arts projects focus on increasing integration, confidence and community development.
Our mission is to
provide a forum to enable culturally diverse groups to work together.
run educational programmes to raise levels of achievement.
raise levels of confidence and skill based learning for women, young people and older people.
create partnerships between individuals in the voluntary, statutory and private sectors.
Some of our partners and funders
