A PAIR of competitive craftswomen in Redditch are going head-to-head this weekend in a Wardrobe War at the Old Needleworks – and in a no holds contest.
The contest on Saturday (October 15) will see Jenniffer Taylor from the BBC’s Sewing Bee and Bex Farr from Channel 4’s Superscrimpers take on the clothing recycling challenge, each with a team of sewing students, to transform old clothes into new garments fit for a catwalk in just a few hours.
Using old clothes destined for the bin, the teams will snip and stitch to create brand new, high fashion clothing items, not only showcasing the skills of students on the community programs at the centre, but also encouraging people to ‘make do and mend’ in the face of throwaway culture.
The competition coincides with the unveiling of the new Korbond Sewing Studio, which, complete with sewing supplies and equipment all donated by the Korbond Group, will kick start the new ‘Sew Fix It’ campaign at the Inkberrow Design Centre (IDC) based in Britten Street, Redditch.
Headed by seamstress Jenniffer Taylor, the Sew Fix It community project is for adult learners to help them continue their journey towards employability, using their skills to give something back to the community.
Design centre director, Brenda Killigrew said: “The council funds up to three courses for adult learned in Worcestershire, but once these are complete, many of the students find their progress comes to a halt.
“We wanted to implement a project where the learners could continue to progress and develop and that could be independent from council funding and run self sufficiently,
“The Sew Fix It campaign is designed for those who have already completed the Sewing and Confidence Skills course and who want to continue working and give something back – and with the generous help from Korbond we are delighted to be able to launch it.”
As well as being taught vital skills and creating a working business model the group will run community clinics mending clothing, adding labels and badges to school clothing, and creating products for sale throughout the year.
The free event is part of Sew Saturday, which haberdasheries and shops across the UK will all be celebrating and also coincides with the Inkberrow Design Centre’s 25th birthday.
From 3pm on Saturday, the centre in the Old Needleworks will be a hive of activity, with stalls, workshops, live music and food celebrating the creativity and skill of the Redditch sewing community.
