The Sewing Cafe

Monday afternoon and we have contented silence again in the big back room at Lancaster Library. Ten of us sit round a long table littered with colourful cloth, boxes of scissors, cotton reels and sewing books. Each of us is deep in a project, sewing, mending, knitting, embroidery, cross stitch, patchwork. We consult each other on tricky points, admire the progress of an item, share a cup of tea and talk about other Transition events. Three hours go by in a flash.

Wendy Haslam – yes, here she is again, my partner in crime on the radio, had the idea for a sewing café 18 months ago and persuaded Lancaster Library they would host us for free every Monday afternoon for 3 hours. She got hold of a Bright Sparks grant for £500 and we were away – enough money for 3 second hand sewing machines, an iron and ironing board, threads and all the bits and pieces people might need. We printed off some invitations and traipsed round fabric shops, community cafes and the like, giving them out. Then the first Monday in September 2010 we lugged the machines down from the Library store, sat in the big room and waited. The first few weeks hardly anyone arrived or else they came and went very rapidly. It was a bit embarrassing but we kept turning up. Then word got round – people came wanting to mend curtains, put in zips, make all manner of things with our sewing machines. And there we had a problem – we didn’t know our machines, how to thread them up, how to sort out the thread tension, what to do when the bobbin ran out. Skill share is fine as long assomeone has the skill needed! We had a frustrating few weeks as we learned how to manage the machines.

We didn’t really know what to expect when we proposed a Sewing Café but I think we expected to see some regular Transition faces. Not so! Hardly anyone who comes along has Transition links. Maybe they are all at work, or off sharing their skills elsewhere. Instead we have reached people who already belong to craft groups, ranging from the Embroiderers Guild to those accessing craft for mental health. Some of our most faithful members are those with learning needs. It is an interesting mixture of backgrounds, of skills and of needs. Some people come with carers, others are very, very quiet. We have students from the university aiming to remake a few clothes for a night out and those who find pleasure in endless, careful cross stitch.

People are often quite straightforward in their questions eg why ARE you boiling up an old wool jumper to make some slippers or cutting down old tent fabric for pannier covers? So every café is an opportunity to talk about climate change and peak oil – but we have to chat about it – not give a lecture. Sometimes it can feel very frustrating – so many half conversations, punctuated by requests for help with the sewing machine or the endless cry of “Where’s the needle threader?"

Which brings us round to the whole notion of skill sharing. In Transition we embrace the idea but in general the punters out there expect people running some sort of practical event will be the ones to do the skill sharing and they will be the recipients. Over the year more than fifty people have come to one or more sessions and it has taken a little time for the constantly changing group to realise that everyone has skills to share. But now, when someone says “Does anyone know how to …” it’s as likely to be a group member as Wendy or myself.

One or two regular members are hugely skilled and produce beautiful things – inevitably other people watch and say “Could you show me how to ..? so yesterday I did my best to show Mary how to start off a crocheted blanket, while Freddie made plans to show someone how to do the beautiful patchwork she makes. A member of the group who is now a prime mover in Transition Morecambe brought along all her beads and findings to give jewellery demonstration one afternoon. As a result another member had the confidence to sign up for a ten week jewellery course at the Adult College. Somehow that gives us a real glow – a sense that lives are changed and changed for good by so simple a thing as a gentle afternoon sitting sharing good company and practical skills.

Wendy doing a radio recording, 3 regulars show off their work, Grace's beautiful flowers, knitting with old VHS tape