Each fortnight a group of women catch-up for some tea and cake at Buronga Library. They are known as the library’s Social Sewing Group. Sionnie Kelly takes a look at what binds this little group together and the various projects they work on. Pictures: Ben Gross
BURONGA Library’s Social Sewing Group offers its members so much more than craft activities.
For the women involved in it, it has become a chance to forge new friendships and share skills.
The group meets once a fortnight on Wednesdays from 9.30am and has been doing so for more than a year.
For Cassandra Crozier it has been a great opportunity to learn new skills.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing there’s always somebody here who can help you,” she says.
“There’s some very talented ladies here with quilting so I’ve bought a quilt pattern and once I get my sewing room up and running these ladies will help me have ago at that.”
Currently the group consists of about six women who all have diverse talents; some enjoy knitting, while others love quilting.
Pam Macdonald joined the group when it first started and often brings her quilting projects.
It can take her up to a year to finish a quilt, though she has many other side projects on the go.
“You might make a bag, I make a lot of teddy bears as well,” she says.
Pam decided to join the Social Sewing Group because it was not far from her home.
“It’s nice just to come for a couple of hours, if you sit there for five or six hours (at home) all day sometimes it gets a bit much,” she says.
The idea to create a Social Sewing Group was spearheaded by Wentworth Shire Library Services who wanted to encourage people to venture to the Buronga Library.
Library Services team leader Emma Holgate says they wanted to let the public know the library was available as a public space.
“We just wanted to encourage groups to realise that we’re here, that you can use the space; it’s a lovely area,” she says.
They also wanted the Social Sewing Group to be flexible so members could work on what they wanted.
“It’s not a structured class in that we’re teaching people how to do things, it’s more asking people to bring along things they’re working on at home or come along and meet other people who do craft,” Emma says.
“We do have some cross-stitch kits that were donated to us so if anyone wants to come without a project we can help them get started.”
Some like Carol Follet were regulars at the Buronga Library so it was easy to find out about the group.
“It’s a different group of friends to what my patchwork groups are,” she says.
Carol has always done craft including sewing and patchwork.
“I made my children’s clothes and mine, patchwork was a later thing when I had more time to fill in,” she says.
“It’s a past-time I enjoy especially the patchwork.”
All the women involved in the group are altruistic by nature and love the idea of helping others.
At the moment Cassandra is working on scarves for homeless people.
“My daughter can’t believe how many homeless people there are so I thought, well I’d knit up some stuff for winter and make it so it looks nice for homeless people,” she said.
Last Christmas the group made beanies and mittens for babies at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
“That was fantastic,” Cassandra says.
“At Christmas time this year we’ll probably do the same again but we might do Christmas beanies this time instead of just normal ones.”
The Social Sewing Group is for people of all ages and its current members love to welcome new people into the fold.
“It’s nice just to have a chat for a couple of hours because otherwise we’d all go our different ways,” Pam says.
To find out more about the Social Sewing Group phone the Buronga Library on (03) 5027 7060.
