The Stitchery

OPEN WORKSPACE: Stitchery Collective co-founder Paula Dunlop is looking forward to sharing and swapping fashion-related skills with the general public.

SEWING circles are as old as time but a new Fortitude Valley group is reviving the concept in a very modern way.

A combined designer workspace, public exhibition venue and community gathering place for all things fashion related, The Stitchery Collective launched yesterday at a Brunswick St location which will be open to the public Friday through to Sunday.

"There's plenty of artist-run initiatives around but there aren't many fashion-related ones. It is quite innovative in that respect," said co-founder Paula Dunlop, a QUT PhD candidate.

"It formed as a group of friends and like-minded people coming together and we all happened to be QUT graduates, which is how we met."

The 15-member collective consists of designers, artists, dress makers and craftspeople such as doll makers who will use The Stitchery Collective both for their own creative pursuits and to conduct public workshops aimed at uniting the community through fashion.


"There'll be a lot happening all in together and we hope that's exciting and interesting to see," Dunlop said.

"Some of us are interested in sustainability issues like wool production and zero-waste clothing, then a few of us have more conceptual interests we explore through clothing. We all have different takes on fashion."

The project is funded by Arts Queensland for its first six months, after which time the group will require support, Dunlop said.

"We're applying for all sorts of grants to keep it going; we will need to seek philanthropic funding of some sort," she said.

"Sewing circles seem to be a really nice way of people coming together, sharing and swapping skills. We're not too focused on the commercial gain but to sit and have a cup of tea and talk."