Our Group was started back in 2016, by a new Mum who had just moved to Aylesbury, with the aim of meeting local people who stitched… they originally met in someone’s home and with more members graduated to Tesco’s “community room”….. we have grown a bit since those days.
Aylesbury Sew & So’s is a community group for all people over 16 years of age. It is a friendly place to visit to make new friends and learning or sharing new skills in knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidery – basically anything with a needle or hook that’s legal! (except tattoos).
We have members in their teens and 90’s. The group was started in 2016, by a new mum who moved into the area and wanted to meet local people who stitched. It has now grown to well over 100 members, many of whom live on their own, so combat social isolation by attending one of our regular weekly meetings.
We hold 3 meetings each week.
Each session costs just £2, which helps us pay for hall hire, tea/coffee and biscuits though members often bring cake to share as well.
There is a monthly retreat held on the 3rd Saturday of each month, which costs £12 plus a little extra if you want to take part in that month’s project. The projects are generally simple ways of teaching various sewing techniques, along with useful items to use or make as gifts for friends and family.
It is not just about learning specific skill, at any of the groups or retreats, you are more than welcome to bring along your own project to work on. If you have nothing in mind, then we suggest you help with Project Linus. This is where many of the members make a variety of items for the local hospitals, women’s refuge, schools and nursing homes. The sort of things we make are quilts for the children’s oncology, spinal injury and general wards, pump bags for those undergoing chemotherapy, wiggly bags for Hickman Lines and wash bags that we fill, for those who end up in A&E or on a ward and have nobody local to bring in essential items for them. This may be because loved ones live a long way off, or they simply don’t have family. Our items are very much appreciated. It makes us feel that we are doing something so worthwhile, and the recipients really benefit.
Recently a young cancer patient was finding it difficult to engage with the therapy. They chose a quilt to keep and it was used as a talking point to take their mind off the therapy. The quilt is a gift for the child, one they are able to keep and encouraged to use as a comforter for future hospital stays. This is just one example of many. We also knit and crochet cot blankets for both neo natal and children’s wards.
Please don’t feel intimidated, as many of us are novices with a sewing machine, knitting needles, crochet hooks or sewing needles. The group is for all people of all abilities, we are there to help and support each other.
So if you would like to attend, just turn up on one of our meetings and you find a warm welcome.
Finally, we also hold an annual ‘scraptastic’ event, where the whole day is devoted to making the quilt flimsies (just the top bit) for Project Linus, in many bright and beautiful cottons. These kits are provided and cut ready, so its easy to stitch with friends to make the day fun. We rely on donations of money or cottons, threads and wadding to make this possible. So, if you know any group who look for a well deserving group to raise funds for, please think of us. A bale of wadding which costs approximately £600, will provide the filling for 15 quilts. At the last scraptastic, we completed 40 quilt flimsies and have many more almost complete. We are hoping to reach a total of 100. That is almost £4,000 in wadding needed. One way we raise funds, is many sewing/knitting craft items are kindly donated by people whose loved ones are no longer with us. We are able to either use (so saving money) or sell the items to raise money. We often have sewing machines donated, that we are able to sell to members who are looking to upgrade or replace what they have. All funds raised goes to helping us complete projects for Project Linus.
If you would like to donate to the group, to help with our work, please contact us on ………………. Or visit our Just Giving Page ………………