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After Four Year Hiatus, Fabric-a-brac Is Back
Palmerston North is set to be the focus of all things material in August when Fabric-a-brac is held after a long gap due to COVID.
The upcycling event, to be held on 19 August 2023 at Crossroads hall, pulls together home sewers and independent businesses to showcase a huge variety of vintage and modern treasures for crafters, quilters and sewers.
Fabric-a-brac allows anyone to load up a table and sell sewing-related items that they no longer need. The on-site café sells tea, coffee and sweet treats, and there will be an area of donated fabric, all to raise money for Hospice. The event is free and is already full of stallholders – over 30 bringing everything from vintage fabric, patterns and buttons, to modern fabric, books and even a sewing machine or two!
Organiser and founder of Fabric-a-brac Josie Brennan says the event is about bringing together the many “fabric-a-holics” out there who have collected more fabric than they will ever be able to use, with others that want affordable, interesting quality fabrics and sewing accessories.
“Stallholders take out table to sell their unwanted items, there will also be tables selling donated fabric, patterns and sewing supplies and a café, all to raise money for Hospice.”
It has also had great community support. Local company Freedom Print has stepped up to take care of the printing. Bakers from Palmy and further afield will be donning their pinnies to bake and serve at the pop up café which will also be serving tea, coffee and sweet treats.
“It’s a lovely free event that is great way to ensure sewing supplies are recycled and upcycled! It has a great vibe and we’re delighted that we can have that much fun and help Hospice in the process.”
Fabric-a-brac started in Wellington in 2009, after founder Josie Brennan’s mother went into a rest home. “I looked around and realised she had more fabric than I was ever going to be able to use. I thought, if I am in this position, there are probably other people too,” she said.
There have been Fabric-a-brac events held since then in Auckland, Blenheim, Wellington, Taranaki, Palmerston North and even Adelaide and Sydney. The initiative has raised around $100,000 for Hospice in total, and helped precious sewing and fabric items find a new home.
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