A Stitch in time

05 March 2019

Celebrate International Women’s Day and sustainable futures

In celebration of International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, the new Gallery DownTown in Murwillumbah invites you make a Blue Jean Sisters doll.

The doll is a symbol of nurture and comfort to children everywhere, and by joining in, you can be part of an important movement for social change.

Join artist Belinda Smith at Gallery DownTown – the annexe of the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre in the M-Arts Precinct on Brisbane Street - to sew a Blue Jean Sisters doll. The dolls will culminate as an installation for the exhibition A Fierce Hope, at Adderton: house & heart of mercy in Brisbane during August 2019.

Belinda’s goal for this installation is to gather 2,000 dolls handmade at workshops and at home, by the public and by the artist herself. Using the same pattern and materials (reclaimed denim), every doll will have its own variations in colour and workmanship. It is hoped that people sharing in this project will reflect on the decisions they make about the clothes they wear, who made them and under what conditions.

The Blue Jean Sisters project responds to the ethical activities of Outland Denim, a clothing brand fighting modern slavery. This practice affects over 40 million lives in many of the poorest countries, three quarters of whom are women and girls. Outland Denim is a business providing sustainable employment and training opportunities for women who have been rescued from human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Sewers of all levels are welcome. All materials and instructions are provided. Sessions are hourly commencing from 10am through to 2pm. Book at www.trybooking.com/BAVAK or just drop in to join in with cutting, sewing and stuffing dolls.

If you can’t make this date, or you are keen to get started, download the pattern and instructions from the artist’s website www.plummerandsmith.com.au and get sewing with some old blue jeans.

Gallery DownTown is open Monday to Wednesday and Friday 10am to 3pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm (closed Thursday and Sunday). For more information visit https://artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/GalleryDownTown

Downloads

Photo 1(JPG, 125KB)

Caption: Making a Blue Jean Sisters doll.

Photo 2(JPG, 76KB)

Caption: A finished Blue Jean Sisters doll.