Stitch School

Stitch-School came to Blackburn! Previous collaborators included V&A Dundee, Alexander McQueen, and TRImarchi – the biggest design gathering in Latin America. For the first time, Stitch-School collaborated with communities in Blackburn, the National Festival of Making, and local artist Sana Maulvi.

During the festival weekend, participants had the opportunity to take a seat at the stitch table and contribute to the ever-growing piece. No prior knowledge of embroidery was required – attendees learned and explored a variety of stitches, made their mark on the large embroidery cloth, and enjoyed the benefits of stitching together.

In the lead-up to the festival, the stitch table traveled to some of Blackburn’s brilliant networks and community groups, supported by artist Sana Maulvi. With design influenced by the Community Harmony Project, a group that supports migrant, asylum, and refugee communities, the common thread running throughout the design was ‘Our Home’ – the theme of that year’s Refugee Week. The cloth aimed to build a new narrative, embed and share skills, and have a positive impact on the community of Blackburn.