Photos: Yuliya Firsova
We – that is women, girls and grandmothers from Ukraine – met every week and sewed pictures. It was more soul work than handwork. Special experience or sewing skills did not matter.
Many people came and donated threads, fabrics and their life stories. So behind every piece of fabric there is a whole world. Little by little, more and more pictures were created, which we have now brought together to form a large mural.
But the most important thing is that we have created a place in the Open Gallery where women can unwind, talk, sing, share their problems, experience support and warmth. We have not only built houses out of fabric, but we have also created a “warm home” for the soul.
The sewing café is not over yet, it continues!
After patchwork, we are now sewing toys…. Yes, exactly! It’s quicker than you think: in the twinkling of an eye, fabric scraps become little animals, figures, dolls and anything else your imagination can come up with.
And what do we do with all the toys when it all becomes too much? Give them to the children, the little ones and the big ones! There are always opportunities to do this and at the latest when December arrives and with it Saint Nicholas, the joy is even greater, also for our “inner child”.
Every Wednesday – 18:30 – Sewing Café in the Open Gallery
You are cordially invited to the weekly sewing café. Here you can chat, get creative together and create beautiful things! Participation is free of charge. We provide a few needles, yarns and pieces of fabric. If you like, you can of course bring your own materials! Experience does not matter.
Open Gallery
In our gallery Galerie nEUROPA we not only present exhibitions of contemporary photographers related to Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, but the room is also available for open meetings, coffee rounds, game nights, workshops, seminars, think tanks, etc.
Period
since 08.2022
Project coordination
Employees at the office
Project partners
Yuliya Firsova (Sewing-Café, since 2022), Viktoriia Borysiuk (Art and Meditation, since 2023), Laura Schulze (Mushroom hike, 2023) and other volunteers
Supported by
The project is funded by the State Ministry for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion. This measure is co-financed with tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon state parliament as part of the »Wir für Sachsen« funding programme.
