A charity connecting women purposefully through craft

 

reclaiming resources for the maker community

 

Making space for women to connect through craft.

It took a pandemic for handmade living skills like knitting, baking sourdough, crochet, sewing and boro mending to hit the headlines. Since 2012 we’ve seen the benefits of women connecting through craft, sharing skills and mentoring others.

We use the word craft as a way of describing handmaking skills. Using our hands promotes mindfulness, builds resilience through problem-solving and is an outlet for creativity.

This is the foundation of the Nest Community and we believe that when women support each other, incredible things happen.

Volunteer

Our social and environmental impact

From humble beginnings as The Nest Craft Project in 2012 we became The Nest Community, an incorporated association in 2014.

With support from Tim Mander MP, The Nest Community Inc moved into a permanent home in Everton Park that allowed us to expand our skill sharing programs through community craft workshops that were subsidised by our own fundraising efforts.

By 2019 our volunteer-led social enterprise, The Nest Haberdashery , became our primary revenue stream.

The Nest Haberdashery is a circular economy built on our values of craft and sustainability, supported by an engaged community of volunteers that have a deep understanding of textile resources. By receiving donations of preloved craft supplies we are diverting it from landfill and ensuring that  Brisbane’s makers, artisans and emerging designers have access to low-cost quality resources.

Income from the haberdashery funds all of our activities including The Exchange Project, our flagship program that connects young women from local schools with volunteer mentors to learn handmade living skills and build friendships.

The Nest Haberdashery is the heart of our organisation and provides social connection to over 120 volunteers and the wider craft-loving community.

METRES OF FABRIC SAVED FROM LANDFILL

hours of social connection

workshops delivered

Shop

Our social enterprise; The Nest Haberdashery is the heart of our community supplying pre-loved sewing and craft resources to Brisbane’s maker community.

WORKSHOPS

Live a more sustainable lifestyle and learn to make by hand. Rag rugs, boro mending, embroidery and more are just some of the skills we share.

MENTORING

The Exchange Project is our free flagship program that connects young women from local schools with volunteer mentors to learn handmade living skills and build friendships.

SUPPORT

Our volunteers are all avid makers and raise funds for our community with Pop-Up Craft Stalls, stocked with handmade items created from reclaimed resources.

VOLUNTEER

Our volunteer program supports our social enterprise initiatives and creates a community for women from diverse backgrounds to connect.

DONATE

Do you have excess textile or craft resouces you’d like to donate? Find out more about The Nest Haberdashery, a treasure trove from Brisbane’s maker community.

Keep in Touch with our Community

Subscribe to our newsletter for workshops, upcoming events and happenings in The Nest Haberdashery.

Follow our Facebook Page