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
METRES OF FABRIC SAVED FROM LANDFILL
hours of social connection
workshops delivered
How our community has evolved
From humble beginnings as The Nest Craft Project in 2012 we became The Nest Community, an incorporated association, by 2014.
With support from local MP Tim Mander, the community found a permanent home in Everton Park in 2015 that allowed us to expand our skill sharing programs and our volunteer-led social enterprise; The Nest Haberdashery where we process donations of preloved craft and sewing supplies so 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.
In July 2020 we became a registered charity.
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.
Make
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 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.
Connect
Our volunteer program supports our social enterprise initiatives and creates a community for women from diverse backgrounds to connect.
Reclaim
Our donation redistribution program aids the war against landfill by assigning donations that we do not utilise to other charitable causes.