Made in Hayes: Grant Awarded to Susan Kudo News from the School of Art, Architecture and Design

Architecture Studio 3 student, Susan Kudo has recently been awarded a grant by the Heathrow Community Fund for the Austin Sewing Club.

Date: 24 March 2014

The club is a result of Susan’s on going work on the Austin Estate, starting with her successful pop up ‘Sewing Studio’ which was first tested on the Estate in November.

The new sewing club is based in the community room at the Austin Road Estate, Hayes, West London.  Work on the Estate follows last year’s CASS cross faculty  project ‘Made in Hayes’ (see link below). To build on the successful projects from last year, Studio 3 has since worked with Hillingdon Homes to bring the underused Community Room back into service for residents on the Estate. 

The sewing club will help bring female residents together through its weekly sewing meetings.

Susan said: “One of the main aims of the Club is to bring residents together  with the aim of making the estate a better place to live. Sewing crosses cultural boundaries and allows the women from diverse backgrounds living on the estate to meet and make friends with their neighbours whilst at the same time learning and exchanging their sewing skills. Such encounters have linked residents who had previously never met despite living in close proximity for several years. These friendships have begun to form a network of support for the ladies on all matters that affect their daily lives.”

It is hoped that sewing members will begin to run the club by themselves shortly with two members already beginning to take a lead. Future aims for the club are to up-cycle textiles and produce items that can be sold at the planned Hayes Floating Market.

Ladies from the estate are welcome to join the Sewing Club which is held every Thursday morning 9:30am -12:30pm in the Resdents Room; the existing members are all mothers with at varying sewing abilities. Susan hopes to set up ‘Sewing Club Mini’ for children living on the estate over the summer break with the support of the ladies from the Ausin Sewing Club.