April Phillips

MAKE SPACE is a Leather Workshop due to open its doors from March / April 2014.
This workshop has been created as a soft landing project for humanitarian refugees to the Mid North Coast region of NSW (Coffs Harbour).
Recent immigrants need time to settle into their new surroundings. MAKE SPACE will provide a place to practice English, build confidence, regain trust, learn new skills and be part of a team.
In times such as these many people find having a creative outlet, a purpose and a place to be accelerates recovery from trauma and hardship.


Like many regional areas of Australia, Coffs Harbour experiences a high instance of long term unemployment. Training spaces such as these offer alternatives to people who would like to gain skills and create items for sale.

MAKE SPACE aims to train up to twelve participants in the first nine weeks. It is our aim for MAKE SPACE to be an ongoing training facility, for it to go beyond the nine week period. Eventually we hope to extend training from leather items to various other mediums in the future.

This initial leather class will take students through basic sewing machine training, leather work skills, and leather bag production.

The theme for bags made in this class will be "Faces".

Once the nine week training session for the first MAKE SPACE workshop has concluded we will have a showcase exhibition in Coffs Harbour - stay tuned to our pages below for more information in the future.

You can follow the progress of this project on this blog:
www.makespaceworkshop.wordpress.com
Also Join this facebook page:
www.facebook.com/makespaceworkshop

=== 8th January UPDATE: ===

Firstly we would like to say a big huge thank you to all of our supporters so far we have reached out goal and will be able to buy the machinery we need.

In the next 4 days we hope to reach a new goal of $3900 for so we can buy a second sewing machine...

...So we can do more MAKING with less waiting

♡ MAKE SPACE


4th December UPDATE:
=== New rewards: 'April's favourite things' ===

Have a look at some of the generous donations from some of my favourite
companies and people. Famously delicious Vietnamese food from
MissChu Syd %20 Melb, Perfect Coffees from piccolo a go;
Bold socks from UNEMPIRE Melbourne;
A gorgeous rabbit scarf from Melbourne based fashion label Klezinski;
naturally beautiful wilderbeads jewellery; local artist flossy-p's dreamy illustrations available in A4 prints;
and even toilet paper delivered to your door from who gives a crap.
Oh and I will be running a sandal making class at Weave in bellingen
with only 6 spots available.


MissChu 'Queen of the Rice Paper Roll'


Yum! MissChu you are the queen! Fried organic tofu & shimeji mushrooms,
bean vermicelli, watercress, mint, coriander, Vietnamese mint & perilla leaves



A scarf and friend in one ~ Rabbit Scarf By Melbourne based Label Klezinski


A signed copy of Beci Orpin's latest book 'Home: 25 amazing projects for your home'
A hardback book with over 200 pages of home bliss ♡

www.beciorpin.com




Perfect Coffee from Piccolo to go Coffs Harbour


'Who Gives A Crap Toilet Paper' the one and only company to deliver to my door and donate a whopping 50% of profits to WaterAid to build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world. No chlorine, inks, dyes or weird perfumes in this toilet paper
www.au.whogivesacrap.org


UNEMPIRE 'Prawny' Socks

UNEMPIRE 'Dippy Eggs and Soldiers' Socks
UNEMPIRE 'Meatballs, Spaghetti 'N' Garlic bread' Socks
UNEMPIRE 'Lucky' Socks

UNEMPIRE 'Chezzze dreamzzz' Socks

A limited print edition of 100, signed and numbered by the artist.
The image size is 8 x 10" with a white border for framing (actual page size is A4).
(note: copyright watermark is not on actual print)


Never Never Creek: A lucky boy gets to snuggle up warm and cosy with a sleeping platypus, in a patch of reeds under soft yellow stars.This A4 print is from an original pencil drawing by flossy-p


Giant Wombat & Banjo Boy:A giant but gentle wombat meets a boy and his banjo beneath the night sky.This print is from an original pencil drawing by flossy-p

All The Animals Know The Secret Of Life:A graceful, all-knowing swan, with detailed feather plumes.This print is from an original watercolour painting by flossy-p

flossy-p.com
www.facebook.com/flossy.p.art


Wilderbeads Jewellery. Each Australian seed is collected and drilled by hand and is in its natural form, no lacquer, no polishing, no dyeing, exactly as they are found in nature.
The red seeds are so vibrant, and smooth against your skin. www.wilderbeads.com


Wilderbeads necklace


Wilderbeads seed Earings

Wilderbeads seed breaclet


Catalogue is a leading fashion magazine that has some of the most beautiful photo shoots I have ever seen! Relaxing with a magazine is my time to be inspired and keep up with local and international talent.
www.cataloguemagazine.com.au


Latest Issue of Catalogue Magazine


A 2014 yearly subscription to catalogue magazine (6 copies)
Latest Copy of Catalogue magazine

Old Johns is one of the greatest spots on Coffs harbour to meet a friend, catch a drink & a bite to eat
www.facebook.com/oldjohns


Cold drinks, Good Company, a delicious Thursday night dinner for two - at Old Johns


Also:
Check out our very own sustainably sourced, vegetable tanned leather detachable 3D POMPOM shoe laces. Give a new lease on life to your existing shoes with these hand painted shoe lace charms.
(if you have your own colour combination ideas message me to see if we can accommodate)

What Funds Do you Have So Far?

We will be using the funds to purchase and transport two machines:

1. Image transfer press
Images can be printed directly from a computer on specialty papers, then the transfer press fuses the paper to leather with heat and pressure.

2. Sewing Machine
We will purchase a machine that will be able to sew through leather with ease.

---- WHAT IF YOU SURPASS THE FUNDING TARGET? ----
We will put these funds towards:
- Printing paper for the press
- A second sewing machine

Any obstacles that may arise for this project will be met by a team of experienced people. We will be provided with cultural assistance, language translation services, as well as a list of volunteers to assist in the establishment and ongoing day to day running of MAKE SPACE.