"No Sweat" Sewing Workshop This Saturday

Just when a guy starts to feel a bit down, what with the latest news of more violence nearby, a neighbor forwards a nearly perfect antidote to my suddenly somber mood. A group called  Flatbush Mutual Aid is offering a couple of enticing sewing workshops intended to get us (well, me, I'll speak for myself) out of the ridiculously wasteful habit of just going out and getting new things everytime a minor rip or tear appears or buttons come off. That first workshop (this Saturday at 1:30!) sounds incredibly practical, so head on down to the building behind the historic Flatbush Church (at Church and Flatbush, of course) in the basement gym behind the main chapel. Then the second workshop, two Saturdays later, things get funky, and the glue gun comes out, among others of course. Time to turn your old into gold.

I'm telling you, it warms my heart to see big-hearted folk getting together and giving it away - their time, their talents, their companionship. 'Swat it's all about, ya'll.

Who we are:

Flatbush Mutual Aid is a grouping of friends and neighbors who have been active in community-building projects here in Flatbush, including community gardening and composting; food rescue; freecycling; holistic health; community supported agriculture (CSAs); community meals; and sharing of skills and resources.

We come from all walks of life. What brings us together is a “ya!basta, this has to change” feeling about a way of life that is wasteful, soul destroying and unsustainable. We want to help people take responsibility for the stewardship of our planet. 

We believe a better world is possible. We believe all of us can have lives that are more satisfying and more interesting, less stressful and less wasteful. We can do this by extricating ourselves, to the extent we can, from this "rat race" and developing our own networks of support and cooperation based on mutual aid. Flatbush Mutual Aid is exploring alternatives aimed at making this possible. 

Proponents of mutual aid believe that cooperation and sharing, rather than dog-eat-dog competition, are the basis of human society. Without them we would never have survived. It is what we do every day with friends and family and in times of disaster and hardship. We think mutual aid is the most ‘natural' way human beings can exist and thrive, and the only basis for a just, sustainable world.

What we are doing:

We have begun to share services and items like food, clothing, household stuff, and tools freely among ourselves.

We hold regular afternoon potlucks and meet Saturdays for the community meal at Flatbush Reformed Church.

We put on workshops in which we share skills, tools and knowledge. These include:

- bicycle safety, maintenance and repair;

- sewing and mending; altering and revamping clothes;

- growing, preserving and preparing food;

- basic literacy and English.

These workshops are free and open to all. These activities take place at Flatbush Reformed Church and in people's homes.

What we are working towards:

More skill sharing. In the works … food preservation, home repair, food rescue.

Have something to share? Want to learn something? Get in touch.

Time Bank

Free exchange [seeds, clothes, household items, books, useful stuff)

Tool library

Movie nights, discussion groups and social gatherings.

A space of our own