Elizabeth Bracher, Sewing Circle at Kirkcaldy Galleries
Elizabeth Bracher is one of our Sewing Circle volunteers. The Sewing Circle have taken on the challenge to use their technical skills in textiles and craft to create fascinating works for our visitors. They help children to learn by making historical dress up costumes and interactive puppets, reinterpret much loved paintings in our art collection in fabric and stitch, work alongside designers to make costumes for our pantomimes and work with conservators to care for our museum collections.
You could say I was introduced in my childhood to volunteering when I was a Brownie and Girl Guide, I have taken opportunities throughout my life, and for the last 10 years I have volunteered at Kellie Castle, National Trust for Scotland. My friend was part of the Sewing Circle and brought me along, 4 or 5 years ago. We don’t sit around and sew; we meet to have a cuppy, plan our projects with OnFife Curators then make things at home.
Volunteering is good for you physically; it gives structure to your day, and you go to interesting places. Your mental health is stimulated by meeting and talking to people and discussing ideas. It develops my sewing skills, stimulates my imagination and gives me a creative outlet.
It expands your community; you get out into the world and make it a better place.
I also volunteer at my local church, Kellie Castle with the National Trust for Scotland and volunteered with the Great Scottish Tapestry. I can get up close with things that people from the past created hundreds of years ago. It develops my skills, knowledge and appreciation for other people’s work.
The people. You learn from the other volunteers in the sewing circle and share your skills and you also see how others engage or participate in what you do.
When the Great Scottish Tapestry was exhibited in Kirkcaldy Galleries in 2015, I helped visitors put a stitch in the panel created for Kirkcaldy. People were very keen to participate, even children who had never held a needle before started stitching and were away!
It was the same in 2014 when the tapestry was exhibited in the Scottish Parliament building. I was one of the volunteers there helping people put a stitch in the People’s Panel. I remember an American lady visitor who was fascinated by the project but felt that she couldn’t take part because she wasn’t Scottish. I said the panel is for everyone, so she made her stitch and burst into tears because she was so happy to be connected and included.
The reaction to my work in the gallery and how people respond to it. It gives me a great sense of achievement.
Do it, it costs what time you can afford, and you don’t have to be retired! You can do big things and small things. It’s not about giving and giving; you can volunteer when you have time.
Volunteers do fab work, and you can do what you’re interested in. There are lots of opportunities including growing and cooking, you can do what you enjoy doing.
It gives you a sense of identity within your community. In the old days, whole families would live in the same streets and sons followed fathers into working in the pits. Today’s modern life has completely changed, and families are more scattered across the world. Volunteering helps you to expand your network, you give and get support, you create a community and identity.
We’re always delighted to hear from new volunteers and if you would like to find out more about volunteering with OnFife, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Gill Ross at volunteer@onfife.com or 07548 775988.