Garment Making Workshops in Crawley: Stitching Stories, Building Community
This autumn, a series of garment making workshops will take place across Crawley, created specifically for and with residents from the Ukrainian community, the Afghan community, and the LGBTQIA+ community. These sessions are not open to the general public but are designed with care and intention to support, uplift and creatively collaborate with these vital parts of the town’s diverse cultural fabric.
Led by a team of talented artists — Beth Williams, Cee Boulaqui, Mah-E-Nau Rafiq, and Sophie Merriner — the workshops are part of an ongoing artistic journey that began earlier this year with the Fashion Show for Crawley. Participants of all skill levels will come together to learn and exchange garment making and upcycling techniques, transforming old textiles into new creations that hold personal and cultural meaning.
These are not just sewing workshops — they are safe spaces where creativity is stitched together with identity, memory, and pride. From reworking everyday garments into expressive pieces of wearable art, to sharing stories through stitches and fabric, the sessions will offer a platform for reflection, experimentation, and empowerment.
As artist and lead facilitator Cee Boulaqui reflected in a blog earlier this year about her experience on working on the Fashion Show workshops, “This wasn’t just a project. It gave people space to breathe and express themselves, and I’m blessed to have been part of it.” That spirit of care, collaboration and celebration continues in this next phase.
The outcomes and insights gathered from these sessions will inform Creative Crawley’s research for a bold and inclusive Town Wide Festival planned for 2027. The garments created, and more importantly, the stories and relationships formed along the way, will help shape a collective vision for how Crawley can creatively represent all its communities on a larger scale.
These workshops mark another step in a longer-term commitment to inclusive and community-rooted arts in Crawley — where every thread, every voice, and every person counts.
Workshops with Beth and Sophie are in partnership with Crawley LGBT.
Learn more about the heart behind this project when Cee and Mahenau previously collaborated with residents from the Chagossian community and Afghan community: “This wasn’t just a project…” – Read more
About the artists
Beth Williams (they/she)
Beth is a disabled multi-disciplinary artist who specialises in Knitwear, Living Textiles and Soft Sculpture. They are a graduate from Central Saint Martins BA Fashion Design with Knitwear (2022) and Royal College of Art MA Fashion (2023). Their practice centres around their experience of an inaccessible world, as well as the relationship between human and environmental sustainability.
Read more about Beth here.
Follow Beth on Instagram @beexbeth
Cee Boulaqui (she/her)
Cee is a dynamic sustainable artist and bandleader with a rich carnival background. Her creative journey is driven by a deep commitment to highlighting social and environmental issues through innovative designs. Known for her role in an international Caribbean production, Cee also advocates for the Chagossian community. Infused with Creole influences, each piece of her work reflects a story of culture, sustainability, and social impact.
Read more about Cee here.
Follow Cee on Instagram @the_cee_journey
Mah-E-Nau Rafiq (she/her)
Mah-e-Nau is a Pakistan-born, London-based multidisciplinary artist specialising in fashion design, textiles and sculpture. After working as a womenswear designer, she completed her Graduate Diploma in Fashion with distinction at Central Saint Martins and then pursued an MA in Fashion at the Royal College of Art. Her practice takes an autoethnographic approach, weaving together storytelling, material exploration, and sculptural forms. In recent years, she has expanded from traditional womenswear into broader explorations of the body through experimental materials, collaborative processes, and community engagement.
Follow Mah-e-Nau on Instagram @_mahenau
Sophie Merriner (she/her)
Sophie is a fashion designer raised in Crawley. She studied BA(Hons) Fashion Design at the University of Salford, graduating in 2023. Her concepts are influenced by personal experience with philosophical and political undertones, manifesting into luxury womenswear. Sophie values the art and craftsmanship of the fashion design process and prioritises the production of wearable, long-lasting garments with extensive technical development.
Follow Sophie on Instagram @sophiemerriner
The Garment Making Workshops are part of Creative Playground, a Creative People and Places programme funded by Arts Council England. Managed by Creative Crawley.
About Crawley LGBT
Crawley LGBT is an organisation that raises awareness of the issues facing the LGBT+ community and promotes Crawley as a safe and inclusive place for its members. It also seeks to foster a sense of belonging and identity for the LGBT+ community in Crawley. These goals will be pursued through the planning and management of annual events, as well as by supporting the development of services for the LGBT+ community in the area.
Read more about Crawley LGBT here.
Image credits: Simon Edwards and Leyla Güler.
