Our Story

Suffrage in Stitches is a unique exhibition, providing the opportunity for 546 individuals, families and groups to hang their art in a gallery space regardless of their education, background or experience. The makers include a few leading figures from the art/recycling community – however, the majority of makers are ordinary people who come from diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds, ages, generations and skills levels.

The 300 metre textile work remembers ordinary people in our history who did an extraordinary thing — signed a petition up and down the country so women could achieve the right to vote, as well as woman who’ve influenced the 546 makers.

It started as a collective exhibition and has emerged as a sharing of history, connection of people and an amazing feeling of togetherness.

The work matches the length of the original petition and consists of 546 individually designed fabric panels – the same number of pages in the original petition – and tells the stories of 546 women.

Makers have discovered a love of history and a renewed appreciation for those who went before them. They have made new friends, learnt new craft and recycling skills, and developed a deeper sense of belonging to New Zealand.

So many stories have surfaced – intrigue, poverty, hope, crime, resilience. On this website you’ll be able to explore unique stories of the women who signed the 1893 Suffrage Petition.

We thank Vinnies Re Sew for partnering with Wellington Museum to bring this moving exhibition to our thousands of visitors across its travels.

Thank you to Carolina Angelica Prato-Casanova of Natural Macro Photography, with the help of equipment loaned by Woolf Photography and Cut the Mustard, kindly donated hundreds of hours of time to photograph the individual panels for this site.