I have noticed since getting more active in the sewing and knitting communities that textile artists are the best people. They are selfless, kind, practical, and so very giving of their time, their passion, their craft, and also their supplies.
I went back and re-read all of the Giving Challenge posts, and they are filled with love for family (the one you were born into and the one you made) and community. From quilts to dolls to tote bags, our guest authors really demonstrated how we give back with our skills.
Since then, we’ve had a couple of events that rallied the world’s sewists: the terrible bushfires in Australia, and the global Covid-19 pandemic. As Sewcialists, we wrote some hotly discussed posts on both of these topics — making rescue gear for koalas, and making personal protective equipment for the medical profession and our friends, families and communities.
Questions around how and where to help — through our skills, donations of money or materials, organized or individual contributions, and through which organizations — these will be a struggle to answer in any large call for help from sewists.
Nobody wants their efforts to go to waste — few things enraged me more than the governor of New York State posing in front of a wall of home made cloth masks, donated by sewists from around the United States. I’m pretty sure that’s not why the sewists dipped into their personal stash of fabric, spent their precious personal time crafting a mask, and went to the post office to mail it to NY. Sure, the government said they’re going to find a good home for all of the masks on the wall, but do you really believe that?
Regardless, we will continue to give as a community because that is who we are. Not always in large scale appeals, but in teaching others to sew, making useful and beautiful gifts, becoming part of an army of people who do good, destashing for charity, and clothing our people.
I’m spending my summer teaching a 21-year-old how to sew beautiful, practical clothing that is made from sustainable and natural fibres. What are you all doing to continue your #givesewmuch mission?
Kerry lives in Ottawa, Canada with three dogs, a wonderful husband, and an adult sort-of-stepdaughter who is learning to sew. She is learning how to live in a modern family in a pandemic, one day at a time. You can also find her @gymnauseous on Instagram.
Thank you for making the connection between sewing for Australian wildlife relief and COVID19. When the bush fires were raging, my small fabric shop, which only carries natural fiber textiles (required for both relief efforts), offered to ship bat wraps and joey pouches to Australia. I was totally overwhelmed but moved to joyful tears when my customers sent over a thousand items for me to ship!
I had barely gotten all of it organized and crated when people all over North America started sheltering at home and pulling out their sewing machines. In six weeks, I personally cut and shipped over a thousand yards of cotton fabric. The vast majority of which has been destined to become masks.
The other day, while standing at the cutting table, I broke down in tears again. This time, not so joyful.
I’d been working 12-plus hours every day since the mask efforts began and this time they were tears of exhaustion. I was running out of stock and so were my incredible suppliers so my tears were also tinged with anxiety. And, goddamnit, where is our government? Why aren’t we all being provided with masks? Or, at the very least, fabric? My tears were, ultimately, tears or rage.
That was the day I realized I was completely spent and needed to shut down the shop for a few weeks to rest and recharge. Which I’m doing now.
Take care of yourselves.
Ps: if you’re a journalist, please investigate and write up the fascinating and unexpected impact of COVID 19 on textile industry. Including the shops and selling platforms, like Etsy, where relief sewists have turned. I promise, it will be a rich story.
Hi Kerry, I wrote the post about the baby edition, little pants and hats. Since then I collaborate with the people who are responsible for wellfare in my town. That way I can easily contact the people who are in need. Offcourse because of Covid-19 everything is on a very low level. But I see new friendships and happy people in the future when we can start up again.
Gerda
Thee eight cake