The Sewing Machine Project was conceived in March, 2005, following the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia. A BBC article on the internet gave painful details about a woman who had lost her sewing machine in the storm, a machine she’d saved for years to buy, and, in losing it, she lost her means of earning an income. Margaret Jankowski, the founder of The Sewing Machine Project, began collecting donated sewing machines here in Wisconsin and shipping them to Sri Lanka. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in September 2005 The Sewing Machine Project’s focus shifted to that region. Since then, The Sewing Machine Project has delivered over 550 machines to the residents of the greater New Orleans area. These machines are distributed to individuals as well as schools and community centers. People are using them not only to rebuild their lives but also to start small sewing-related businesses.
Five years later, The Sewing Machine Project operates on a local, national and international level. Women’s sewing cooperatives in Kosovo, Mexico and Liberia are working with Sewing Machine Project machines. We continue our work in the Gulf Coast region as they continue to rebuild. Locally, we are beginning a brand new chapter of the Sewing Machine Project story–the Sewing Shares Lending Library.
Sewing Shares:The Lending Library of the Sewing Machine Project will serve Dane County by offering sets of machines on loan to area groups who otherwise would not have the means to acquire these tools. Additionally, we will offer sewing and sewing-based small business education to support this effort. Sewing Shares will be launched in Spring 2010.
Another facet of the Project is the Pay it Forward program. It is our belief that the best way to say thank you is to help someone else in return. We ask each sewing machine recipient to pay it forward by offering their help to mend their own community in a sewing-related way. Some people choose to teach others to sew, while others offer their sewing skills to charitable organizations. When an individual receives a machine, they are given a choice of volunteer opportunities. In this way, they can use their new tool to help their own community.
We are pleased to support sustainability on a number of levels. We act as a resource, providing the tools to help individuals and groups become self-sustaining. Additionally, we conserve resources by collecting donated machines and distributing those machines to the people who need them. Fabric, sewing notions and patterns flow through our channels along with the machines, donated by those who no longer need them to those who need them so much.
Community is important no matter where you live. The mission of the Sewing Machine Project is to give people a tool that will not only help them mend their own lives but also will give them a way to take an active role in the rebuilding of their community. People grow strong and their community grows strong as well.