Last Thursday I received a note from one of our menders.

Do you know about our mending project? Every first, third, and fifth Wednesday evening and Thursday morning of the month, a couple of our volunteers offer free mending here in Madison. On Wednesday nights it’s at the Goodman Center, where there’s just a bustle of activity…meetings, classes, a food pantry, a free meal…and Sewing Machine Project volunteers, offering free mending services.
On Thursday mornings you can find a couple of volunteers at Madison’s Central Library, which is a hub of a different kind–offering resources for the Madison community that extend far beyond books. There’s help with all kinds of things from resumes to finding transportation…and Sewing Machine Project volunteers, offering free mending.

But I digress….

I received a note from Kate, who was mending on Thursday morning. She wrote to share a story and  picture of her new mending helper. Haviv. Haviv is from Iran and stopped by to see what was going on in the mending area. He proudly showed Kate his perfectly hemmed jeans–tiny stitches, perfectly even and done by hand. While Haviv and Kate talked, another mending client arrived with a torn backpack. Haviv jumped right in and offered to do the mending. While he carefully stitched there was gentle conversation and such kindness. The mending was done and a friendship was formed.

That’s the thing about sewing…people come for the sewing, they stay for the community. Our lives are enhanced, our spirits are fed. And we all win.