Oh Chris, how we miss you. Left to right, Chris, Trish, Margaret, Linda at the International Quilt Festival, Houston In November 2023, we lost a beloved Board member and friend, Chris Thomas. The onset of her illness was so sudden and she left the world in a matter of months. What Chris left behind, however, will go on forever. Chris brought a quiet wisdom to our board. She cared about the details, just as she did in creating incredibly moving pieces of art. Details matter. Her voice was always calm but strong and we were better for it, not only as fellow board members but as friends. Chris ..read more

I, like many sewers, have a few machines in my “stable”. It was time to clean house. My mom’s Featherweight…nope, can’t get rid of that one. My day-to-day machine…always in use. That one stays put. Back in the corner of the closet is a familiar case—a faded plastic cover over a machine I remember well. I step in and pull the machine to the front. Lifting the cover, I can’t help but smile. Here is my New Home machine—the first machine I’d ever purchased for myself. I bought it when I was first married and pregnant with our son. I remember sitting down at the machine for the first time and how i ..read more

The Sewing Machine Project has a unique Business Model. By that I mean, we carve our own path with an ear to the pulse of what is going on around us. We are a tapestry of common threads, with a vibrant palate of fibers and colors- some expected and many surprising. When I imagine this tapestry, I see the end of a thread, take it in hand, and connect it with another. Last year, a woman named Peg reached out, looking to help in some way. She’d made donations in the past, but was looking for a more tangible way to help. I mean, aren’t we all searching to make a difference in ways that resonate wi ..read more

His name was Gene Alexander. And we knew each other…even though we’d never met. His note arrived in July of 2021, the handwriting shaky with age. He’d read about The Sewing Machine Project in the Christian Science Monitor and was impressed with our work. So impressed, in fact, that he sent a donation. Along with the donation, he sent a note sharing a bit of himself and his work in the community. His projects were far reaching, touching so many lives. Gene helped the local schools, funding the painting of a map on the playground. His community work was recognized with a bench, inscribed for him ..read more

It was an honor to be featured on the Sew And So podcast. This was a great conversation…please take a listen! https://www.sewandsopodcast.com/episodes/episode-6-margaret-jankowski The post Sew and So podcast! appeared first on The Sewing Machine Project ..read more

Here is the link to our Fall 2020 Newsletter. Please read and enjoy. If you’d like to receive our Biannual newsletters automatically, just sign up through the “Contact” portion of our website and you’ll be kept in the loop! https://mailchi.mp/13843d2e2943/a-year-like-no-other The post Our Fall 2020 Newsletter appeared first on The Sewing Machine Project ..read more

…an excerpt from a letter I recently wrote to a donor This letter so full of gratitude…I hope you can feel it spilling off of the page.  I recently reached out to a few of our volunteers asking them to take over the preparation of three shipments of sewing machines to three different groups. I’ve had a death in the family—and my own immediate family is moving in slow motion. So I asked others to help with the jobs I normally am a part of, namely, checking and packing machines that we’ve promised. We had three shipments of 5 machines each to prep and ship. The first shipment is going to Mi ..read more

The Sewing Machine Project is featured in The Week magazine’s Good News section! Check it out! https://theweek.com/life/good-news/1001635/this-nonprofit-helps-people-around-the-world-learn-the-empowering-skill-of The post We made The Week! appeared first on The Sewing Machine Project ..read more

I honestly believe that I have been given The Sewing Machine Project to guide. And that’s exactly what I do, however, I could not do this work without the support and help of so very many people–unsung heroes. Let me sing their song now. Pattie in Minnesota, a retired engineer, picks up sewing machines and makes sure they are in the “excellent condition” that we require. She goes many steps further–making sure each machine has bobbins and a manual, any appropriate feet. Each machine is in a hard case, well protected. And to top it off, Pattie delivers the machines to our Madison collection sit ..read more

Here is the link to our Spring 2021 Newsletter. If you’d like to receive our newsletters by email, please sign up through our website! We’d love to keep you in the loop! https://mailchi.mp/f754049c8ed0/check-out-our-spring-2021-newsletter-4728473 The post Spring 2021 Newsletter appeared first on The Sewing Machine Project ..read more