Why I gave away sewing machines
I am not in the business of selling sewing machines, nor am I the President of “Giving Away Free Sewing Machines” as I do have a full-time job selling fabric, but I do have a big heart and want to help others who are down on their luck. The trait of giving back is one that was instilled upon me at an early age by my parents and grandparents and is one that I try to instill upon my own children too.
I started giving away sewing machines in September, 2017 when forest fires were burning out of control in California and hurricanes were hitting Florida and Texas and surrounding areas. This was the cause of so much sadness and so much tragedy at one time that it was scary on a global level. Believe it or not, the gift of a sewing machine meant a lot to someone that lost everything. It offered them an outlet from the stress of the tragedy. That is where it all started and then it morphed in to giving machines away for a multitude of other tragic reasons that were reported to me through my blog and personal emails.
My attention was particularly focused on people that were enduring a natural disaster, an illness, a death in the family, a deformity, an abusive relationship, a loss of any form or a drastic change in circumstances for the worse. Aside from all those reasons and too many others to list here, I was particularly drawn to helping young girls being sex trafficked. This was a result of the second sewing machine request that I ever received which was from Linda Yarrow. The request blew my mind and saddened me wholeheartedly. As such, I have helped to facilitate the delivery of nearly 30 sewing machines and fabric to the Freedom Place in Texas.
When this began, the concept was to assist those who were down on their luck, but it has become so much more! This entire thing has been a life changer for me on so many levels. To be honest, it is a little bit addictive to help others and I hope you are encouraged by my actions. This has been such a rewarding undertaking for which I am very proud. As of September 2019, I have given away over 150 brand new Maker 200 Eversewn sewing machines. In addition, I have been fortunate enough to locate several other generous partners in the industry to team up with me on my mission. As of this date, Olfa, Aurifil & Fiskars have partnered with me to send notions and sewing goodies to each of the sewing machine recipients that I select. This has made the giveaway that much better especially for the winners.
Many of the recipients are young people who have a passion for this craft and I don’t want that passion to be inhibited. I am not giving away sewing machines anymore, but if have stayed with me this far, you can do your part too. Find someone who wants to learn to sew and teach them. Part with some of your stash and give fabric away to someone who doesn’t have the means to get their own fabric. Consider upgrading to a new machine and giving your old machine to someone that doesn’t have a machine. Anything you can do to keep sewing and quilting alive is welcome….there are no bad ideas.
Here is a gallery of some of the Free Sewing Machine Recipients
Dear Scott,
When I received this machine it was a very dark time in my life. We had lost everything we owed in a flood The gift of your machine and generous friends donating material I started to sew. The more I sewed ,the more light that came back into my life. It has been 2 years now since that dark time. I am still sewing and giving these quilts away.
Thank you, Katie
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