Give and Get Back
The concept of sharing is inherent to a sewist. We love to give our fabrics to a friend in need of just the right aqua or teal. We love to share our cool finds with them, and for the most part we buy two of that super awesome seam ripper found on a local shop hop. We want to share our hobby with the next generation. Most of the time holding on to a machine that hopefully will go to our daughter, niece or grandchild one day; or maybe to a friend or charitable organization. Why? Because we want to build a community of other sewists so that we carry on the tradition of sharing and creating.
When the hobby of sewing comes into your life, a world of friendship and sharing is created. Many people I know socialize in their local fabric stores, guilds and festivals more than they actually sit down at a sewing machine. In my case I made as many crafts, quilts and garments as I could to share my creations at the next gathering. I honestly didn’t want to talk about what I did, as much as I wanted to share the experience I had making the items. I wanted others to be able to learn and improve on what I had done.
Sewing has not only brought out my inner teacher, but it has given me confidence. I have mastered many skills in the craft and I can instruct and guide with buoyancy. This buoyancy has also pulled me out of the shell I was in for a number of years. Most who know me now would not believe it, but I was a shy only child who had difficulty interacting in a group.
Why do I sew? I have always had the urge to take things apart and put them back together again. I would do this with staplers, toys and sometimes typewriters (what’s that, right?), but my interest in fashion and garment design led me to exploring the art of maneuvering flat pieces of material into three dimensional pieces.
So, I want to make sure that I pass on my love of sewing and creating to people in my community who have the same interest as me. I have had an old, but loved, machine that patiently sits in the closet in my sewing room waiting for the next “driver” to introduce it to the wonders of their minds eye. I plan on donating it to my friend Isabel, she’s only five-years-old right now, but has shown an interest and aptitude for sewing and I would love to be able to experience this passion again through someone else’s eyes.
-G
Do you plan to pass along your machine to someone who will use and love it? Why not donate your machine through our Give and Get Back promotion to someone who doesn’t have one? Donate any sewing machine or overlocker/serger through participating BERNINA Dealer stores June 2-16, and receive a discount off of a new BERNINA! Read full details for Give and Get Back right here.
We’d love to see your stories about passing on your love of sewing with Give and Get back! Snap a quick photo to share at our Facebook Fan Page including the #giveandgetback hashtag, and your story could be highlighted as our Favorite #giveandgetback Fan Share of the Week! We’ll pick our favorite #giveandgetback fan photo posted to our Fan Page wall each week of the promotion (Friday, June 6 and Friday, June 13) to share front and center at the Fan Page for all of our fans to see!
