Sewing Meet-up for the Gospel Mission Food Pantry

~Text and photos by Ahni Georgerian, Marietta High School

Community members of varying age and sewing knowledge met Saturday, June 29th at the Makerspace to help out the local Gospel Mission Food Pantry.

Ann Siegfried and Sally Summers fostered the event, using donations from the community and sewing machines provided by the volunteers themselves and the Fiber Arts unit at Makerspace. Sally Summers thought that the event would be a great opportunity to bring people into the Makerspace and help out their community at the same time. The two wanted to bring handmade bags to the Gospel Mission to provide its visitors with recyclable, reusable carriers for items of need.

Piles of colorful fabrics were measured, cut, ironed, and sewn to create sturdy, personal carriers for items provided by the Gospel Mission. Both knowledgeable and inexperienced sewers worked side by side, asking questions, offering advice, and getting to know one another.

In attendance was Sandy George, a former volunteer at the BB2C Epicenter and a volunteer sewer of baby burping cloths and heart pillows for Marietta Memorial Hospital. She said that she had discovered the event on Facebook and had been excited to use the sewing space at Makerspace for the first time. She felt that these cloth bags would be useful to the Gospel Mission to replace the cardboard or plastic traditionally used by those in need to carry donated goods.

With fifteen people in attendance, Ann Siegfried and Sally Summers considered the meetup a success. Working for more than three hours, the group made fifty colorful and multi-purpose bags for those visiting the Gospel Mission. The event, drawing positive feedback from the workers and producing successful results, will be held again at the BB2C Makerspace on July 20th. They hope to see you there!