In fall 2019 we started a new program at the Elmwood Community Center: Sewing Buddies. This was something I had been dreaming about since Stitch's infancy and I'm so excited that we're finally getting it started.

 

I’m a big believer in inter-generational experiences leading to the well-being of everyone involved.  In our culture though this isn’t the norm and you often have to create opportunities to bring people together (so we did just that)!

 

Historically, sewing and handcrafts were an art that was handed down from generation to generation. While some young people are still lucky to have older generations to guide them, and some older people have younger generations to guide, I know many are not. I believe we have so much to gain from learning from other generations (whether they be younger or older than us!) and something in the art is lost when we don’t do that.

 

With that in mind, I was so excited when the Elmwood Senior Center jumped onboard with my proposal to start a sewing program that matched my students with a “Senior Sewing Buddy”! For 4 weeks the buddies will be working together to make tote bags and zipper pouches to be donated to Journey Home, a local organization "committed to ending chronic homelessness in the Greater Hartford region". We also hope to stuff these bags full of toiletries for Journey Home to distribute to their clients.

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