Born into a sewing family, my Sicilian grandmother Angelina, my mother Sandra and my Aunt Jay were always sewing at their machines, as part of their jobs but also providing clothes for their families. My grandmother made all the wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for her 5 daughters. My mom sewed all of our Holiday dresses, Halloween costumes and even my Wedding dress. As a teen I embroidered my peasant shirts, patched my blue jeans and gave home-made presents out for Christmas and special occasions.
I made my first doll after my first baby was born, which was a nursing mama doll with a baby. For 10 years I was known as the “doll MOM” as I led the mother’s handwork group for our local Waldorf school. We made hundreds of dolls. I sewed halloween and school play costumes, party bags, placemats, aprons, ornaments, quilts etc. I sewed by hand and machine. I knitted and crocheted. But, mostly just sewed.
Maybe it came natural to me to be creative , but man oh man, I am not a perfectionist when it comes to my technique. My seams are often uneven and not always pretty. I am not the type to wash and iron my fabric before sewing …… oh lord no! Who has time for that? I just want to get my hands in there and play! I love starting with nothing and ending up with something extra-ordinary! It feels like magic!!!
I have lived deeply and fully these decades of mine. I am a woman, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, and a friend. I am an RN. I have been an OB and newborn nursery nurse, a midwife, doula, health coach, and most recently a hospice nurse. That’s a lot of life with many ups and downs with much striving for purpose and meaning along the way. Through my lowest of times, I have found myself again through needle and thread. But, over a period of time, I became hopelessly caught up in heavy work schedules that drained my energy and my time. It took me away from the things I loved the most. I knew I needed to serve in another way; a way that would feed my spirit while using my gifts… I had allowed myself to get lost, to really burn out… and all that comes with that. It was an almost total breakdown… and finally a breakthrough happened…
One morning I woke up in the depths of despair, in tears… I went to my altar and cried out to my mother (who had passed away almost a year before)… “Mom, tell me what to do!” I said. “Sew” she said simply. “SEW?” I asked. “Yes that’s what you have always done. Go and share your marvelous talent with others!” she said. I can hear the smile in her voice. And then………
I already had an ETSY shop with some of my creations. I wanted to bring more to the colloquial table, I wanted to share my work with others, and share the deeper value and quality of this type of sewing; so that others could use this as a healing tool as well. Being SO ready to step out on my own terms and bring my special talents to the marketplace, I created this space. This healing space.
A space where sewing is intentional, meaningful, and soulful. We come to sew, to relax, to pray, to meditate, to heal, and to make something memorable and powerful; a way to show love to ourselves and others. We use fabrics that either start out as keepsakes or transform into them. The process of slow stitching becomes a meditation as well as a creative process. We tell stories with our stitches, our tidy stitches or our messy stitches. It doesn’t matter. No sewing skills are necessary, except for maybe threading a needle.
I hold classes locally or on zoom, one to one, or in groups. Sacred sewing is a powerful practice to do alone and when this is practiced together it becomes even more potent. I loved helping people create and love being a conduit of healing, there is so much goodness in this place.
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