Spreading Peace and Love
Back in October, my friend Ellen and I went on a little trip. Little for sure, because we headed to Flint which is only about an hour away. Only an hour away but light-years apart from the easy life that Ellen and I live.
THE TRIP & FABRIC
Fabric bolts from my Peace and Love collection finding a new home for a good cause.
The reason for this ‘little trip’ was to donate some bolts of fabric to a worthy cause that Ellen had a connection with through her church.
These bolts of fabric were from my Peace and Love collection, which I designed and had manufactured in South Korea by a company named Haerae. Haerae does an amazing job, if you are ever in the market for producing your own textiles, and have a need for loads of yardage. The fabric had been hanging around my studio for quite a while, and what better use for them than giving back to the community? By the way, there is a huge back story as to why I am sitting on so much of my fabric, but to spare you from a very long and emotional story, a deal fell through.
Anyway continuing on with my little trip to Flint with Ellen.
THE PLACE YOU ASK?
Myself (left) and Cathy Oostermeyer (right) with my fabric at St. Luck N.E.W. Life Center.
St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center. The N.E.W. stands for North End Women – a safe place for women where they gain skills that hopefully lead to employment. This non-profit was started by two nuns in 2002, Sister Carol and Sister Judy.
When Ellen and I showed up to the center on that chilly overcast October day, we didn’t know what to expect. It would be a new discovery for the both of us. The exterior of St. Luke’s isn’t much to boast about, although considering some of the homes surrounding the property it was in tip top shape. We were greeted by Cathy Oostermeyer (the sewing supervisor) and like the both of us, she donned a face mask and even though Cathy’s face was only partly visible you could see the joy and enthusiasm emanating from her eyes as she welcomed us into the warm interior of the church.
Down the dark windy halls she took us, with each turn of the hallway various household furniture and accessories were revealed stacked to the ceiling, that she called donations and they would never turn away a donation. Finally we came upon a well lit room that was buzzing. Really… it was buzzing with the sound of sewing machines whirling, and stitching at the speed of light.
Cathy proudly showed us the amazing set up of so many sewing machines – and industrial sewing machines at that! It was so much more than what I thought I was going to walk into. This space was once a gymnasium, which you could totally envision. A room with surrounding stained glass windows close to the ceiling, it was perfectly enveloped in a rainbow, not unlike the optimism that this operation would spread.
THE IMPACT
Fabric from my collection - I love this little sleeping dove!
Just to give you an idea of how amazing of an operation N.E.W. is, one woman I spoke with during my visit told me she came to St. Luke three days prior and had never even set eyes on a sewing machine, nevermind knowing how to use one. There she sat sewing up a stack of face masks, that would serve her community! How wonderful! Wow! I was floored.
N.E.W. started out sewing scrubs, which seemed ideal since the Flint area is saturated with medical facilities. Later they crafted the most adorable teddy bears, for first responders to gift to children that may have been involved in traumatic circumstances.
While visiting the center, I observed many different products like tote/messenger bags and lab coats, though it was clear that face masks were the top priority.
Another pretty amazing discovery about the center, Stormy Kromer, which calls Ironwood Michigan home and is a leading manufacturer of outdoor attire, has some of the women sewing vests and gloves!
According to Cathy, my fabric will be used for scrubs, bags, masks and maybe even kids wear!
To be there observing the women sewing these on site was so impressive! I’m honored to have a small hand in making an impact in the community through my art.