I’ve met so many wonderful women who share my passion for sewing and machine embroidery. Often, strong friendships develop because of this common bond. All it takes is a mutual love of creating with fabric and thread and everything else falls in place. Age, race, sex, politics, religion or geographical location don’t matter because the connection is through a love of fiber. If we’re really lucky, we learn about each other’s lives outside of sewing. For instance, my good friend, Nancy Zieman, danced at my wedding and I played bocce ball in her backyard! Great memories!
One of my favorite sewing friends
Sewing and embroidery are solitary endeavors so when you do meet someone who shares this passion, make the extra effort to find out more about them. Start with the common bond you already share. Does the encounter occur in class? Perfect, start the conversation there. Ask how long they’ve been coming there, what other classes have they taken, and would they recommend another class. People are always flattered when asked for their opinion or recommendation.
If you work in the industry, a new friend may just be an email or two away. In today’s digital world, many of us never meet, yet, we connect via email. We have deadlines to meet, criteria to fulfill and materials to send back and forth. We learn that we share the bond of creating. It’s happened to me and I’ve watched this happen to others. Take for instance, Denise Holguin and Joanne Banko; two talented ladies who met through their connection at Designs in Machine Embroidery, DIME. Through the years, they’ve learned and laughed together. Take a look for yourself, Joanne is the chief needle threader at her blog, Let’s Go Sew, and a regular contributor to DIME.
Joanne Banko on the set of It’s Sewing Easy TV show
Denise, Blue Hair Girl, is the managing editor here at DIME.
Click here to read Denise’s behind the scenes journey at DIME: http://www.letsgosew.com/joanne-bankos-blog
How about you, have you been blessed with sewing friends? How have they changed your sewing experience? Share your thoughts – we’d love to know how you’ve enhanced your life with sewing friends.
18 COMMENTS
Marti Morgan
7 years agoThere is a group of us (8) who came together through a sewing machine dealer and now we have monthly get together(s) to show, tell and share, we also have 2 sewing retreats a year.
Debbie Smith
7 years agoI went to I believe my second machine embroidery event in Lansing where I met my friend Mary. Years later I found out that she was also at the first embroidery event too. We e-mail each other about embroidery events and try to coordinate our work schedules so we can attend together. The laughs, smiles, jokes, sharing of ideas, and fun coordinating threads & fabrics for the projects that we make at the events encompass all of the threads that have sewn our friendship together.
Katrika
7 years agoThis is a great article. I’ve been sewing since I was 12 and I love but unfortunately I don’t have any sewing friends. Can you recommended any sites?
Thanks, Katrika
eileenroche
7 years ago AUTHORHello Katrika,
Visit the American Sewing Guild’s website. Look for a group in your hometown. https://www.asg.org/
Cathy Hayden
7 years agoWe moved to Chattanooga area 2 1/2 years ago. A friend of a friend, introduced me to a neighbor who sews also. This neighbor has introduced me to more of her sewing buddies. Sewing buddies are the best. Honest, trustworthy, friendly, generous… It’s a common ground that makes us wonderful friends. We show and tell, anytime we’ve done something new. We also provide encouragement to each other to try new things.
Elaine
7 years agoCathy, I am a neighbor down here in Ringgold, but Chattanooga is my home town. I love to sew, embroidery, and brave enough to try anything crafty. I would love a sewing friend/buddy. How can we contact each other?
Joanne Banko
7 years agoAwwwww, what a surprise, it was so wonderful to read this post Eileen!!! Knowing you AND Denise has enriched both my sewing and personal life over the many years we have known each other. I am ever and always grateful to count you both as very special friends. I must include your sister Marie in this mix of “so glad to know” special friends! And . . . through our travels near and far we have all had the opportunity to make great friends in this world of Sew Business 🙂 Yes, very blessed indeed!!!
Hazel Tunbridge
7 years agoI couldn’t agree more. Many of my “embroidery friends” live the other side of the world, and I have never meet most of them. They continue to be a great inspiration in creating new machine embroidery designs. Hazel at Graceful Embroidery
Denise Holguin
7 years agoHazel,
It’s great to have technology to make this possible!
Thank you for posting.
Denise
Tee
7 years agoI joined the American Sewing Guild some twelve years ago. ASG has been a gateway to lots of sewing friends! We sew at Neighborhood Group meetings, sit-n-sews, and retreats. I just recently begun hosting my own personal sewing retreats and some sewing friends I’ve met on Facebook have attended. I love my sewing sisters and love seeing that sewing is not a lost art at all. It is an ever growing past time and business venture for thousands across the globe!!!!
Donna Fecteau
7 years agoI agree the friends that I have made at my weekly quilt group and my yearly quilting and embroidery retreats are amazing. The retreat friends are scattered all over the country and we do keep in contact by email and facebook. We share pictures of what we are working on. We swap fabrics from our stashes, and sometimes we are just there to listen and offer support.
Susan T
7 years agoWhat a great photo of you and Nancy…two of my favorite creative people. I am blessed with a sister that is my sewing buddy. So much more fun to share triumphs and to have someone to ask for suggestions.
Joan Shriver
7 years agoOur local ASG group of machine embroidery ladies and at 1 time gentleman have been together through sicknesses, marriages, deaths and too many joys to count. We all care for each other and are truly friends!
Sara Redner
7 years agoTwo of my best friends also sew, quilt, embroider and we give each other inspiration, encouragement and advice about our projects. We often get together for lunch and a trip to the fabric or craft stores.
Teresa Moffitt
7 years agoI have met an amazing amount of women in the past 10 years since I have retired and returned to sewing! Most have been online and many have been through taking Martha Pullen Livensed Teacher events both in person and online. But my most amazing sewing friend is a woman I grew up with who often shared her sewing with me 50 years ago. It so happened that
Our grandmother’s were good friends living on the same block in a small town in Northeastern Montana. We both shared a love of sewing in our teen years and then went our separate ways. She has lived in Portland and I am south if her in Northern California. About 5 years ago we reconnected and still share the love of sewing. She teaches machine embroidery at a shop in Oregon and just yesterday stopped at my home in Northern California while on a quick visit to see her son in S. California. After a short sleep we jumped out of bed so she could show me some tricks on my new embroidery machine. We Message frequently about sewing and share ideas and resources. We attended retreats 2 years in a row and will most likely. E together again soon for another sewing session. I find it amazing that sewing is the glue that has kept our friendship together for 50+ years!
Bruce
7 years agoGreat article. Thanks for sharing.
Bruce, https://www.printavo.com
Kathy Baker
7 years agoDoes anyone know a RV embroidery group? Leaving Va. and loading my machines in a 28 foot Majestic motorhome. thanks, [email protected]
wedding photography hashtags
4 years agoBeautiful article.