Eileen Turner
Sew-N-Sews continues to grow with new members, new ideas, new classes, and new sets of expectations. The organization has been the recipient of donations and grants from Sun Lakes Rotary Club and Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation. The Rotary Club donation is intended to assist with the charity work, and the Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation donation is to enrich education activities.
Each month the organization invites a community member with textiles or handcrafts experience. This has proven to help members expand their horizons and begin new projects. In the past month, Garment Gustoz members are exploring ways to upcycle clothing. Some members went on a field trip to several thrift shops. The ladies explored clothing items that had lace or other embellishments to redesign or repurpose an accessory or part of an outfit. Purchasing from thrift stores benefits the community and provides the fun of designing new clothing items.
The Featherweights group works on denim projects. Embroidery shares their knowledge and helps each other with project ideas and techniques at each meeting. But the groups aren’t only for textile projects. The Cricut group meets monthly to discuss projects, techniques, problem solving, and a project.
Pads 4 Paws and Children’s Charities have been tenacious in their efforts to reach their goals using their donations. Pads 4 Paws donated 575 pads in 2024. They continue to amaze many with their persistence. Their success is also due to donations of cotton fabric scraps and group efforts. The Rotary Club donation is intended to assist with the charity work, and the Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation donation is to enrich the opportunities, such as workshops, classes, and guest speakers. This group has been consistently donating pads for over 15 years.
Children’s Charities expect to present 150 Easter baskets to Amanda Hope and Child Crisis Center. It is partially through the generous donations received from the Sun Lakes Rotary Club and the many members who have given their time and talent to sew baskets, which will be filled with items like coloring books, candy, and a few other fun activities for each child.
These rewarding experiences are available for all members to participate in. Members enjoy guest speakers, workshops, and classes at a nominal fee. Another fun opportunity is to bring unwanted fabric or craft items for the Stash table. This members-only activity is always a fun time to take someone’s unneeded items and make it a new, treasured project. All unwanted donations are then taken to the Assistance League of the East Valley.
Guests and new members are always welcome at the monthly meeting. The meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month in the Navajo Room at Sun Lakes Country Club, 25601 E. Sun Lakes Blvd., in Sun Lakes, beginning at 1 p.m. Guests are welcome to visit for two meetings.
Sew-N-Sews can be reached by emailing them at [email protected] or by coming to a meeting.