Category Archives: General
Country Woman Magazine!
Take a peek at Country Woman’s October/November 2009 issue….that’s right, turn to page 49! There we are! Country Woman did a great article about the Sewing Machine Project. I was thrilled that many so women who visited our booth at Quilt Expo had seen the article. Thank you to Country Woman for spreading the word about our Project and to all of you for checking it out!
Quilt Expo!!
We had such a wonderful time seeing and talking with everyone at Quilt Expo! We once again had the wonderful pins to give to people who made a donation. Our big goal this year was to raise $1000 to pay for the shipping of our wonderful Bernette machines which are coming from Bernina International in Switzerland. We raised $1122!!
Not only did we meet our fundraising goal, we also received 5 donated machines. Next year we will be collecting machines again at Quilt Expo so start planning for that now!
Thank you, thank you to all of the people who donated! Thank you to everyone who stopped and showed such an interest in The Sewing Machine Project! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers! Thank you to Nancy Zieman and the Quilt Expo staff who helped us whenever we needed it.
What a positive and successful weekend!
An Interview on Local Cable
Recently I was asked to appear on our local cable channel in an interview about The Sewing Machine Project. I’ve attached a link so you can take a peek.
Just click on the link and it’ll direct you to the Monona Cable website. When the video starts playing, just double click on it to watch full screen.
Letter from Kosovo 6-Sealing the deal
We returned from our trip to Kosovo early Wednesday morning after a very long travel day and despite the inconveniences of travel, I found that this gave me much-needed time for reflection…it’s almost as if I need to continue reliving each experience to be sure I’ve learned the lessons that are there.
I am so happy with the arrangement that we created with the Antigona group. After more talks we decided to rent a small retail space in a new development in Skenderaj. This way the women will have more visibility to increase their presence in the area. Additionally, we shopped with them for fabrics so that they could create some original designs to be sold “off the rack” in the shop.
I felt the need to create an informal contract, spelling out our donations and the expectations attached, giving the entire exchange a little more of a business feel. I wondered how this would be received–if, culturally, this would cause defenses to rise-if it would seem like a cold gesture. As I sat in the small sewing room, with my sweet 16-year old translator and this serious group of women, talking through each step, it was clear that they wanted to take this seriously as well and were happy to have expectations clearly mapped out. In that small circle, that small business meeting, I felt not only a new beginning for their dream of a business, but also the warmth of this new partnership that has been created. Our smiles and warm exchanges sealed the deal and I know that we are friends–women from opposite sides of the world understanding one another on a woman to woman basis.
We will return to Kosovo and I am excited to do so. I am anxious to see how these women run with this opportunity and make it their own. I am anxious to see this group again–these women I am proud to call my new friends.
Letter from Kosovo5-unlocking possibilities
Yesterday was spent mainly in the Antigona sewing room in Skenderaj. The group is named Antigona for a woman who fought against the Serbs and died for her country not so very long ago.
The grace, dignity and strength of this group of women is unparalleled. Occasionally I need to remind myself that each of them has lost a husband to war and some of them, children and other family members as well.
We worked on the new computerized Babylock machine that I had carried with me on this trip. It was so much fun to feel the excitement in the room as we explored the capabilities of this machine. These women are skilled already and this machine will add to the creative capability of the group. As we all sat around the machine, working through different features, they draped their arms around me and asked me to stay here with them.
I feel so lucky to be here.
We’re in Woman’s Day Magazine!
Check out the July 7th issue of Woman’s Day…it’s the issue with the dog on the cover. There is an article about the Sewing Machine Project on page 12. It’s not very big so don’t page past it…but it’s there!
If you have a minute, shoot off a quick editorial email comment to: womansday@hfmus.com and let them know you appreciate the coverage!
Letter from Kosovo4-understanding
Recently, my son asked me “if you could have any super power, what would it be?” I was at a loss at the time of the question–invisibility? the power to read minds? the ability to fly? This trip has brought me my answer…I wish I had the power to communicate in and understand every language.
I have been working through translators here in Kosovo and the translator, I find, determines the tone and delivery of the message I wish to convey. Sometimes I will ask a very simple, neutral question and find that the recipient of this message will give me the oddest look and I wonder how they understand what I mean to say?
Body language varies from country to country but some things are universal. A roll of the eyes, a shift in posturing, a deep frown, a shake of the head…every movement has a subtle meaning, some meanings easier to decipher than others. I find myself very aware of my own body language, hoping to come forth as open and willing to learn because that’s what I’m here for.
Yes, I wish I could enter any culture and instantly understand what others are saying. I wish that I could be understood as well.
What a world this would be if we all understood one another a little better?
Letter from Kosovo3 – war never really goes away
We have been traveling in Kosovo for 5 days and it amazes me how the traces of war are always there. Mostly, I see it in the people. They are kind and warm and incredibly strong. There is a toughness there that’s hard to describe but a warmth that’s indescribable as well.
On Saturday we drove to Germia Park which is just outside of Pristina. The park rests in the foothills and is wooded and beautiful. As you walk through the park you need to stay on the path. There are warning signs posted, such as this:
which basically tell you that there are unexploded land mines in the forest and it’s better to stay on the road. If you happen to stray, you are immediately reminded by the razor wire that curls through the underbrush off to the side.
The beauty is incredible and it’s wonderful to hear the wind in the trees and the birds singing when you’re so close to the big city. On our walk we passed this old hotel:
The hotel was bombed and crumbling and somehow, it feels as if the forest is trying to swallow it up.
Our forest walk held many reminders of what had been and one sees reminders driving through the countryside as well. Monuments and graves line the roads, commemorating fallen soldiers and loved ones. Although the land and many buildings are so old, the gravesites are relatively new and a constant reminder of just how real this loss is and has been. Outside of Pristina is a memorial park, remembering soldiers who died in the war. The monument was erected with the help of the U.S. and is quietly beautiful and somber.
I am humbled by this experience. Somehow, the perspective that I carry is wiped away and a new one takes its place.
I am learning.
Letter From Kosovo 2-The Sewing Room
Flora runs the sewing room--check out some of their creations behind her!
This room is so busy and full of talent
This woman works so fast and precisely. Her work is gorgeous!
On day two of our visit we drove to Skenderaj, a region of great conflict during the war, to visit the existing sewing room. I really didn’t know what to expect. Upon our arrival we were warmly greeted by the 6 women working there and they were anxious to show us their work. Their work is amazing! They sew on industrial machines which England donated in 2000, along with many bolts of fabric. These women are so talented. They are currently taking special orders for both business and very dressy apparel. They create the patterns themselves, based on what the customer desires.
One woman creates designs, carefully drawing them on paper and poking tiny holes in the design, creating a stencil. She then transfers the stencil to the fabric, using ink and a tiny child’s mitten as a sponge. From there, she takes it to her incredibly fast industrial machine and sews the design, freehand onto the fashion fabric. It was nothing short of amazing.
We sat down and looked at the specialty machines I’d brought along–a serger and a computerized embroidery machine. The serger was familiar to them but the embroidery machine was so much fun for them to see and begin to work on. Their work is as good as that of the computerized machine but this will give them the chance to have a design stitching on the machine while they do another by hand. In addition, it will allow them to sew names on garments and numbers on sports jerseys.
Tomorrow I will spend the day in the sewing room, talking with the women about how they’d like to expand this venture, creating consistent jobs for themselves as well as additional jobs for other women.
The war took so many lives. You see evidence everywhere you look, from the vast numbers of graves along the highway to the bombed out buildings that lie in the countryside. All of the women I met in the sewing room lost their husbands to the war and there are hundreds more just like them.
I am glad to have the opportunity to help.
Letter From Kosovo-a warm welcome
We arrived in Kosovo yesterday. By “we” I mean myself, Gani Ahmetaj (a Kosovo citizen, residing in the U.S.), Al Anding, who funds this project, and John Kappelman, a dairyman who is interested in helping develop the dairy industry here in Kosovo.
Low mountains and foothills surround Pristina, the largest city which houses their main airport. Despite the beauty off in the distance, the city of Pristina feels a bit like its under construction. The signs are everywhere of a city working to recover. Roads feel like they’ve been carved through a construction site–unpaved and full of potholes. Getting from here to there takes awhile. But they are recovering from the trauma of a war most of us can’t comprehend.
On our arrival day we attended a celebration, marking the 10th anniversary of the date that the Serbs left Skenderaj, the town where we’re working, and a “hot spot” in the war. Memorials and graves of fallen young men are everywhere. 900 of the 6000 inhabitants are war widows. The young adult population is soaring.
And despite the fact that things we take for granted are hard to come by, that the country around them is in shambles, the people are some of the warmest I’ve ever met. They are strong and proud. As we walk through the streets, the women take my arm and hold me close.
I feel welcome and happy to be here.
