Here's a sneak peek of the detail from one of the new bags!

It’s like Christmas! Talented artists in the Madison area and around the country have embraced the challenge of designing new SeaHope Artists’ bags! With each newly-embellished bag delivered we are continually in awe of the depth and breadth of talent! They’re all so unique and wonderful!!

I am so grateful for the dedication of these artists as they volunteer their time and expertise to expand our Artists’ Bag line.

We’ll unveil the new bags at the Absolutely Art gallery opening on June 1.

A portion of the proceeds will be presented to Bayou Grace, a local community nonprofit in Chauvin, Louisiana, helping area residents recover after the 2010 oil spill.

The bags will be on display and for sale all month long but first come, first served! Get there early to have the best selection…they’re so beautiful–they won’t last long!

Sewing in El Salvador

It happened by chance…I was at a meeting discussing the newly arrived Bhutanese population in Madison over a year ago and one woman present at the meeting approached me afterwards…
“I’m heading to El Salvador with a Habitat for Humanity group in just a few days and I know the community there supports a sewing cooperative…do you think I could hand carry a machine along for them?” After learning more about the group we scurried through paperwork and prepared a machine for her to take along.
Again, this year, the group took a machine along. Although our participation is limited at this time we are excited at the prospect of working with the Getsemeni community in the future.
Want to see more pictures? Click here!

Frances Harrison and Margaret Jankowski

I drove to St. Louis and back yesterday. Not my normal mo, but this was a special trip.

I’ve been corresponding lately with Frances Harrison, the woman who wrote the article I read after the tsunami hit Sri Lanka in late 2004. Ms. Harrison’s article struck me so deeply that I was moved to begin collecting sewing machines…machines that would make their way to Sri Lanka and India, and then to other corners of the world. Something in her words, in the content opened a door to an entirely new path. When she mentioned that she was visiting St. Louis I at first thought, oh no, too far. But as the idea, the story, the woman continued to swirl around in my head, I knew…absolutely knew…that I needed to go and meet her. I needed to tell her in person what an impact her words had had on me and ultimately, on so many people through The Sewing Machine Project.

So I drove to St. Louis and met her in a coffee house. We hugged and talked, discussing the serendipity of it all as well as some concrete ideas about how we might collaborate in the future. We talked about the possibility of my visiting Sri Lanka and looking in on the woman she’d written about, about checking in on the orphanages that received our machines. As we finished our conversation there was a moment of silence as we just looked at each other and quietly thanked each other.

Imagine, two women connecting through words over the miles, one from London, one from Wisconsin. Imagine one woman’s words moving the other to create a way to help people. Imagine that writer not even knowing that her words had such impact and imagine her finally realizing the power of her words. Just Imagine.

SeaHope is proud to announce the donation of $1200 to Bayou Grace, a grassroots organization whose mission is stated as follows: Bayou Grace addresses the most critical and immediate needs of residents of the 5 Bayous in Lower Terrebonne Parish, LA to give renewed strength to the community and to mobilize residents in advocacy for the environmental health of their communities.

The Sewing Machine Project/SeaHope recognizes the wonderful efforts of this group as they mend their community. This donation is earmarked to assist with the community meals, orchestrated by Bayou Grace, which bring community residents together and give them a venue and a voice to mend their community.

SeaHope Artists' Bags

The SeaHope Artists’ series will be featured during the month of June at Absolutely Art, 2322 Atwood Ave. in Madison. We’re working hard to ensure that there will be a great selection of bags! Local and national artists are working on some new cool designs. Opening night is Friday June 1….come and join the party! Bags will be on display and available for sale throughout the month of June.

Net proceeds from the sale of SeaHope bags are donated to Bayou Grace, a grassroots community organization in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, helping the environment as well as community residents in coastal Louisiana.

Artists in Mexico meet to discuss bag designs

Remaining bags after the showing will be featured on the SeaHope website.

Cherie, Angeles and Shara talk things over

We’re working on more SeaHope bags in preparation for the show at Absolutely Art in Madison in June. We’re even working while I’m here in Mexico!! Cherie St. Cyr and Angeles worked on the “Burro Bag” while Shara Harel worked on the “Nopales Bag”….it was a crazy art scene around Cherie’s house yesterday!!

Burro bag under construction

Shara works on the Nopales bag

The women of Rancho La Joya

I am so thrilled and honored to finally have the chance to meet the women of Rancho La Joya in Mexico. We have sent a few machines down to the rancho over the past few years and now I’m meeting the women who use them.

My host, Cherie St. Cyr and I visited the Rancho yesterday with Angeles, who runs the sewing program. Growing up on the rancho, Angeles knows the level of poverty that these women face–typically earning the equivalent of $40-$80 a month. Angeles has begun a sewing program, teaching sewing and working on marketable products that will help each woman become self-sustaining.

After meeting the group we had a chance to look around a bit and then were treated to a meal of gorditas under the trees. Homemade blue corn tortillas, beans and sauteed cactus stuffed inside, it was wonderful. The mothers talked, the children played and for a moment, life stopped as we just enjoyed the company and community of women.

I’ll keep you posted on the availability of this bag…most likely it will appear as part of the showing at Absolutely Art in June of this year. It’s so lovely…I want everyone to be able to see it up close and personal!

The Guardians’ Institute is being built behind the home of Supreme Queen Herreast Harrison, the widow of Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. The Institute will provide an educational space for the Sankofa Saturday series, teaching children the music, the arts, sewing, the culture of the Mardi Gras Indians. Not only are the children educated in these cultural elements but there is also a great emphasis on reading. Mrs. Harrison has distributed thousands of new books to children in New Orleans, meeting each child and shaking their hand as they receive this gift. The Harrison family is such a gift to the New Orleans community.

Right before I left for New Orleans I received their wish list for the new building and on the list was “new sewing machines”. I’d just received these two machines not long ago…a gift from an anonymous donor. How perfectly fitting to bring them along and donate them to the Institute!
I felt honored to have my picture taken with Ms. Harrison on the site of the new building!