A family-run business owned by April and Marja Lafreimallman, and operated with help from their children, Sew Local Stitch Lounge is both a fabric store and teaching studio.
Based in Copper Cliff, the shop is a safe and friendly space for folks to come together to learn new skills and celebrate creativity.
Now they are also supporting Sudbury’s vulnerable populations by offering them a small and incredibly handy donation: a sewing kit.
The owners told Sudbury.com via an email interview they were approached by a community member who had recently asked several new friends among the homeless community what they needed to make their life easier.
“And very often,” said the owners, “the answer they received was ‘sewing kits so I can mend my clothing.’ They asked us if we could help out, and of course we wanted to. We asked our sewing community to go through their stash of sewing supplies and help us create 100 sewing kits.”
Everyone came through.
The Sew Local Stitch Lounge team originally came up with a list of what they thought would be most helpful, and asked for hand-sewing needles, good quality thread, safety pins, needle threaders, stick-on waterproof patches, buttons, small scissors, snaps, and small plastic containers to hold them all.
“Our customers are so lovely and generous, so it wasn’t a surprise that we started to receive donations right away,” said the Lafreimallmans. “Everyone just wanted to share—and sewists are notorious for their huge collections of sewing supplies and their willingness to share their love of sewing. We’ve had so many people donate.”
A dear long-time customer whose mom recently passed away was able to donate a big bin full of her mom’s sewing supplies.
“That felt so meaningful to us,” said the Sew Local owners. “We’ve also had folks donate money, which we’ve used to purchase the rest of the supplies at cost.”
They have now met their goal of 100 sewing kits and plan on distributing them through the Go-Give Project, a Sudbury-based outreach group.
Evie Ali of the Go-Give Project told Sudbury.com they were very excited to get the message from Sew Local. “Not only are sewing kits incredibly practical, they also contain materials that can be used for beading and artwork,” she said.
Ali said that they often collect needles and fine threads to support Indigenous clients with their traditional artwork, a wonderful chance for expression as well as an outlet for grief and hopelessness.
In addition, they’re an excellent quick fix for those in encampments, and, as you can imagine, the wear and tear on daily items such as backpacks, shoes and clothes.
“We have so much ingenuity and creativity in our community that we know they’ll be put to good use, and we are so thankful for Sew Local for considering the unique needs of the people we are working with,” Ali said.
For more information about Sew Local Stitch Lounge, visit their website here.
