Community Sew-a-Thons: What, How, and Why
In many cultures throughout time, folks have come together to create useful items for others in the community. You may have heard of traditional barn raisings, quilting bees, and victory gardens. These cooperative efforts highlight the power of shared labor in meeting communal needs.
Sew-a-thons are another powerful way to bring people together for a common cause. Whether for charity, sustainability, or mutual aid, these events create handmade goods that directly benefit communities in need. Read on to learn more about starting a community sew-a-thon of your own.
Photo: A group of Sacramento sewists take a break to say hey during a recent sew-a-thon. Photo by event organizer H. Felt
What is a Sew-a-Thon?
A sew-a-thon is a community sewing event where volunteers create items like quilts, masks, or clothes for donation. In 2024, Broad Cloth Community Fiber Studio started helping to organize sew-a-thons as part of Sacramento’s greater mutual aid efforts, providing essential items to underserved communities. These events are grassroots-driven, initiated and organized by an activist member of the community, and focus on immediate, tangible support.
How To Host a Sew-a-Thon:
An example of what’s in a mending kit: needle booklet, thread, snips, notions and patches
Choose a Cause and Item(s) to Make:
Reach out to an organization that works directly with the houseless or other underserved community to find out what is most needed. So far, we’ve made cooling neck wraps for the Sacramento heat waves, warm accessories and dog coats for the winter, and mending kits. Other ideas for the future include toiletry bags, reusable menstrual products, and sleeping bag repair.
Choose items that are beginner friendly and easy to make material-wise. We usually focus on one or two patterns per event, that are available for free, and we’ll send the link out to participants ahead of the event so they can get familiar with what they’ll be making.
Gathering Materials:
A major advantage of Broad Cloth is its partnership with Broad Room’s Free Art Supply Closet, which means we have direct access to a large quantity of free secondhand fabric and sewing supplies.
If you have a creative reuse shop in your area, reach out to them for donations - chances are they would be happy to unload some materials! If you don’t have free or cheap materials on hand, consider asking participants to bring their own. If they sew, they probably have a stash of scraps or remnants that could be put to good use.
Ideally, participants bring their own sewing machines as well - this makes set up and break down easier, and it can be difficult to use a machine that you’re not familiar with. Some folks also bring supplies for hand sewing, as this is often needed as well.
a pile of pre-cut pattern pieces wait to be turned into cozy hats
Creating Together:
Start small! Our first sew-a-thon only had four people, and we made a couple dozen cooling neck wraps. But as the idea caught on, we now have events where we have to cap the group size to 40 due to space limitations! (Shoutout to NorCal Resist for letting us have a few of these larger events in their space.)
Folks of all experience levels are welcome, because there’s a variety of tasks that need to be done. We usually have a few different “stations” and volunteers choose their own adventure—some come early to cut fabric with pre-made pattern pieces, others sew, and some float to help others troubleshoot and give tutorials on the chosen patterns (we have a few printed copies of the instructions on hand that people can reference).
Distributing Goods:
Completed items are given directly to those in need through mutual aid networks. For us, that means some of the items go to the Homeless Union and some of them go to Broad Room for their recurring Mutual Aid Monday events.
Participants are also welcome to take items home to finish and then keep for themselves or distribute as they wish. Leftover materials are up for grabs as well, or are brought back to the Free Art Supply Closet.
What’s the Point?
1. Direct Community Impact
Sew-a-thons are a hands-on way to support those in need. Groups like the Homeless Union, Democratic Socialists of America, NorCal Resist, and Broad Room ensure donations reach vulnerable communities quickly.
2. Strengthening Connections
These events foster friendships and collective action, uniting people with shared values. Get off your phone and meet other like-minded people in your community! It can feel super empowering and reassuring to know that you’re not so isolated, doing the work alone out there.
3. Learning and Sharing Skills
Beginners can learn from experienced sewists, making it an inclusive experience. I always get a little teary-eyed when I see people of different ages and backgrounds giving each other tips and sharing their stories about how they got their machines or became interested in sewing. It never gets old!
4. Supporting Sustainability
Many sew-a-thons upcycle fabric, reducing waste while meeting community needs. I’ve heard folks say it’s exciting and rewarding to see their donated fabrics get put to good use, so it’s a win-win pretty much.
5. Promoting Mutual Aid
Unlike charity, mutual aid is about solidarity, not charity—communities supporting each other directly without hierarchy or bureaucracy. Putting your skills and materials to good use can often feel more impactful and, quite literally, more tangible than sending money into the ether. In a world where capitalism seems to have outlived its usefulness, community care is ~ once again ~ the future!
