Home » Blog » Inspiring Stories » People Helping People » How One Sewing Machine Inspired Many Blessings

How One Sewing Machine Inspired Many Blessings

“Sewing angels” across the country have created masks and more.

Sewing masks
Credit: Getty Images
Unlock a world of inspiration right in your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters today and get uplifting insights, powerful stories of faith and more delivered directly to your email.

JoAnn Gregoli of Sparta, New Jersey, wrote in our magazine, Angels on Earth, about being inspired to pull out her sewing machine to make masks back in mid-March, when Covid-19 was raging in her home state. Enlisting other “sewing angels” across the country, JoAnn made a big difference with the machine that had sat languishing in her closet.

I never learned to sew, despite my grandmother being an expert seamstress. I was happy enough to wear the high school prom dresses she designed for me. (The thick satin material I’d chosen for a winter formal once tested even Mam-maw’s skills.) At least I spent time talking with her in the hours of work she put into each dress.

One of my sisters was smarter, actually learned to sew and inherited Mam-maw’s machine. I kept Mam-maw’s tomato pincushion, the pins with their colorful little enamel heads still sticking out of it. And some boxes of leftover material I hung onto for sentimental reasons.

Sewing circles popped up around my town, doing just what JoAnn did, and I could contribute without sewing. Mam-maw was picky about the material she used, and much of it was still usable. Mam-maw did her part to help from heaven when I passed the material on.

It made me wonder what else I had “languishing in my closet” that I could pull out and use to make a difference? Patience, understanding, two good hands for helping (if not sewing), ears for listening… I try to find a way to pass on at least one blessing per day of the many blessings I’ve been given. It does no good at all to let them languish.

Share this story

DP25 RR ad

Community Newsletter

Get More Inspiration Delivered to Your Inbox

Scroll to Top