HEY! If you want to support communities of colour and are a sewer, cosplayer, quilter, knitter or DIY lover, then I have fantastic news! I just found an amazing master list of businesses owned by POC, women, and allies that sell sewing and crafting supplies. It’s got a full breakdown of what they carry, who runs it, where they’re based, etc.
This list is the baby of Seattle-based designer Jacinta Green. The sellers are all vetted by Jacinda or by followers she trusts. It’s already at 236 and is still growing! You can find her on instagram @pinkmimosabyjacinta.
The original pride flag and the sewing machine it was sewn on
You might need to be a sewer to appreciate why, but images like this remind me just how recent all the civil rights LGBTQ people fought for are.
Because one of the first things I noticed was how modern that machine is. Sure, the almond plastic is a bit aesthetically dated, but it’s fundamentally the same to a new machine you could buy today.
I’ve worked on machines that looked like this. I’ve also used machines that were significantly older than this. This is the kind of thing your mom still has sitting in her craft room.
While I’m grateful to be surrounded by accepting community and friends, it does make it easy to loose sight of how precious our freedoms are. Until pretty recently, being LGBTQ was genuinely dangerous most places, including the relatively liberal North American cities I’ve spent my adult life in.
The people who kickstarted the last several decades of social progress are not ancient history. Plenty of them are still around and active in their community today. And I’m so grateful that they were able to create a world in which I can exist.
I was working on making a full set of Pawladins before we found out we need to move asap… I’ll have to pack them away for now. ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ) Maybe before Christmas… sigh. But I wanted to share Pidge and Shiro here!
Oh god these are adorable!
Also what kind of sewing machien is that?
Thank you!! It’s a Kenmore 385.18221 model… Probably from around 2006 (bought at Sears)? I’ve sewn on some sort of Kenmore my whole life (I find them to be super reliable) but unfortunately they no longer make sewing machines. :T mumble grumble.
It seems Janome is actually responsible for manufacturing the Kenmore 385 line, though, and they’re great machines from what I know!
