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Philadelphia Sewing Collective

By Michael Persico & Anastasia Kotsosavas

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jul. 23, 2008

photo by michael persico

Megan Haupt

Philadelphia Sewing Collective. www.phillysewing.org

"I started up the Collective as a professional networking group for people to be able to connect and share resources--primarily jobs. We started teaching classes as a way to bring sewing to other people. Initially it was people who ran businesses--seamstresses, freelance designers. But since then, we've opened up membership to everyone. We teach things from sewing basics to advanced sewing. We try to mix the fun with the practical. The response has been great. We've been selling out some of our classes two months in advance. I think people are tired of paying high prices for clothing, or may just be tired of looking like everybody else. You have to keep sewing to get better at it. We try to keep everyone inspired so that they can develop their skills without getting frustrated or losing interest. A lot of people wind up getting intimidated, but it's not as scary as it seems."