Peace of Thread’s motto is “sew peace.”  But peace is hard to come by in these difficult times.  Communities across the country are being rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Peace of Thread is no exception.   All our festivals (a major source of revenue) have been canceled.  Women from different backgrounds can no longer visit each other’s homes (the backbone of what we do at Peace of Thread).  Some of our seamstresses may even be stranded outside the country!

Meanwhile our nation seems to be tearing itself apart with violence.  Neighbors look at each other with suspicion.  Political divisions are deeper and more bitter than ever.

But our staff and our seamstresses are adaptable.  Determined to remain a shining light in our community, we’ve switched from making purses to sewing “peace masks.” These heat-proofpolypropylene designer masks are as unique and beautiful as our purses. And in April, our seamstresses sewed 200 of them for the Atlanta VA, which was facing a critical shortage.

Our founder Denise Smith expressed our seamstresses’ enthusiasm for the project to CBS 40. (“They’ve been sewing like crazy!”).  She pointed out how appropriate it is that refugees who, for the most part, had to come to the U.S. because they were protecting American soldiers in their home countries were now sewing for our veterans.

But there’s more than just a nice symmetry here.  Sewing masks for hospitals and nursing homes (a Dekalb nursing home ordered 600 peace masks in April) offers people who have experienced some of the worst hardship life can dish out to help others who are in need.  In a time of chaos, our seamstresses show us that it’s still possible to reach out across the divide and love our neighbors.

To support these wonderful women (and protect your own neighbors from Covid), feel free to buy your own peace mask from our store.

https://www.peaceofthread.com/shop

Sew Peace and Stay safe. 

Sources:

Yates, Bobeth “Local Nonprofit Helps By Sewing Masks For Veterans and Covid-19.” CBS 46 News.  April 15, 2020.  . https://www.cbs46.com/news/local-nonprofit-helps-by-sewing-masks-for-veterans-amid-covid-19/article_d11b0fca-7f5f-11ea-be8d-8fdf2ebc0a75.html  Accessed August 6, 2020