High Desert Grange re-starts sewing club

The High Desert Grange Sewing Club makes items from quilts to handbags. For information, contact 775-427-8210; email highdesertgrange22@gmail.com or write to High Desert Grange at P.O. Box 5272, Fallon, Nevada, 89407.
Courtesy Photo

Kathleen Leonard Rodegeb

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

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The High Desert Grange re-started its Sewing Club by offering instruction and support in this ancient craft for all skill levels from the novice through advanced sewists, and in garment, household décor and quilt making.

The purpose of the club is to help interested members to develop their sewing skills to be more self-sufficient and to promote goodwill, harmony, brotherhood and sisterhood among Grange members and the community at large.

Sewing is the ability to create using a needle, thread and fabric, is an ancient skill that was a mainstay in homesteading for our ancestors. Even in our lifetime, our grandmothers and mothers often made many, or even most, of our clothing, home décor and bed covers. The shopping malls and supermarkets that we enjoy today did not exist, so homemaking skills were critical.

Fabric and thread would be ordered from the local merchants and when it arrived, would be sewn, crocheted or knitted into garments and home décor items, such as table clothes, doilies and the like. Instead of discarding worn out garments, our grandmothers and mothers would cut them up into pieces, saving the parts that were reusable to make multi-layered, warm quilts for the fall and winter months and lighter quilts for cool summer evenings.

Women often made their ‘wedding quilts’ way in advance of getting married so they’d have one when the time came. Even today, people continue to develop their skills in this area.

In the spirit of providing services to the community, the Grange is involved in many activities that do just that, and the club is no exception. We strive to identify services that we can provide to the community, and we are open to suggestions from the community. This year, the club has identified two ways to provide such service: making “Sensory Mats” (or fidget blankets) for residents of Highland Village of Fallon, and making “Quilts of Valor” for active and retired (but living) service members from all branches of our military.

The club also invites any community members who wish to participate in these projects to do so without requiring Grange membership. To participate in either project, simply call or email the Grange at 775-427-8210 or highdesertgrange22@gmail.com. Please state which project you are interested in and provide your name and contact information.

Here are a few photos of items made from cloth and thread by Grange Sewing Club members: a sensory mat, a shoulder bag and a quilt.

The Sewing Club meets twice each month, on the first and third Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m., at the Lattin Farm Barn. Sewing Club membership is open to ages 6 and up, but youth under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Grange membership is required to become a member of the Sewing Club.

To join the High Desert Grange and participate in its many rewarding activities from animal husbandry to homesteading, sewing and many others, call 775-427-8210; email highdesertgrange22@gmail.com or write to High Desert Grange at P.O. Box 5272, Fallon, Nevada, 89407.

To learn more about Grange, visit us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/highdesertgrange22 or visit the National Grange at www.nationalgrange.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.come/nationalgrange.

High Desert Grange re-starts sewing club

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