Our Mission
The Sewing Machine Orphanage exists to provide careful, ethical stewardship for sewing machines of historical, cultural, and personal value.
We recognize sewing machines as witnesses to domestic labor, migration, industrialization, and creative life. Each machine carries the marks of hands that used it and the circumstances that shaped its journey.
"Every machine has a story, and every story deserves to be remembered."
What We Do
- Receive sewing machines families wish to preserve but can no longer care for
- Document provenance, maker, use, and condition
- Stabilize and conserve machines with minimal intervention
- Share histories through writing, photography, and teaching
- Place some machines with new stewards through ethical adoption
Our Values
- Stewardship in partnership with ownership
- Restoration that preserves history and individual narratives
- Education through interaction with historical artifacts
- Respect for family and community history
- Transparency in documentation and placement
Living History
History does not belong only behind glass. Some machines are preserved as artifacts. Others continue to sew, teach, and serve. In all cases, their stories remain central.
The Sewing Machine Orphanage is both a physical place and a shared record, ensuring these objects continue to share their stories.