A sewing circle is a monthly meeting of

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

women for the purpose of sewing bedding and clothing to be distributed by service and missionary organizations to people in need around the world. The

Women's Missionary and Service Commission The Women's Missionary and Service Commission, previously known as the Women's Missionary and Service Auxiliary and abbreviated WMSC or WMSA, was a women's organization of the "old" Mennonite Church (1725–2002), Mennonite Church that originated ou ...

grew out of such sewing circles.

History of Sewing Circle Organizations

Mennonite women of Eastern Pennsylvania were sewing clothing for the needy as early as 1895 and it was only a short time before they organized themselves into the Paradise Sewing Circle in 1897. Women in Ontario were sewing clothes for distribution by deacons around the same time. The next decade saw more sewing circles organized in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario, notably at Science Ridge Mennonite Church in

Sterling, Illinois Sterling is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States, along the Rock River. The population was 14,782 at the 2020 census, down from 15,370 in 2010. Formerly nicknamed "Hardware Capital of the World", the city has long been associate ...

, and

Prairie Street Mennonite Church Prairie Street Mennonite Church is a Mennonite Church located in Elkhart, Indiana. It is a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. History Prairie Street began in 1870 as a gathering of Mennonites who lived i ...

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in tu ...

, as early as 1900.

Clara Eby Steiner Clara may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Clara'' (2018 film), a Canadian sci-fi drama * ''Clara'' (2019 film), a Ukrainian animated fantasy film * ''Clara'' (TV series), a German TV series * Clara the Cow, mascot of the Greek TV show '' P ...

, widow of

Menno Steiner Menno () is a Dutch masculine given name of Old Frisian origin. It was made popular by the influential Frisian religious reformer Menno Simons, and the name was spread by his followers, the Mennonites. ''Menno'' is the Dutch version of Frisian ...

, began calling for a more general society of Mennonite sewing circles around 1911, an effort that was accomplished in 1916. The organization continued to evolve, eventually broadening to other kinds of service and mission in the

References

External links

Historical photos of Mennonite Sewing Circles
Mennonitism Women's religious organizations Sewing Textile arts organizations {{Menno-stub