Sewing up acts of kindness: Bend woman repairs, gives away sewing machines

Pat Johanson sows seeds of kindness, one restored machine at a time -- 250 so far

(Update: adding video, comments from Johanson, link to group)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for many people.

For Pat Johanson, it was an opportunity to sow (as in sew) seeds of kindness in the Central Oregon community.

“When the lockdown began, I didn't know what to do," Johanson recalled Thursday. "I was very stressed out -- I was really worried. I have children, we were stuck at home. I wanted to do something to help. I wanted to be part of the community and help to solve this, instead of just sitting at home and watching TV and being stressed out. The hospital needed face masks, so I started sewing the masks.”

After the need for masks dwindled, Johanson turned to rehabilitating the broken sewing machines around her home.

“They need to go back to working -- that’s the whole point of having a sewing machine, is that you use it,” she said.

The process of restoring sewing machines, Johanson said, offers her a sense of satisfaction, growth, and therapy.

She fumbled her way through hours of YouTube videos to learn.

“Somewhere in the middle of this whole thing, I found out I had breast cancer -- and that was of course a very upsetting diagnosis for me, as well as anybody else,” Johanson said. “But focusing on these machines, and the process of working through them, kept my mind off of the fear and helped me get through it better.”

Johanson and her project partner, Art Lim, a retired engineer, have made it a hobby to rescue sewing machines from closets, sheds, storage units and thrift stores before fixing them and passing them on to people who will benefit from them.

“And it’s very satisfying to take this machine that isn’t moving at all- that’s just totally locked up and has been for decades, and you get it going again!” Johanson remarked.

So far, they have restored and given away 250 sewing machines throughout Central Oregon.

Several of the machines were distributed to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Bend Public Library, assisted living homes and the DIYcave.

However, Johanson says she needs more donations to keep up the good deeds. She's willing to take sewing machines of any condition.

You can reach out to her on her Facebook page, Pat's Rescue Sewing Machines, to make donations or request sewing machines.