South End Baptist program stitches fabric, community
If you’re a South Dartmouth resident and find joy in sewing, you’re not alone. On Friday mornings from 9 to noon, a small group of ladies come together at South End Baptist Church for the community sewing program, run by Lynda Scott Lunn. During these sessions, Scott Lunn assists the participants as they work on sewing projects, chosen either by the participants themselves or provided by Scott Lunn.
Scott Lunn, who has a Home Economics degree, started the program approximately nine years ago. Aware that Dartmouth South Academy’s Family Studies class did not include much sewing, she wanted to help cover the gap. Parents of students in the group also expressed interest in honing their sewing skills, and Scott Lunn started a sewing group for adults as well. During COVID-19, she told the Post, the kids sewing group “went by the wayside;” Scott Lunn decided not to continue it because, as the only facilitator of eight to 10 children, she sometimes “found it really, really difficult.” However, she continued working with the adults group, who are more patient. Scott Lunn currently has around eight ladies in the group, though she adds that she would not turn away men who want to learn.
Some students in the group are full beginners; however, most have sewn before but don’t have access to a sewing machine at home. The sewing projects range from simpler to more complicated, with zippered bags, aprons, coffee sleeves, traditional quilts, and tactile quilts (which were donated to Oakwood Terrace Nursing Home) being just a few examples.
Scott Lunn gets the sewing materials either from her vast collection of leftover fabrics or pays for supplies out of her own pocket. To help cover the cost, she has started accepting small donations from members of the sewing program, should they choose to donate. Scott Lunn has also received support from the community: the sewing program’s 11 sewing machines were all donated. The machines are stored in a closet, whose shelves were built by one of the church trustees for that purpose. Recently, Scott Lunn was awarded $1,000 in Sam Austin’s June 2025 participatory budgeting for District 5. She plans to use the funds to purchase some new sergers and another basic sewing machine.
“I have a passion for sewing,” she said. “I love to sew, and I’m really excited to see the creativity and the enthusiasm that these ladies [in the sewing group] have. “I enjoy my Friday mornings very much.”