When Angel Gentle lived on the road in his van, he would often take a sewing machine and a small generator into national parks so he could work on a craft project under the open sky.
“Sewing in nature reminds you that you’re human,” he said. “Because in everyday life, you’re constantly going, going, going. You don’t realize that you’re in a machine until you come into nature and [it’s] so peaceful.”
After settling down in Los Angeles, Gentle still wanted to find a way to combine his two unlikely interests. He posted an invitation on his Instagram, asking folks to join him for a hike … and to sew.
“No one showed up,” said Gentle, who has a clothing brand designing jackets from repurposed quilts and fabrics. “And I was like, ‘You know what? Instead of turning around and going home, I’m just gonna do it’.”
So Gentle filmed his solo hike —and the video went viral. “People were like, ‘Hey, I want to come and be a part of this. I didn’t even know something like this existed’.”
The second event got a big turnout.
“I realized very quickly: this is something people need and want.”
On a recent hike and sew, around 20 people climbed a steep trail in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles County, past sagebrush and fields of yellow wildflowers.
In a small clearing next to a grove of eucalyptus trees, the hikers laid down tarps and blankets on the damp ground.
The group, which ranged in age from mid-20s to 60s, then got out their fabric, thread, needles and scissors, and began sewing — everything from mending jeans to crocheting and stitching quilts. Audra Roop upcycled a pair of old Ugg boots with tobacco packaging.
“I moved here four years ago, and it’s been really hard finding friends,” she said. “So this is really special to have a place where I can come, and it feels safe. You can express yourself —like I’m making something so weird, but nobody’s being judgmental about it. Everybody’s been really accepting and kind.”
Meeting folks was part of the appeal for Rhonda Surles, too.
“I’m glad I found this group, because last year I lost my dog and we used to hike all the time,” Surles said. “So now, I have my opportunity to hike again.”
Surles was working on a little crochet turkey for her Thanksgiving centerpiece.
“Everybody’s doing their own thing, while working and talking,” Surles said. “It’s like we’re already friends, but we didn’t know each other. It’s beautiful.”
Some folks were veteran sewers: Miho Hiramatsu was a seamstress for 10 years in Kyoto, Japan, before moving to Los Angeles to work as a body painter.
“Because I used to do it professionally for a long time, it’s just in me,” she said. “Like the sewing machine is part of my body. Having this needle and thread is calming.”
Hiramatsu stitched a blue coaster in the shape of a cat with a lightning bolt on its face —an ode to her two loves, David Bowie and her cat Ziggy.
Kacie Hanke, meanwhile, was working on her first-ever sewing project: embroidering lion footprints to cover up some stains on a pair of jeans. Hanke is a biologist who studies deer and mountain lions.
“Being outdoors is really masculine, and the field of wildlife biology is a male-dominated field, while sewing and crafting is very much considered feminine,” she said.
“So the act of bringing them together really interested me —because I live in that dichotomy in my job a lot.”
Since launching the club in January, Gentle has hosted ‘hike and sews’ at Elysian Park, Griffith Park, Barnsdall Art Park, and elsewhere.
“Something like this is beyond needed at a time when the county is divided,” he said. “We have all this chaos happening. People are stressed, people are struggling.”
“I realized this is healing for a lot of people.”
For James Owens, the club was very literally part of his healing. This time last year, he didn’t know if he’d be able to walk again —let alone join a hiking group.
“I had a motorcycle accident. It was fairly catastrophic,” he said.
After spending months inside recovering, Owens was “desperate to be outside and also desperate for community”.
“It’s super cool to come out here and talk to people that I ordinarily would have never met,” said Owens, who comes from a family of quilters and is working on repairing a flannel quilt his mom made for him when he was 13.
“There are a lot of things that you experience every day that you don’t realize how much gratitude you have.”
Julie Wong worked on a huge quilt, a beautiful patchwork of patterned fabric —each section depicting a woman from history who Wong thinks deserves more recognition.
The hike and sew club gives Wong a break from looking after her dad, who’s in his 90s.
“Caregiving is hard, especially if it’s a family member, and you need to have a space where you’re not on call every moment,” she said.
“This is a good space for that. We’re out here in the middle of beautiful green space. We’re sharing stories with each other. When we’re done, we have something that we’ve created with our hands that we find meaningful. That’s what makes it amazing.”
Clare Wiley is a reporter and producer based in Los Angeles.
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