Frances Andonopoulos’ journey to founding Sincere Studio was not exactly a straight line. In fact, it was a crisis-turned-opportunity that transformed their long-held hobby into not only a tangible success, but also a service that benefits the community by removing barriers to entry in what is otherwise a vital skill: sewing.

“I got fired from my job — in my opinion, because we were trying to unionize — and I was on unemployment,” Andonopoulos explains. “Oregon has this program where if you’re on unemployment, you can apply to start your own business and still keep your unemployment benefits.

“So I was like, let me just try, because I honestly don’t know if I’m ever going to have an opportunity like this.”

That opportunity became Portland’s first nonprofit community sewing center: Sincere Studio. The concept was straightforward — a community sewing space where people from all economic backgrounds could learn to sew. A nonprofit that could serve as both a creative and educational haven, offering classes, hosting meetups, and providing a hub for skill sharing that would foster and strengthen community across economic lines.

The seed for the space was planted years earlier, when Andonopoulos was in college. “I went to a vocational college, and when I was there, the woman who ran the school bookstore asked me if I wanted to join her quilt club. She knew I liked to sew,” Andonopoulos says. “And I was like, hell, yeah. I didn’t know how to quilt, but she was like, ‘We’ll teach you.’”

“I never had that kind of group setting again, and it’s something I wanted,” Andonopoulos continues. “I thought, there’s got to be other people out there who want the same kind of space. But I couldn’t do a project like this without also offering free stuff — there’s not really another option in my mind.

“So I thought I might as well make it a nonprofit, so we could create something sustainable.”

Sincere Studio began with crowdfunding, for which Andonopoulos expresses deep gratitude. “Ten dollars is a significant amount of money to give away — that’s a huge vote of confidence. We also received a considerable anonymous donation,” they say, laughing. “I was like, whoa, I really have to put this all together and be responsible with this money.”

Andonopoulos expected that in the first year they’d be lucky to build a small group of eager students. But instead of a slow build, Sincere Studio has been steadily growing since its inception, creating a safe and welcoming space where people of all genders, races, ages, and abilities can learn the basics of sewing — just as Andonopoulos intended. The mission also extends beyond the studio itself. “We partner with Rose Haven, we do a lot with SMYRC, at Right 2 Dream Too we take the sleeping bags and mend them, we’re partnering with Urban League to do free classes, and with the Trans Relocation Fund to hold classes for their participants. It’s been a cool way to bring sewing to people who wouldn’t necessarily have sought it out,” Andonopoulos says.

“One intro to sewing class we did with SMYRC was especially meaningful. I was able to find enough trans-identified volunteers to pair each SMYRC participant with a volunteer, so they each got to hang out with an elder. As a trans person, it was a healing moment. At the beginning, they were having awkward conversations, but by the end it was like, ‘What was it like to get top surgery?’ or, ‘I’m scared to go to college — how did you deal with that?’”

“It was amazing to see them having such deep conversations and building real connections,” Andonopoulos says with a smile. “There are just so many ways to connect through sewing.”


Photo by Kenzie Bruce
Profile by Brianna Wheeler