On the grounds of The Putney School in Vermont, students work on a farm as a part of their studies and are encouraged to approach life with a sense of universal creativity. Here, in the arts centre, I set up my sewing machine, and for three days I made shirts. Some students sat down and told me sewing machine stories of their own, others passed by, teachers came and talked, and visitors to the school also came to watch and talk and exchange more sewing machine stories.