The Biggest Sock Project Out to Break Guinness World Record
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sock it to them: Biggest Sock seamstresses Sue Wiersma, Rosemary Gomes, Phylis Montgomery, Susan Love, Sheila Vargas, Jean Sahakian, Anne McCann, & Maureen Agnew
That's what's going on in Cranston this fall, as more than 40 volunteers from the Rhode Island Sewing Network are pitching in to sew and construct the World's Biggest Sock.
And it's not just for the glory, although swiping the Guinness Book of World Records citation from some Austrians who assembled a sock measuring 16x14 feet in 2005 will be sweet reward. When completed, the RI Big Sock will crush its predecessor at 32 feet in height and 17 feet in width. Picture something Paul Bunyan might have worn, if he had really wide feet.
Not just about the World Record
But the real motivation behind the marathon sewing session headquartered at Blaine's Sewing Machine Center is to call attention to the needs of RI children in poverty for the basic items of socks, diapers, and other undergarments.
RISN has joined forces with Project Undercover, a local non-profit that raises funds to purchase those items for RI families in need.
For Project Undercover, being associated with a world record effort is all about raising awareness. Board President Richard Fleischer says that it's crucial to remind the community at large about this often-overlooked need. "It remains on the top of wish lists," he said. “These items cannot be passed down like other articles of clothing, and there is no safety net or federal organization that provides undergarments for children in need. The result is that too many families go without.”
Epic undertaking
Meanwhile, the sewers are in hot pursuit of the record, having logged a major session on Blaine's machines on Tuesday. Organizers estimate it will take 600 sewer-hours, 200 yards of fabric, and 13,000 yards of thread to bring the super-sock to life. All labor and materials are being donate by RISN.
When complete, the item will hang for all to see on December 3 at the Rhode Island Convention Center, all the way from the third floor to the first.
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