Boys, Bobbins and Beer

Sewing circle stitches together male friendships

The men range in age from 23 to a few weeks shy of 50.

McClatchy newspapers

PHILADELPHIA — The guys are back for another night of business. Several are packing heat, including a Pfaff, an ancient hand-crank Singer, and a mauve Necchi, weighing in at 35 pounds.

It’s time for Boys, Bobbins and Beer, the all-male sewing circle launched in November that gathers in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill.

Eight men stitch tonight — there have been as many as 11 — ages 23 to a few weeks shy of 50. Among them are a plumber, a principal, a set designer, a woodworker, a Whole Foods manager and several baristas, though to be fair, most do many things and do so rather well.

On tap tonight: Rolling Rock, Blue Moon Belgian White and a microbiologist’s home brew. Also, homemade cheese and bread.

Yes, these men sew and bake. Women, you may be thinking: “Are these men taken?” The answer: All but one.

Jason Henschen, BBB co-founder, is a barista, former ballet dancer and substitute teacher. His maiden sewing project was a nine-foot tent, weighing all of one pound, used last year on his 2,633-mile trek of the Pacific Crest Trail while he raised money for the poor.

“Now, I’m making this for my girlfriend for our four-year anniversary,” he says, displaying a yellow cotton sample of a saucy little dress. He unveils a swath of silk charmeuse, picked for the final product.

“What color would you call this, Curtis?”

“I dunno,” Curtis shrugs. “Autumn? Rosy sienna?”

OK, color’s not a strong suit. It’s garnet.

Fearless, set designer Curtis Coyote creates a fanciful quilted coat, as much art as garment. It’s his first project.

“As is my wont, I went over the top.” Where did he secure the upholstery fabric? “Trash-picked.”

His brother-in-law, plumber Matt Hagele, nurses more modest ambitions: sewing buttons. “My wife ordered me to come tonight.” Next time, he might attempt leather.

Enterprise? Whole Foods manager Abe Heller appears to be launching an entire product line: bibs (dark geometric prints), diapers (contrasting fabric!), hooded towels, a knitting-needle bag, pajama pants for his wife based on an Old Navy pair and a pattern made from glued graph paper. He’s making gifts for everyone. He’s an industry unto himself.

Next to him, school principal and sewing novice Matthew Sharp struggles a bit with a receiving cloth. Jon Cannon makes covers for snare drums. At the next table, barista Dan Lemoine creates costumes to enter in a competition — yes, such things exist — applying the final touches on the Chemist character from the video game “Final Fantasy Tactics.’ It’s sort of medieval peasant meets Japanese anime.

Most of the BBB boys have long known their way with a needle, learning in home ec or earlier from their mothers.

“I was always doing crafty things,” Dan says.

“I grew up in Oklahoma, where self-reliance is a good thing,” says BBB’s other founder, Parker Whitehead, a woodworker and tonight’s cheesemaker. This season he’s fashioning a priest’s cassock. Why? Best not to ask, though it involves flying.

“This is the first all-man’s group we’ve ever had,” says Kathryn Greer, owner of Philadelphia’s Fabrics on the Hill, who’s worked with seamstresses for years. “The guys tend to be more interested in the mechanics.”

She lets them use the back room and machines for free, though they’re acquiring fabric and all sorts of gadgetry from her as quickly as they launch projects.

“Look at my pinking shears! Didn’t know what they were a month ago,” says Jason, the eternal enthusiast. “Check out this rotary cutter!”

Eighteen millimeters. Hah! That’s nothing. Parker’s got a 45mm.

This is their fourth meeting. They’re already comparing size.

Jason and Parker launched the sewing circle as a lark. Guess what? The men love it, sewing more than they imbibe.

“I don’t normally like people,” Abe says. “I like all these guys.”

Next meeting is in two weeks. The Bobbin Boys can hardly wait.