Send Your Purse To One Of The Following Locations

We are developing a growing list of locations for purse delivery. To avoid shipping costs you can drop them off at one of our booth locations at major sewing and quilt shows. Check our weekly newsletter for upcoming dates and locations.

Each year we get questions that come up about how best to ship us the purses. So, I thought I’d share an overview post that hopefully addressees the questions. I tried to make it as brief as possible, so please read it thoroughly and then feel free to ask additional questions. Also, I am writing in a very direct manner, please don't take it as un-kindness. I'm just trying to be very clear. We love and admire each purse maker and each purse we receive - and deeply respect the time and effort that goes into making and sending purses. I'll update this post as needed.

Tip Number One: Send Purses To The Correct Address (in the U.S.)

Sew Powerful
16640 SE Old Petrovitsky Road
Renton WA 98058

Note: This is a church, so they operate under church-type hours. So they are closed on Monday, sometimes Friday and Saturday. They also come in late some days and go home early other days. Therefore:

Tip Number Two: Send USPS Only

We recommend you use a flat rate box to optimize your costs.

Note: We have a terrific relationship with the USPS mail-carrier. Her name is Sue. She LOVES our program and has even come to an unboxing party to help. She personally handles all packages addressed to Sew Powerful. She tells everyone at the post office to leave them for her in a big bin and then she brings them during church office hours when someone is there. So if they arrive on a Friday - she might not deliver them until Tuesday. This is her part in the purse project. She is great and really cares.

Note: We have zero relationship with FEDEX or UPS, nor will they respect our deliver times or other details like Sue does at the post office. That is the primary reason we have tip #2. So, if you violate Tip #2, then please don’t get upset when UPS or FEDEX doesn’t deliver the package in a way that works for the church.

Tip Number Three: (said in love - and with respect) Don't Stress!

We encourage you not to stress. We encourage you not to require tracking or signature upon delivery. We encourage you not to email us and ask us to go find your box to confirm it has arrived. This is why we have the unboxing party live-stream. To show you that we received your box in an efficiency manner.

Note: Generally, the only times we have shipping stress is when people violate tip #1 and/or tip #2. We encourage you to - not over complicate it. We have this working really well - at large scale - if you follow the process.

Tip Number Four: Avoid Mailing Costs And Drop Your Purses Off At A Show

If you can drop your purses off at one of the many shows around the country where we have a booth, then you can avoid shipping costs. For the latest updates on our show dates and locations, be sure to check our weekly newsletter.

Tip Number Five: Don’t Include Anything Extra

Please don’t include anything extra in your box of purses (except the note cards and your packing slip, of course). No cash or checks - no bibles, no extra fabric or stuff we have to deal with. We have to remove them before they are sent to Zambia.

Note: If you’d like to correspond with us, or donate $5 for each purse you send in, which is optional - but very helpful, the best way to do it is via the website. The 2nd best is via check, just not included in the box of purses. Send it separately. You CAN send it to the Petrovitsky street address if that’s simplest to remember. Or you can send it to our office at:

Sew Powerful

PO Box 2299

Auburn, WA 98071

Tip Number Six: International Senders, Please See The Addresses Above

As more international shipping locations become available we will add them to this page. 

We are super grateful for each purse, each purse maker, and the effort it takes to get them to us. We realize these have taken hours and hours of painstaking work to make and are incredibly valuable - actually priceless. We do our very best to treat them that way throughout the entire process.