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Crafting under the right circimstances is zen. The breath goes in and out. The needles, fabric, beads click and move in their own magical rhythm. The world slips away with the repetitive motion of the work. You feel the calm.
Because of this, I'm very excited that August is hand-sewing month at Sew, Mama, Sew. Kristen explained that she and her daughter are reading the Little House series again, which gets them thinking about sewing:
I’m always very tuned in to the references to sewing throughout the books. Lola and I talk about Laura’s obvious impatience (sewing sheets!) and Ma’s apparent skill (whipping up dresses, pinafores, bonnets and coats.) And then there was Mary, who's love for sewing comes across even through the voice of her sister. Whether she was darning stockings, making doll clothes, or piecing another block for a quilt, you could tell she was content. On the trips in covered wagons, throughout the long winters, and even in blindness, Mary found solace in a needle and thread. Yes, we can relate to Mary
Then Kristin realized she needed a break from the energy of summer, a break she is offering to us all in the form of hand sewing. There will be patterns, tips, and lots of photos to inspire us, with a number of guest writers offering their wisdom in embroidery, cross stitch, hand piecing, and more.
What is the appeal of hand sewing? The slow and steady pace has always appealed to me. Add the portability of most projects - the idea that they can packed in a small sewing kit and taken to games, classes, and doctor's appointments- and you have the perfect project.
If you're thinking you might like a sewing project of your own - but don't want to wait all month to find the perfect project on Sew, Mama, Sew there are several projects you can look at now:
A great tutorial for piecing a Grand'Mother Flower Garden was printed at the French ezine Orange. Don't worry if you can't read French, the photos explain it perfectly.
Romilly from Stitching with a Shimmy discovered she could not continue to flip through the Alabama Stitch Book after another blogger was thrilled with the book. She's in the process of making the corset t-shirt (on my to-do list, too). The conclusion of her review:
I think it’s a testament to the ideas in htis(sic) book that i went out and bought several more used T-shirts for ideas that percolated up as I worked with it. My clothes from them will be obviously influenced by her, but my own artistic style. This is a Good Thing™ in my opinion.
If you're curious if the Alabama Stitch Book would appeal for you, check out the Flickr Project Group to see what readers have created from the book.
Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.
