::Sewing:: through the year
All the best ideas come in the midnight hour. One restless night a light bulb switched on - I have friends, like local flesh-and-blood friends, that can sew! It's happened gradually, gaining a friend here, a friend there, but now I'm close friends with ladies who sew a little of this and a little of that, a couple times a year. Why aren't we enjoying sewing together?
Naturally, I hatched an elaborate plan - a year-long book club, quasi sewing club meeting monthly with a specific one-night sewing project planned by yours truly to coincide with a chapter in our book. Because that's not too complicated. Haha.
My husband was very skeptical. "Do you really need more things to do?" So I whipped out that trump card, "But I can share it on the blooooooog...." Works every time. I'm super excited that our very first meeting is on the calendar for September. Lo and behold every one of my sewing friends actually wanted to join!
Ok, so I figured I'd share my master plan with you all in case you'd like to stir up a little sewing club of your own. You could totally leave the book part out. Heck, you could change all the projects too, but at least here's a chance for that light bulb to flash on in your mind. If you have sewing friends, enjoy them! Plus, it's an opportunity for everyone to learn new skills.
::Disclaimer:: the book we're reading through the year is Christian and controversial. That's a double whammy. If you're not a Christian you may not like it, since it's pretty much about the Bible. If you are a Christian you may not like it, since it's pretty much about applying the Bible, and that's something lots of Christians don't agree about. So, I'm not telling you all to run out and buy this book. But, I did tell my friends too! I believe that in our small group we can talk about these issues while respectfully and lovingly disagreeing. I figure the point is not to figure everything out, but rather to learn from and with each other. I repeat, this book is not for everyone! End disclaimer.
I recently finished reading Rachel Held Evan's A Year of Biblical Womanhood. In a 12-month journey, Rachel seeks to live out "Biblical Womanhood" based on a literal reading of the Scriptures. The book was an amusing, easy read, and rather eye-opening. It challenged my assumptions about how to interpret the Bible and made me a little uncomfortable, as I realized there are parts of the Bible that my spiritual tradition either ignores or escapes. The author, who might be considered a "liberal" Christian, is happily married and has recently become a hugely popular blogger. I also read her blog.
For our year-long sewing adventure, we'll meet monthly at my house to sew. While we sew, we can discuss one month of Rachel Held Evan's journey. I'll prepare a project that corresponds with the month's virtue, usually providing fabrics and doing some prep work to ensure we complete projects that night. Aria and I will be testing projects in advance, to search out sticky spots.
Here's what I have in mind. Each month corresponds to a chapter in the book, in order:
September {Gentleness}
developing that Gentle & Quiet spirit, taking care with our words, refraining from gossip
sewing Fabric Dish Covers to help us keep a lid on it
October {Domesticity}
getting serious about Cooking and Cleaning
sewing Embellished Dish Towels because pretty details are fun
November {Obedience}
are women called to a special obedience?, texts of terror, selective literalism
sewing Pincushion for a thorny issue
December {Valor}
the Proverbs 31 woman (from a Jewish perspective!) and works of charity
sewing Wonky Cross Quilt Blocks (which I will finish as a quilt) to be gifted to an orphan through Threading Hope
January {Beauty}
female sexuality in the Christian tradition
sewing Pillowcases to dress up the bed
February {Modesty}
exploring modesty from different perspectives (including the Amish and Quakers)
sewing Simple Girl's Skirt because that's just fun
March {Purity}
female purity (from a Jewish perspective), especially as relates to menstruation
sewing Cloth Menstrual Pads yes, people use these
April {Fertility}
on motherhood
sewing Quick Change Trousers for our babies or for gifts
May {Submission}
the roles of husband and wife
sewing Patchwork Potholders it's kind of a hot topic
June {Justice}
women and girls of the world need our help
sewing Dresses for Africa to send to orphaned girls
July {Silence}
a woman's role in the church, silence in the spiritual life
embroidering a verse or saying of your choice creating space to listen
August {Grace}
community celebrations, reflecting on the journey
sewing gifts for each other we'll turn our embroidery into a bookmark or tote bag
First up - dish covers! As we go, I'll be sure to share projects with you and let you know how much fun we're having sewing together! If you choose to start a little sewing group, I'd love to hear how things work out for you, and especially what projects you find work well for a one-night stand.
Happy sewing everyone!
 |
| friends that sew (last summer at the craft show) |
Naturally, I hatched an elaborate plan - a year-long book club, quasi sewing club meeting monthly with a specific one-night sewing project planned by yours truly to coincide with a chapter in our book. Because that's not too complicated. Haha.
 |
| proof that books and sewing go well together - little Dresses for Africa sewn last year |
My husband was very skeptical. "Do you really need more things to do?" So I whipped out that trump card, "But I can share it on the blooooooog...." Works every time. I'm super excited that our very first meeting is on the calendar for September. Lo and behold every one of my sewing friends actually wanted to join!
Ok, so I figured I'd share my master plan with you all in case you'd like to stir up a little sewing club of your own. You could totally leave the book part out. Heck, you could change all the projects too, but at least here's a chance for that light bulb to flash on in your mind. If you have sewing friends, enjoy them! Plus, it's an opportunity for everyone to learn new skills.
::Disclaimer:: the book we're reading through the year is Christian and controversial. That's a double whammy. If you're not a Christian you may not like it, since it's pretty much about the Bible. If you are a Christian you may not like it, since it's pretty much about applying the Bible, and that's something lots of Christians don't agree about. So, I'm not telling you all to run out and buy this book. But, I did tell my friends too! I believe that in our small group we can talk about these issues while respectfully and lovingly disagreeing. I figure the point is not to figure everything out, but rather to learn from and with each other. I repeat, this book is not for everyone! End disclaimer.
For our year-long sewing adventure, we'll meet monthly at my house to sew. While we sew, we can discuss one month of Rachel Held Evan's journey. I'll prepare a project that corresponds with the month's virtue, usually providing fabrics and doing some prep work to ensure we complete projects that night. Aria and I will be testing projects in advance, to search out sticky spots.
Here's what I have in mind. Each month corresponds to a chapter in the book, in order:
September {Gentleness}
developing that Gentle & Quiet spirit, taking care with our words, refraining from gossip
sewing Fabric Dish Covers to help us keep a lid on it
October {Domesticity}
getting serious about Cooking and Cleaning
sewing Embellished Dish Towels because pretty details are fun
November {Obedience}
are women called to a special obedience?, texts of terror, selective literalism
sewing Pincushion for a thorny issue
December {Valor}
the Proverbs 31 woman (from a Jewish perspective!) and works of charity
sewing Wonky Cross Quilt Blocks (which I will finish as a quilt) to be gifted to an orphan through Threading Hope
January {Beauty}
female sexuality in the Christian tradition
sewing Pillowcases to dress up the bed
February {Modesty}
exploring modesty from different perspectives (including the Amish and Quakers)
sewing Simple Girl's Skirt because that's just fun
March {Purity}
female purity (from a Jewish perspective), especially as relates to menstruation
sewing Cloth Menstrual Pads yes, people use these
April {Fertility}
on motherhood
sewing Quick Change Trousers for our babies or for gifts
May {Submission}
the roles of husband and wife
sewing Patchwork Potholders it's kind of a hot topic
June {Justice}
women and girls of the world need our help
sewing Dresses for Africa to send to orphaned girls
July {Silence}
a woman's role in the church, silence in the spiritual life
embroidering a verse or saying of your choice creating space to listen
August {Grace}
community celebrations, reflecting on the journey
sewing gifts for each other we'll turn our embroidery into a bookmark or tote bag
 |
| dish covers, tutorial and photo by Allyson Hill |
First up - dish covers! As we go, I'll be sure to share projects with you and let you know how much fun we're having sewing together! If you choose to start a little sewing group, I'd love to hear how things work out for you, and especially what projects you find work well for a one-night stand.
Happy sewing everyone!