In all the time that I've had my blog (5 years this summer!), I've never hosted a swap or a something-along. If I did, would you join me and play along?
I'm thinking it will be along the lines of Natalie Chanin's Alabama Stitch. I'd like the emphasis to be on hand-sewing and taking the time to enjoy the process of completing the project. The name of the ?-along hasn't been decided yet, maybe something like "slow summer stitching".
The idea will be for you to choose a project (or projects), it can be from any of the Alabama Stitch books or something you come up with on your own, and it must be all hand sewn. The beauty of working on this type of project is that it is totally portable - perfect for bringing on road trips or working on while watching the kids splash in the pool. This is a great opportunity to explore decorative stitches and beading. I don't want to limit the medium to knits, but if you've never tried hand sewing knits, I highly encourage you to. Even better would be to up-cycle something you already own.
How does June 1 - August 31 sound? We can spend our summer with our hand sewing at our own leisurely pace. I'll start a flickr pool where we can share our progress and I'll keep a blog roll of the participants somewhere on my blog. My goal is to post once a week about my own progress, something notable in the flickr pool, or resources, links, etc that may inspire us. If you choose to participate, I encourage you to post about it as well.
Personally, I think I'll be working on some pillow covers. I'll also be sharing my "slow summer stitching" with a friend, as Cathy and I have decided to meet once a week somewhere to visit with each other and work on our hand sewing. Sounds like fun, huh?If you'd like to join in or have some suggestions, please let me know!
** Let me state that you do NOT have to follow Alabama Stitch or Studio Style to participate, but they are a great source of inspiration. Also, this is NOT a swap - we'll be working on our own projects at our own pace while sharing along the way.
