It’s that time of the year where we get to brainstorm new themes for the following year!!!!!! Who doesn’t love this part?!?!
So let’s brainstorm together and create a list of ideas! We add those ideas to the ones generated by the Sewcialists Blog Team on Facebook, and put our ten favourites up for vote on the blog!
Sewcialists has run a LOT of theme months over the years. This year has been an awesome showcase of some aaahhhmaaazing work done by our diverse community. Some of my favorites has been Sew Style Hero, Sewcialists Love MMMay, and of course Sew Stripes. I might be a little biased *wink wink!
To help us get those thinking engines running, I want to highlight this beautiful section of our Mission Statement:
“Our goal is to build community and create a space where everyone is welcomed and encouraged to share their sewing stories and celebrate our unique identities and experiences. We support crafting as an inclusive and welcoming space for people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, genders, orientations and sizes.”
I think theme months are most popular if they fit the following criteria:
– EASY TO JOIN – Ideally, a great theme allows a sewist to grab something from their stash, or put a spin on a project they’ve been thinking about. For example, TNT patterns this year was an easy theme to join.
– INCLUSIVE – A challenge should be open and interesting to people of all genders, religions, sizes, and geographic locations. The means picking broad topics that we all can participate.
– FUN – Ultimately the goal of the blog is to engage as many Sewcialists as possible, and showcase diverse voices that represent the breadth of the sewing community.
Leave all your ideas below as individual comments – as many as you want! If you mentioned an idea elsewhere (nod to Pajama Party!), please add it here again! If you love an idea, give it a thumbs up. The editors will pick ten of your ideas to put up to vote on the website!
So on your mark, get ready, and let those ideas flow!!!
Author Bio: Martha, 1st generation Garifuna princess born and raised in New York City by my Guatemalan parents. I’ve always been intrigued by the art of sewing garments but continuously found a way to push the thought aside for years. Forever challenged by my friend to dig deeper “What would you do if you were not afraid?” #lightbulbmoment Learning how to sew is such a rewarding experience and I absolutely love it!!! I am self-taught and still learning which can definitely be an adventure as I traverse the art of sewing for my curvy body. You can follow my sewing journey and shenanigans on Instagram @GariChild.
Incorporating the color of the year or a color that’s outside your usual palette/comfort zone into a project
I Like that
Accessories! I’m thinking bags, fabric jewellery, headpieces, upcycling shoes…
Ohhhhh I just started experimenting with fabric jewelry. Love it!
Oh man…. How have I not thought of fabric jewelry before?! Fantastic idea!
yess! I was just thinking hats would be a cool one
Coats!
Now that’s the motivation I need!
What about upcycling in general? I’m sure we all have things in our closets that could use a little reworking, even if it’s just something as simple as changing a hem length.
Yes!! Or adding a bit of embroidery/a funky patch!
I also vote for refashion/upcycling/recycling theme month!!
Piggybacking on Becky’s idea, how about the theme of visible mending? (I must admit I’m biased because I wrote a book about it!) Visible Mending is easy to join in (no difficult sewing skills needed), inclusive (who doesn’t have a hole in a sweater or a rip in a pair of jeans?), and FUN! Mending is trending 🙂 Thanks for considering!
I like this. Especially because then I can get some motivation to fix some of my boys’ stuff, too.
Love this. Mending can be a lot of different things at different levels and is green and helps us keep our favorites and beloved handmades in rotation.
As a male sewist I’d like to see something to do with sewing menswear, although I’m not sure how inclusive that sounds? Also bags, bags are great fun 👍😊
Maybe it could be menswear/inspired by menswear. Also, for those of us that are parents, that could be expanded to include kids’ clothes. I’d personally love ideas there, because I have all boys and it is exponentially harder to find sewing patterns for them compared to girls.
There are often some nice boys patterns at La Maison Victor if you can get hold of any of their magazines… I think they sell pdf’s online too…?
There are a few good pattern companies out there that do cater to boys wear and are amazing! I would love to see this long neglected area of sewing receive some Sewcialists LOVE! Yes Please! <3
I like this… I’m not a man, but I do know men in my life who deserve nice things, so I’d be up for sewing for them.
Would love this! And menswear inspired can take on so much interpretations
I like the sewing menswear (or “menswear inspired”) idea. I’ve been accumulating a stash of Thread Theory patterns, but when I end up doing unselfish sewing, I always end up sewing for my daughter because frankly…sewing twirly skirts is more fun than sewing stuff for my husband.
Yes, to menswear and menswear inspired!
Great 🙂
Andro sewing for all shapes, sizes and identity.
Suits and sets! Any two piece outfit from the same material would qualify, from pjs to faux jumpsuits to full on jackets with matching pants or skirt.
yessss!!! Suits and sets!
Oh yeah, loving the suits and sets idea too! Coordinates and how you can use them with other parts of your wardrobe.
International / Around the World. Make sewing friends from other countries, try a pattern in a foreign language, sew something inspired by another culture, etc.
What you learnt to sew for – the garment or garment type that made you want to be able to sew. I wanted to make cute blouses that actually fit me- 4 years later I’m only just getting there- still need to make my perfect simple white blouse!
Great Idea but I’m not sure my tween will wear a smocked dress anymore and I know my 15 year old son won’t wear a romper. I’d have to get creative which is part of the point.
Love these ideas…especially the pajama party and bags! I’ll pop back if I have a suggestion to add to the growing list.
New Skills-not necessarily a specific skill, but anything new to you. Just a little push to learn new things and up our sewing game.
With Halloween approaching, I’ll throw out a suggestion that’s nearly always underlooked in the online sewing community of garment sewists…. Sewing costumes or cosplay.
This is a great suggestion, especially as the costuming community is much larger than simply the latest licensed Halloween costume from the mainstream pattern companies would have us believe. For instance, since I’ve gotten deeper into the costuming and coslay community, I’ve become aware of several efforts that promote plus size cosplay. Additionally, I’ve been part of costume guilds that promote sewing costumes that are historically accurate to the era, costumes for Renn Fairs, Civil War re-enactments, creative art-inspired costuming that becomes its own art in turn. In short, this aspect of sewing has also begun exploding in all directions.
Maybe include a pattern from another culture, as Moroccan, Guatemalan, Mexican, Arabic, other Asien countries, Maori,….
Maybe something about embellishing? Quilting, embroidery, beading etc.? I’m working on my first quilted garment – I’m really enjoying the process though my quilting is turning out 100% invisible, ha!
There are a lot of patterns out there at the moment with a distinct seventies vibe. Think jumpers, flood pants (Persephone I’m looking at you!), and pinafores. Not to mention the midi-length skirts (Azara, Brumby). I’m looking at a fall of midi-length skirts and tall boots. Perhaps we could do a modern-styled seventies month? Just a thought because I’m grooving on it at the moment.
Following on Megan Eliza’s suggestion: open it to any chosen decade/period? (This could wander into costume territory.)
As balance to TNT, I second the idea of “something new.” It could be a pattern, or a technique. (Or, to get really inclusive: new style, garment [I guess those fall under new pattern], or color!)
I really like the NEW color idea. Maybe we need to explore our rainbow a little more than we have, oh say in the past 20 years??? Or a bold NEW color statement piece. NEW to you color!!! Yes please! <3
[…] Brainstorming Theme Months!! […]
I was thinking about an international sew swap – fabric & notions or finished garments? Or 1 pattern, different looks, similar to how Sew My Style is setup, but we vote on the pattern as a community beforehand.
Sewn gifts? Sewn toys (e.g. bears, dolls etc.)??
Sibling style – sew a garment/outfit inspired by a sibling’s style. No sibling? Choose someone else close to you like a best friend.