2018 has been an exciting year here at the Sewcialists, so let’s dig into some highlights!
Our first full year since the reboot!
Sewcialists was first founded in 2013, but I rebooted it in June 2017 with a fresh vision to be a sewing blog for everyone — somewhere that many voices are represented, where we talk about identity and inclusion as well as doing fun sewing challenges together! 2018 has been our first full year, and I’m proud that we’ve posted 3 posts every single week, and hosted Sew Stripes, Sewcialists Love MMMay, Sew Style Hero, and Sustainable Sewing theme months!
Our Editorial Team
This June, 5 fantastic people stepped up to become Sewcialists Editors! It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to keep everything rolling, and I literally could not do it without the support of permanent editors Chloe, Becky, and Anya, and temporary editors Martha and Kate! Without them, Sewcialists quite literally would have ground to a halt while I dealt with a concussion this fall!
Kate and Martha are wrapping up their time with us this month, and we are thrilled to welcome Meg from Cookin’ and Craftin’ and Ebi Poweigha from Making The Flame from January until June.
Updated Website
This August we moved from Sewcialists.wordpress.com to TheSewcialists.com! We updated our structure and organisation so that it’s easier for you to find the kind of content you enjoy, whether it is Who We Are, interviews or theme months.
A Growing Community
We are nothing without our readers and contributors! When I relaunched back in 2017, it was literally just me… so I could not be more thrilled that so many people support this project! We have an active groups of volunteers in our Facebook group, over 100 guest authors per year, 15 000 followers on IG, and an active discussion section here on the blog. THANK YOU for being Sewcialists!
(A special shoutout to everyone who comments on both Instagram and the blog with such love, empathy and positivity! We’ve talked about some big topics this year like age, size, ethnicity, ability, mental health, and much more… and while comments sections elsewhere may turn nasty, you never do!)
A Super-Secret Project coming in 2019!
I can’t talk about this one yet… but by January we’ll be able to share a very special project that we were invited to participate in! We are so proud of what we’ve built here, and are honoured that our community is being recognised! That’s all I can say for now!
What were your Sewcialists highlights in 2018? Is there a post or Instagram discussion you remember most, or did you contribute something yourself? As part of the Sewcialists community yourself, what are you most proud of here?
Gillian cofounded the Sewcialists in 2013. She lives in Canada and loves cats, bright colours and sewing! She blogs at www.craftingarainbow.wordpress.com .
Congratulations on reaching such lofty goals! Thank you for being such a comfortable place for me to contribute my own personal story! Big hugs and lot’s of Love! <3
One of my top highlights of 2018 that ties into growing community is that I met my (dear) friend Claire after she wrote a post during who we are: LGBTQ+ It was so beautifully written and relatable and I took up the offer to connect on Instagram. Doing that was one of the best decisions of this year. I feel both lucky and blessed to have her in my life and I look forward to next month when I’m traveling to the city where she lives so we can meet in person! I love that there are so many wonderful people I’ve met through the sewing community. I struggled a lot with depression over the past year and I don’t think I’d be where I am now and coping as well had I not found sewing and felt support (and honestly, love) from sewing people I’ve met both online and in real life. Thank you to Gillian and everyone who’s contributed to making this such a wonderful place.
I’ll second this! Making friends with Omols through my Sewcialists article was a highlight of 2018 for me. Thank you Gillian + team for this platform. <3
OH MY GOODNESS YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE ME CRY! Omols, thank you for sharing, and I’m so happy that you and Claire have become friends!! It makes all the difference in the world to feel like you’ve got people who understand and support you.
Now, dare I ask: How would you and Claire feel about writing a post together sometime over the winter? And maybe it will be exactly what someone else out there needs to read at the right time? I’m curious if the growth of the @sewqueer community on instagram has increased inclusion and representation of LGBTQ+ sewists over the last year, and if you two would have comments/reminders of more work that needs to be done! <3
Oh my goodness, just saw these comments yesterday!! And yes I’d love to write a post with Claire! In addition to LGBTQ+ sewist community, I also find it wonderful how long-distance friendships can develop. Another idea! Who We Are: Cross-country/International Sewing Besties
Love it! Can you and Claire email us at Sewcialists@gmail.com and we’ll make plans! 👏👏👏
I am late to this party but totally into it. We’ll email you!
[…] Gillian mentioned in the Top 5 highlights post, this was the first full year of the Sewcialists since she rebooted it in mid-2017. The community […]