Announcing May’s Theme: Sew Brave!

It’s time for our next theme month: SEW BRAVE! We’re running this one for the whole month of May. Come up with an idea and share using the hashtag #SewBraveSewcialists!

The key to this challenge is to tap into what makes YOU feel brave. We’re all coming from different paths and we all have different ideas of what’s big and slightly (or very) scary. Are you a total beginner? Maybe you can cut out your first actual garment! Maybe a color or pattern makes you feel brave…do you tend to stick with neutrals because it feels safe? Perhaps branch out to a color that really speaks to you. May I suggest lime green or orange or pink? Or a stripe or that abstract print that has been lurking in your stash? Is there a piece of fabric or a pattern that you touch or ogle every time you go into your sewing space…that one that you just can’t bring yourself to make or cut into because it’s too special or seems too complicated? Go ahead. Take it out and start it. This is your personal invitation to be brave and go for it!

Even if you’ve been sewing for years there is bound to be something that gives you pause for thought, including:

• Fabric: Brave could be finally cutting into that beautiful, vintage silk you’ve had sitting around for years or that Cone Mills denim you’ve been collecting. Maybe there is a really fun print you’ve been “seasoning” in your stash that would be brave to make and brave to wear!

• Techniques: Or maybe you have a technique you’ve been putting off? We all have to steel ourselves before learning zippers, buttons, or knit binding at some point.
  

• Garments: Brave could be taking the plunge and starting a pair of JEANS or other pants! Heck, maybe your brave is pajamas – silky bottoms, anyone? Maybe it’s time to try a button-up shirt, activewear, or a swimsuit!

• Style: Perhaps you have a garment type you’ve been eyeing but haven’t been able to fully commit. Try a new-to-you silhouette or trend!

I’m toying with a few ideas myself. I still haven’t jumped on the jeans train (though I did successfully make 2 pair of Seamly No-Sweat Pants), I’ve got some big party dress plans for a wedding (guest!)…or maybe I could be brave and finally make my boyfriend that velvet and satin Folkwear Le Smoking Jacket I promised him for Christmas 2017??? (Surely I’m not the only one who doesn’t deliver on these promises…). Our fearless leader Gillian has a fabulous-looking leather bag kit she’s planning to tackle, and our behind-the-scenes copy editor Anne is planning a denim skirt.

Be sure to use the hashtag #SewBraveSewcialists so we can find you and see your awesome brave sewing! Share your garment and why it is brave for you to make so we can all support and cheer each other on in our sewing.

Would you like to write a Sewcialists blog post about your brave sewing? We will be putting out the call for volunteers on Thursday April 18th: 3 people from the blog at 7am EST and 3 people from IG at 7pm EST. Priority to people who haven’t written for us before (so be brave and volunteer!) Posts about your finished project are then due to us by May 5th. You’ll be featured here on the blog and on the Sewcialists Instagram feed + stories.

As always, we’ll have lots of posts and inspiration to get everyone excited. As is the Sewcialists way, this challenge is a totally casual, no competition sort-of setup. It’s all about the community and having FUN! SO GO FORTH! BE SEW BRAVE!

Elizabeth is a Sewcialists Editor and lives in Portland. You can find her online at @emcclureot !

Sewcialists is a hyper-inclusive editorial site. We recognize that all of us make up an amazing and varied community. We ask that you take each challenge as you see it fitting in your life, and express your involvement how you like, at the given time. Our challenges are for the pure enjoyment of participation and the love of community.