Announcing the November Challenge

November’s theme is “slow sewing,” & I am insisting on calling it SLOWVEMBER, despite the resounding silence with which this term was met by my fellow collective volunteers!

We figured that everyone could use a little breather after the whirlwind chaos that is Indie Pattern Month (& now that I have been on both sides, as both a contributor & a coordinator–I know Indie Pattern Month is not restful for anyone!).

“Slow sewing” doesn’t mean that you necessarily need to take on a labor-intensive couture project that will suck up all your time & energy for the entire month–though it certainly could, if that’s what interests you! Maybe it means adding some handwork embellishment to something you’ve already made. Or really taking your time constructing a relatively straightforward garment, making sure your sewing is as clean & precise as you can manage. Maybe it’s as simple as slowing down, putting some real thought into what your self-sewn wardrobe may be missing, & then filling that hole–even if it’s something as simple as a long-sleeved tee, or a solid A-line skirt. (I went for YEARS without a basic black skirt in my self-sewn wardrobe because I was always prioritizing crazy prints or more challenging patterns…even though I lamented my lack of a basic black skirt several times a week when getting dressed! I finally made my black skirt over the summer & I wear it all the time!)

Here are a bunch of links that might help inspire you:

incorporating vintage patterns into a minimalist wardrobe, from Seamwork
slow stitching manifesto, from the Slow Stitching Movement
what is slow fashion?, from Craftsy
#slowfashionoctober, from Fringe Association
visible mending tips, from Interweave
Visible Mending
stunning felted wool embellishment, from Cassie Stephens

& two of my own makes:
hand-beaded border print dress
Ginger jeans with cross stitched pockets

As always, the Monthly Stitch challenges are meant to be a springboard for your creativity, both in interpretation & in execution. What does “slow sewing” meant to you?

We are also trying something really exciting this month. We have a sponsor! Every “slow sewing” contribution posted before December 1, 2018 will be entered into a drawing & one lucky duck will win a free account with MyBodyModel, enabling you to create a croquis customized to your specific measurements to help plan your future garment projects! MyBodyModel was also a generous sponsor of Indie Pattern Month, & I personally have a (paid!) MyBodyModel account & I LOVE IT. I’ve contributed to the MyBodyModel blog & will be doing so again soon, with a tutorial on how to use MyBodyModel to create your own customizable sewing planner. So keep an eye out for that!

ALL on-theme contributions posted this month will be eligible for the drawing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been contributing to the Monthly Stitch for five years, or if it’s your first post ever! It doesn’t matter if your post is about a hand-sewn wedding gown or the 15th version of your favorite TNT tee pattern.

In keeping with the SLOWVEMBER theme, we are being a little slow about coming up with artwork for this month’s theme. But it will happen shortly, as will voting for the One Pattern, Two Ways challenge, never fear! I think we are still recovering from IPM & our Halloween candy hangovers. (Just me?)