Happy New Year friends! 2019 was filled with SO much sewing–I tried to put together one of those nifty grids that showed all my sews and, well, it took a really long time to get through. I got up to some 150 sews and I was barely halfway through. Amidst all of my sewing, I was also doing some pretty cool things–including being invited to be a 2020 Sew My Style (SMS) Leader!
2020 Sew My Style (SMS)
This year Sew My Style (SMS) is being more intentional about including the face of all sewists–including more inclusive sizing, different cuts, and styles that support different fits. Just like how the world is changing, so is that of sewing and it’s something that should be reflected in SMS. This year’s head leader, Paulette, has been intentional about choosing leaders, patterns and more that make ALL of us feel welcomed.
What Is SMS?
Sew My Style is an online sewing challenge. Each month we all sew up one of two patterns and then show off our garments together on the last day, as one community.
It’s also one of the longest-running sewing challenges, having started in 2017 and run continuously since then thanks to a number of volunteer vloggers and bloggers.
Originally it was called Project Sew My Style and started by Alex Bartholomew to raise awareness about the slow fashion industry movement and encourage young women to take up sewing.
Since then, the online sewing community has grown tremendously and standards of inclusivity and diversity have evolved.
The challenge is no longer focused on a small segment of the sewing population. Instead, we actively encourage participation from all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities, and genders. The make-up of the 2020 leadership team of sewing bloggers and vloggers reflects this evolution.
Petite Font
So yeah, it’s a super dope YEAR LONG sewing challenge.
Why I Decided To Join SMS
Full disclosure: Before Paulette told our House of Curves group that she was going to be taking over the responsibility of the challenge, I didn’t know what it was. I volunteered because I really respect her and was looking forward to something that would get me out of my sewing comfort zone. And then I got excited about the patterns. Then I got excited about the things I could do with the patterns.
And then I got excited because I get to represent some amazing people. Being a plus-sized black woman in an area that doesn’t always welcome us can be hard. It doesn’t feel good to not see myself in patterns, fabrics and represented in an area I love. But this is rapidly changing and I’m happy.
So tell me, what sorts of things would you like to see from me during this challenge?
