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Whether I’m hosting one, or taking part in one, it's a safe place for opportunity, expression and freedom, a chance to share with a like-minded community.
A simple project or subject usually forms the platform for the storytelling, but what follows will be a very personal adaptation of the same theme.
With the added safety net of the original guidelines, and the banter with a new community, I always find I’m much braver with my choices, I will push boundaries, use bolder fabrics, try that bright green thread..
Sew Alongs are brilliant for rule breaking, and will liberate even the most traditional of quilters, exposing and inviting them to a brave new world with a willingness and enthusiasm to keep an open mind.
Visit our Instagram for announcements of future SEW ALONGS
This piece was the result of a sew-along held by the brilliant Rachel Richardson, a modern maker. Although it looks very thrown together and bonkers, this piece actually required a lot of thinking with regards to placement and composition, it was very difficult to know when to call it a day and finish.
Always such a joy to participate in the teachings of others, we are always learning..
Another African inspired piece.
"African Sundown" came about from joining in a sew-along with Nicholas Ball.
An improv pieced project that uses grout lines to separate out a quilt top into mosaic tiles.
I've used a palette that echoes the vibrancy of the colours that surround you in Africa.
This was a sew along/tutorial I joined in with, and loved the simplicity of its construction. The cutting list components could be cut on mass, making this a real no-brainer that offers a very quick and easy afternoons sewing fix.
Based on an earlier image from a college module, and its supporting sketchbook work, Pink Gin came together over a weekend.
Carefully put together curves were sliced, chopped and deconstructed then pieced back together. The process was far less random than it sounds in actual fact, and its composition took me longer than an ordinary improv piece would!
I had all this dreamt up whilst out with the dogs one morning. A dreary morning's walk was cheerfully interrupted by a close friend's call, wishing me a Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Within the hour I was at the sewing machine piecing this together.
To produce a masterpiece couldn't be further from my mind. 2 hours of uncomplicated fun later, and the usual technology problems I face when filming, a 45 second reel went out on instagram, to anyone….it didn’t matter!
Sew Alongs are a great discipline, not only to take part in, but to put together. The pressure to post everyday for the duration is a commitment, and I always find myself utterly consumed when I am hosting one that requires a daily presence.
Nothing quite says “Jubilee” like bunting does.
The Great British Bunt-Off was enormous fun, and a huge challenge on my technical capabilities regarding addressing it to the nation via instagram. I ran this in the run up to the Queen’s Jubilee, a time filled with imagery of royal life and lives. I would not consider myself a royalist, but this was such a focal opportunity to capture people’s imagination.
In the 14 days running up to Valentine’s Day I chose to host a lovemaking challenge, for those of us who love to make. This play on words captured a captive audience from day one, possibly not for the right reasons, but I’d got people's attention!
Everyday a different variation on the same theme.
Keeping things short and sweet is a priority, and your message has to be a clear one.