Join the First Stitch Sew-Along!

Sew Along with Me

For many people, it would be a dream come true to turn your passion into your job. In my case, I've been sewing for myself for years, and when the opportunity came along to create a sewing magazine, I jumped at the chance. Now I talk, research, write, and read about sewing all day long. Previously, sewing was simply my escape from work and my personal creative outlet. But when Stitch really went into full swing, I secretly worried that I would get burned out on sewing because I had miraculously managed to turn my hobby into my career.

Asymmetrical Skirt by Martha McQuade Mix and Match Dress by Jil Cappuccio Pretty Cat, Baby Bear & Mini-Mouse     Tuesday Pillow by Malka Dubrawsky.

But happily the opposite happened.

I still can't wait to come home and actually sit at my sewing machine and sew. Now, don't get me wrong, there are definitely days when I don't feel like sewing or even thinking about sewing. But I'm constantly inspired by all the exciting new things happening around the sewing world, and it ultimately drives me back to my sewing machine.

I've also become a sewing missionary, convincing all my friends to learn to sew or get back into sewing. I've helped several friends buy new sewing machines and quickly agree to giving sewing lessons in exchange for good food and wine. But in the end my motives are partly selfish because the more of my friends that sew, the more we can sew together.

Since we are all friends that sew, it seems like this is the perfect opportunity to start our first sew-along! Every pattern offers an opportunity to learn something new or to add a twist on top of the original. So whether you follow patterns faithfully or use them as a base for experimentation and embellishment, even a simple pattern can stretch your sewing imagination and skills.

I've picked a couple of patterns from Stitch back issues to choose from, and you can vote to pick the pattern you want to do most for our sew-along. The pattern with the most votes wins, and you can join our sew-along forum on the Sew Daily site to track your progress and share questions and comments. I am really looking forward to sewing with all of you! Here are the contenders:

– Asymmetrical Skirt by Martha McQuade (Fall 2008 issue)

– Mix and Match Dress by Jil Cappucio (Spring 2009 issue)

– Pretty Cat, Baby Bear & Mini-Mouse by Heidi Boyd (Spring 2009 issue)

– Tuesday Pillow by Malka Dubrawsky (Spring 2009 issue)

The Asymmetrical Skirt features a very cool construction and is a great lesson in finessing a shaped garment.

The Mix and Match Dress is a great project to practice sewing on knits, and you can have fun with mixing prints.

Pretty Cat, Baby Bear & Mini Mouse are colorful toy projects that kids will love, and you'll practice sewing curved seams plus simple embroidery.

The Tuesday Pillow has fun improvisational piecing and makes a great stash-busting project.

You can find all these projects in our digital or print back issues, or get them individually from our Sew Daily e-pattern store. Vote here for your favorite and let's get sewing!