What is a Sew-Along?

A Sew-Along is very common in the home sewing sphere. You also get them in other crafting communities such as knitting, crocheting, quilting… the list is endless! But what is it?

The Sew-Along concept is typically a group activity, where sewists work on the same project at the same time. This can be done in-person, or online.

I host Sew-Along’s in my Online Sewing Membership, where members can participate as each section goes live (and talk to each other and share their progress via my Membership Facebook group), or work through the videos at their own pace at any point in time.

Every maker or creator will host a sew-along in a different way. Sometimes they take place in Slack or Discord groups where everyone shares their process of the making. Or the creator will post their progress on Instagram and partcipants use the comments section and a hashtag to share their own progress as they work through the pattern at similar times.

My Sew-Along’s are detailed step-by-step video tutorials which include:

• a friendly guide to the sewing process
• detailed walk-throughs for each step of the pattern
• suggested design hacks you can choose to implement, or not

Not to mention, as part of the Membership, you have access to support via email or Whatsapp, to help you problem solve (or give you the answer) to any issues you come up against!

Over the years, I’ve developed a bit of a formula when it comes to putting my Sew-Alongs together.

We cover:

• A pattern round up. This is where I get my current members to vote on the pattern they’d like to do, and the most popular option is what we sew! However this also provides you with other patterns in similar styles you can vaguely follow along with, if the chosen pattern just isn’t for you.
• A fabric round up of the types of fabric you can use for the chosen project.
• Style variations for different levels of sewist; are you a beginner? Let’s keep it simple and follow the pattern as is. A more advanced sewist? Here’s some things you could change slightly (this might also involve drafting!)
• Anticipating fitting issues you may come up against, and providing the answers for you in advance
• Detailed Sew-Along videos of the entire making process of the garment
• Pattern hacks you can make now, or in the future, to really get the most out of your pattern base!

I’ve been a sewing teacher/instructor for over 10 years now, and before that I worked in the fashion industry as a pattern cutter, so I have become well versed at anticipating any fitting issues my sewing students or members may come up against in advance.

I’d love to help you create a home-sewn garment you can be truly proud of, so will you be joining me?