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Saturday, 5 September 2020

It's National Sewing Month

NationalSewingMonth.org
image courtesy of NationalSewingMonth.org...
Did you know that National Sewing Month (September) came into being in 1982 as a result of a proclamation issued by US president Ronald Reagan in recognition of the importance of home sewing to our nation?

Further proclamations stated that "Tens of millions of Americans sew at home. Their efforts demonstrate the industry, the skill and the self-reliance which are so characteristic of this nation.”

Pay no mind that the comments are USA-centric. Obviously, when something is declared "national", it has to originate in one particular country. But in the unprecedented year that is 2020, those statements can apply world-wide.

If nothing else, it's a great time to be a sewer.




Unlike 1982, in more recent years, National Sewing Month has had an online presence with themes, projects and giveaways. Today's post will highlight some of them, hopefully giving you new ways to celebrate this "superpower" that we have in common.

NationalSewingMonth.org
image courtesy of NationalSewingMonth.org...

The National Sewing Month website (http://www.nationalsewingmonth.org/) offers up the entire history of this annual September celebration. This year, they've also featured four projects for you to try, including this one from ghees.com:

image courtesy of ghees.com...

I wasn't personally drawn to any of them, but if you're looking for projects, there are plenty more for you to discover at AllFreeSewing.com. I'm giving them a shout-out here for their month long features — they'll be uploading new content every day, so check in regularly throughout September — and for their awesome giveaways in honour of National Sewing Month.

For an idea of how the month long celebration will unfold at AllFreeSewing, check out their 2019 and 2018 pages. (Apparently I contributed some content in 2018, but I can't remember what it was!)

As for the giveaways, here are some examples of what's up for grabs this year. (Unfortunately, these are only open to residents of the US and Canada.)

Mega Handi Quilter HQ Stitch 710


As described on AllFreeSewing, this HQ Stitch 710 has 170 built-in stitches up to 9 mm wide, stitching at speeds up to 1,000 stitches per minute, with 11″ of clearance space to the right of the needle, and an ergonomic knee presser-foot lift.

image courtesy of AllFreeSewing; gifted by Handy Quilter...

Loaded with decorative stitches and multiple alphabet "fonts", you'll be able to go embellishment crazy with this machine worth a whopping $3,495 USD.

Sew Now Sew Wow Hydraulic Sewing Chair


How about a new sewing chair?

image courtesy of AllFreeSewing; gifted by Arrow...

Don't let its colourful appearance fool you. This one is ergonomically designed and made to provide maximum comfort. Oh, and if you flip up the seat cushion, you have access to a hidden storage area! Has a retail value of $399 USD.


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Thread


Who can't use more thread? AllFreeSewing has two giveaways to cover that off, this one (Dual Duty XP All-purpose Thread 50 spool assortment) worth $75...

image courtesy of AllFreeSewing...

... and this one of 32 spools worth $30...

image courtesy of AllFreeSewing...

Both are gifted by Coats and Clark.


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Notions


This $97 value gift package from Clover includes a pair of Bordeaux Ultimate Scissors 130, and a 3 yard roll of 18" wide Wonder Fuse and a package of something called Wonder Pins.

image courtesy of AllFreeSewing...

Now, I'm familiar with the clips and their no name varieties, but I've never heard of these pins, have you? Apparently, they're kind of like a safety pin that you can operate with one finger. Made for quilters.

Fabric


With it already being September in such an uncommon year, December will be here before you know it. If you're planning on doing some Christmas-themed sewing, this might be up your alley.

image courtesy of AllFreeSewing...

Worth $39, this is a Red Truck wreath panel, along with one yard of pinecone fabric and one yard of plaid reindeer fabric by Timeless Treasures.

To enter any of these giveaways, go to AllFreeSewing.com and click on the Giveaways tab. All of the current promotions will be listed on a single page for easy access. You can enter multiple times for the duration of each promo.

What Will You Do?


Are you planning on doing anything special to celebrate National Sewing Month?

Some people attempt to sew a little bit each day for the whole month (in which case you may already be five days behind). Others might plan to learn and implement a new technique in a sewing project. Still others will dig up various works in progress and pick at least one to finish.

NationalSewingMonth.org

How about learning more about your sewing machine? Do you have one that's fairly modern, but that you only use for straight stitching? Maybe it's time to find out what else it can do. Break out that manual and do some reading. Then make yourself a stitch book for future reference.

Or maybe you can do something to ensure smooth sewing for the coming year: organize your sewing room!

'Til next...

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