What is a Sew Along?

The term "sew-along" (or sew along) may seem obvious to some, but it can be a mystery to many! Let's have a chat about what the term means, and how we do it at Sweet Pea, using our latest Block of the Week Sew Along - The Adventures of Ms. Stich - as an example.

What is a sew along or quilt along?

Sew-alongs can be many different things from organiser to organiser, but, as the name suggests, they all have one thing in common - you are sewing along with someone else! In the case of Sweet Pea, this term means bringing together embroidery fans from around the world in making the same design at the same time through our various Facebook groups alongside a video tutorial of one of our team stitching the design.

Different projects may have different time frames - a block of the month quilt has one block to make each month, with the final blocks ready to assemble by the end of the year, but a monthly sew-along features a smaller project, like a hanger, runner, or small bag, and needs to be finished in the month it is released. Most sew alongs are offered at a special price and have prizes at the end of the time period.

Why join a sew along?

Some of the main reasons we host sew alongs and our community likes to join include:

• Encouragement and advice from other sewers and the company who made the design
• Seeing different variations of the same design to garner inspiration
• Finishing a project within a set time frame (no UFOs here!)
• Positive or constructive feedback on your work
• Winning prizes!

From our perspective, we love being able to engage with you and reach new people through sew alongs, as well as seeing how your creativity shines through our designs!

How does the latest Block of the Week work?

The Adventures of Ms. Stitch follows the same format of our usual Block of the Week sew alongs in that we release a block or two each week in the lead up to a particular holiday. However, this specific sew along comes with a twist - while the blocks will be released with plenty of time for Halloween, the design can be stitched out in multiple variations (Halloween, Christmas, or Sewing), with the sew along actually running all the way to Christmas! This means new content and prizes each month via our dedicated Facebook Groups. We encourage participants to Stitch Your Own Adventure and join in with as much as you feel comfortable with.

You can learn more about our current Block of the Week here, or learn about all of our sew alongs (we have 5 all up!) here.