Quilting With Friends - How To Host A Sewing Day!

Quilting with friends is good for the soul! It's a chance to share skills and supplies, offer support and advice, and have a little fun! Grab some friends and start your own sewing group today!

As the COVID restrictions slowly ease and life returns to the new normal, sewing days with friends are back on the calendar. Since March, our sewing group has shared projects and kept in contact via Facebook, but nothing beats real life social interaction with your sewing sisters - we've missed each other! 

People who meet with friends on a regular basis are said to be happier, healthier and a lot less stressed. A sewing group offers encouragement, guidance, honest feedback and a sense of calm because you're creating with kindred spirits in a supportive environment.

Sewing days are fun and inspiring, but it has nothing to do with how much you achieve - it's about sharing a passion with likeminded people. If you're not part of a sewing group and would like to get the ball rolling and host one of your own, I've put together some tips to help you out.

You don't need to scout out an elaborate location with a panoramic view.  Open your home, keep it simple and have a lot of fun!

Find Your People:

Good friends are like a second family, but sometimes they don't share your passion for quilting, crochet or craft in general, which is totally fine - your paths have crossed for other reasons. Making new friends at any age is daunting, but you may need to put yourself out there and find likeminded people for your sewing days. 

If your children are in school, this is a good place to start. Volunteer for the Parents and Friends Association or Fundraising committee, and you'll soon find people who share your love of crafting or at the very least want to learn so they can contribute to events.

Your local quilting shop might run classes or sewing days, and this is another great way to meet a diverse group of quilters. People don't always have time to commit to a class but sewing with a group of friends on a more relaxed schedule may be doable. Ask if you can put a note on the quilt shop's noticeboard to seek out your people.

Social media is another way to connect with likeminded souls. Look for people in your area who enjoy sewing and start conversing with them. Online craft days are possible with the help of Skype, Zoom or Facetime - technology brings us closer together!

I've lost count of the number of times people have said to me, I wish I could learn to do that - there's an opportunity right there. Offer to teach them and invite them to your home for a lesson. You'll make a new friend and they'll tell their friends, who'll tell their friends and your group will grow. Even if it's only ever the two of you, what fun the both of you will have!

Mark Your Calendar:

Everyone is busy and time is precious, so if your wanting to start a regular sewing day then mark your calendars together as a group. If you can only spare an afternoon per month and it's written in the diary weeks in advance, you've made the first step towards commitment.

Life happens, so be flexible! You'll have to work around families, work, school and life, but I'm sure as a group you can find a regular schedule to meet and sew together. Planning in advance keeps the group accountable and it's a date to look forward to on the calendar.

We black out the school holidays and weekends because that's family time, and we take turns hosting the sewing days so no one person is shouldering the workload. Find what works best for your group and try to make time for each other - it is important and good for your mental health.

Working Together:

Our sewing group alternates between working on our own projects and working on the same project. Doing your own thing creates a relaxed environment, and it's an opportunity to teach and learn new skills. Sharing what we know is instinctual, so encourage and motivate your friends to try new techniques in a supportive environment.

Our sewing days are not restricted to quilting and we've included crochet lessons, wedding décor preparation, scrapbooking sessions and simple crafts for school fundraising. We've also helped each other baste quilts and we've quilted each other's projects when deadlines are looming - many hands make light work!

Working on the same project has many advantages, and it bonds the group together. You'll be inspired by unique interpretations of the pattern and it encourages your creativity.  It keeps everyone accountable of their progress, and you can problem solve together. It's also a chance to share fabrics or supplies and show and tell can be a fun way to begin your sewing day.

Host Provisions:

If you're the one hosting the sewing day, there's a few things you can provide to make it easier for the rest of the group. Getting the car packed for a sewing day can be an aerobic exercise, so provide some basic items the group can share and use together:

• a pressing station - a simple ironing board and iron is all you need.
• spare thread, pins, scissors and machine needles. 
• seam rippers - everyone forgets/loses a seam ripper.
• a cutting station - a folding table with your cutting mat and tools is perfect.
• power boards for everyone's machines - make sure the cords are taped to the floor, you don't want anyone tripping.
• a laptop - good for sharing your Pinterest boards, checking patterns and sharing inspiration.
• good light - space might be limited in your home, but adequate natural or overhead lighting makes sewing easier and comfortable.
• hand sanitizer and other COVID requirements (depending on where you live)
  

Someone will always forget to bring something, but that's the beauty of working in a group, everyone shares!

You can also invest in a group sewing kit. Collect spare notions, threads, quilt books etc. and store them in a large plastic tub. The kit can be passed from host to host, and the group can share the supplies every sewing day.

Support A Charity:

Supporting a charity is good for the soul, and it bonds the group together as you work towards a common goal. There are many ways to help people in your own community and abroad, and working as a team increases productivity and motivation.

Tasks can be shared or allocated - one person might offer to do all the cutting before the sewing day or all the final details once the items are sewn (trimming threads, adding embellishments). Plan a system that works well for everyone.

We collect a small amount of money every week for fabric and batting supplies, and the projects we sew are donated to charities close to our heart. Ask your local hospital or church or search online for charities seeking donations.

It's not a necessity, but ask your friends and decide if supporting a charity is something your group would like to do - you will make a difference in the life of someone you'll probably never meet!

Don't Forget the Nibblies:

Most importantly if you don't supply the nibblies you'll be sewing alone forever! Kidding! Sewing, chatter, laughter and friends go hand in hand with yummy snacks and pots of coffee. It doesn't have to be homemade - the supermarket or bakery have enough options to tempt everybody!

More often than not, our sewing group eat and chat way more than we sew, but that's the purpose of girl time right?  We each bring a plate and it's the perfect opportunity to try new recipes or share old ones. We tried a healthy snack policy at one point, but life's too short not to indulgence and there's six other days in the week to exercise the calories away. ;)

I sewed one of my Teabag Wallets for each person in our group, and we all bring our own favorites so there's no pressure on the host to supply a range of herbal teas etc.

Keep them fed and hydrated and you'll have a happy group of quilters!

Quilting friends are generous, encouraging, supportive and fun, and hosting a sewing day is wonderful and rewarding. It's quality time spent with likeminded people, and you're doing what you love in a creative and inspiring environment.

Keep it simple, keep it relaxed, and relish that precious time working side by side with your people - there's nothing better than quilting with friends!

Happy quilting :)