Sewing enthusiasts across the country, and in some cases, across the world are gearing up to celebrate a special month dedicated to the art, utility and passion for sewing. The observance of National Sewing Month began in 1982 with a proclamation from President Ronald Reagan declaring September as National Sewing Month:
“In recognition of the importance of
home sewing to our Nation."
Is everyone sewing with Project Runway-style fervor? “Not at all” says Margo Martin of the American Sewing Guild.” “Sewing is what you make of it,” she adds. “Utilitarian sewing still has a strong footing and grew in popularity as the economy took a nosedive.”
“But, utilitarian sewing is often just the spark that ignites a new or renewed passion for sewing” Martin continues. “Fun fabrics, technologically advanced machines and easy-sew patterns combine with a dizzying array of traditional and online classes, free projects, discussion groups and shopping choices to make sewing an easy way to explore your creativity and design clothing, make gifts for friends, create products for fundraisers or even redecorate your home.”
Various themes over the years have resulted. The theme for 2005 was “Sewing...the alternative yoga” after earlier studies had shown that sewing reduced stress in adults and gave kids a creative edge. The campaign was a huge success and included participation of local and national retailers, American Sewing Guild (ASG) chapters, sewing educators, online retailers, school systems and more. The success of the 2005 campaign continued in to 2006 with a theme of “Sewing... Express Your Creative Spirit” with a call to action — “As a form of self-expression, sewing is fun, fashionable and rewarding. Create your own signature style!” The theme for 2007 was “Sewing...it’s what you make of it” and continued to garner the support of retailers, ASG chapters, educators and more. The National Sewing Month website launched in 2008 with a newly designed logo and a theme of Go Green! Sew Green!, which reflects the changing way we see our environment and the knowledge that we can make a difference, even with our sewing projects, without sacrificing comfort or style.
September is a time to celebrate our passion with National Sewing Month, but we know the creative, therapeutic and calming effects of sewing are joys that we can celebrate throughout the entire year.
The Sewing & Craft Alliance (SCA) provides education and creative resources to sewing and craft enthusiasts as well as retailers, manufacturers and educators. SCA offers free learn-to-sew articles, SEW-lutions Education Guidelines, free project sheets and interactive opportunities for the sewing community. SCA also offers training classes to sewing enthusiasts on how to teach sewing to others.
The American Sewing Guild, Inc. (ASG) is a not-for-profit education based organization comprised of over 20,000 members who promote the mission to “advance sewing as an art and life skill” by providing a network of sewing education and support for sewing enthusiasts, serving as preservers of the sewingarts, promoting community engagement through service projects and sharing sewing arts with new generations.