Crafting A Rainbow

So, what happened in my life beyond actual sewing? Let’s see…

After 3 years of commuting 800km/week to rural schools, I got moved to city schools! Now I only service 3 schools, and my drive most mornings is 5km. It’s made such a huge difference to my quality of life (and to the back pain I was having last year!) 

Is it possible that I never properly blogged about presenting at Pattern Review Weekend? It was such a blast! I was invited to be one of the keynote speakers when PR Weekend was held this June in Stratford Ontario, just an hour from my house. I talked about the Better Pictures Project (you can see my whole presentation here) and got to meet so many sewing friends in real life! It was a real thrill to attend, and I thank the organisers for thinking of me! 

I’m patriotically proud that I tested for 4 Canadian pattern companies this year! I’ve been testing for Helen’s Closet for a while, but this year I also got to test the new extended size range for Thread Theory, and try out some Jalie patterns before they were released. I also shamelessly begged Heather and the CCP crew to take me on as a pattern tester, and it finally worked! Pattern testing is one of my favourite ways to support companies, and to make sure that curvy sewists are represented in their designs. 

Canada has a tiny population compared to the UK or US, so I’m very proud of our high-quality sewing community, which includes Emerald Erin, Victory Patterns, and Blackbird Fabrics, amongst others! 

I got to attend Ottawa Frocktails! It was such a fabulous event, made even more wonderful by having my sister Anne along for the ride! I got to meet Meg from Cookin’ and Craftin’, and catch up with lots of friends I’d met for the first time at the Ottawa picnic this summer. The organisers did a really wonderful, and I’d go again in a heartbeat! 

I couldn’t talk about highlights from this year without mentioning the Sewcialists. I am incredibly proud that we have managed 3 posts/week all year, and hosted a lot of discussions about inclusion and diversity that I haven’t seen elsewhere. I’m also really proud that it’s no longer a solo venture and that there are a whole team of amazing volunteers contributing their time to make it happen! 

Here are a few of my favourite posts I’ve written for the Sewcialists this year: 

• Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
• An Ode to Stripes
• How to Make Your Own Sewcialists Swag
• Which Community Will Be Next? 
• Confessions of an Unsustainable Sewist

Ok, look, I know 4 of those “non-sewing highlights” were about sewing… but what can I say? The rest of my life is happy and rolls along nicely, but without big excitement. 

What were your highlights this year?