2024 is starting strong, with a whole host of sewing challenges to join in with! Each sewing challenge will have a theme or set of criteria to guide your project. Some challenges are personal and open to interpretation (such as Make Nine) and others are more specific (for example, you have to make pants or trousers for Sew Fancy Pants).
I love sewing challenges as they can really help revive your passion for sewing. As a creative, it can be easy to think of lots of ideas, only to feel bogged down with an overwhelming number of plans. Choice paralysis can block you before even starting a project. Challenge themes can narrow down the options to help you choose a project and the deadline provides motivation to complete it. Most challenges also involve a community element, usually sharing your progress or finished project to social media. This can offer encouragement and is also an opportunity to meet new sewing friends online. Follow the challenge hashtag so you can see what other sewists are working on and give them supportive comments too.
January 2024 Sewing Challenges
Make Nine
This is a popular year-long challenge designed to evaulate your motivations and learn more about your sewing habits. Pick nine projects you plan to work on throughout 2024. This challenge is flexible, so it’s up to you what you use as the criteria. You can pick nine sewing patterns you want to try, nine fabrics from your stash or even nine skills you want to learn. Have a think about what your priorities are this year.
To join in, create a 3×3 grid showing your nine plans – you could use Instagram’s free Layout app. Share your Make Nine to Instagram using #MakeNine and tag @makeninechallenge. More info and inspo here.
Winter of Care and Repair
Another slow challenge, Winter of Care and Repair encourages you to repair or maintain a household item each day between the winter solstice (December 21, 2023) and spring equinox (March 19, 2024).
As this is a personal challenge, you make your own pledge with the level of mending that feels achievable for you. You are welcome to share your goal and progress on social media using the #winterofcareandrepair2023 hashtag and tagging @thepeoplesmending, but this is not required.
Sew What I Have
The New Year is a great time to reflect and set intentions for the coming year. If you’re planning to shrink your stash in 2024, this is the challenge for you. Simply sew using your stash rather than buying something new. Share your WIPs (works in progress) or finished items to Instagram with the hashtag #SewWhatIHave2024 and tag @timetosew and @poplinpeony to be featured in the weekly roundup.
The hosts encourage combining this challenge with other challenges, so have a look in your stash to see if anything would work for the other challenge themes.
Jungle January
Make a garment a month #magamsewalong runs throughout the year, with a different theme and new guest host each month. The themes are always open to interpretation, so it can be good fun to think of how you can join in. January’s theme is Jungle January, so you could use a jungle plant or animal print or dive deep into the jungle or your fabric stash to discover long-forgotten supplies.
Share your finished garment to Instagram and tag MagamJungleJanuary #magamsewalong @suestoney @hportemanteau @fourpatchtextiles.
Sew Japanese
@bloglessanna is encouraging the sewing community to sew something Japanese this January. You could pick a Japanese fabric or a pattern by a Japanese designer. This is a community event open to all, aimed to motivate and inspire.
To join in on social media, share your finished project to Instagram with the hashtag #SewJapaneseInJanuary and tag host @bloglessanna.
Sew Fancy Pants
Sew pants/trousers that make YOU feel fancy! You can keep it casual with leggings or dive into jeans making. Mending trousers currently in your wardrobe counts too (and ties in nicely with Winter of Care and Repair). All skill levels are welcome to join as we share our love of sewing and making pants. This might be the encouragement you need to try fitting some pants – it’s not as scary as it seems!
Head to Instagtam to share about the pants/trousers you’re sewing in January and use the hashtag #sewfancypants2024 and tag host @nf_merritts.
Sew Tidy
Use this month to create a space that works for you. It can be a simple as a quick tidy up, or reorganising your sewing tools, reordering your notons, or sorting your fabric stash. Or you may want to take this opportunity to completly clear out and reorganise everything sewing you own that is sewing or craft related. This challenge isn’t limited just to sewists, you could use it to tidy your knitting/crochet/embroidery set up too! Check out this blog post for more info and ideas.
To join in, take before and after photos of your tidy up. Share to Instagram using #getsetsewjanuary and @starttostitch or share to the Stitch Sewcial Facebook group.
UFO Challenge
Why make a new year’s resolution when you can challenge yourself instead? This challenge is aimed at reducing the number of UFOs (UnFinished Objects) cluttering up your sewing space. You could alternate working on new projects and UFOs, give away or discard projects you have no desire to finish or go all in and work on only UFOs (no new projects) all year! Pick whichever approach works best for you.
This challenge runs all year so you have plenty of time to work through your backlog! This challenge is hosted by @nancysnotions and you can find out more here.
Sewing Challenges in Stash Hub
There is a Challenges section in Stash Hub, where you can discover new challenges and save them to your collection. Saved challenges can be linked to your Stash Hub Projects so you don’t forget to enter. The Discover tab will be updated each month, so don’t forget to check back every now and then. Check out the YouTube tutorial below to find out how to use the Challenges section in Stash Hub.
I hope all these challenges have got you feeling inspired and excited to join in! Community has been key to my personal journey and is at the core of Stash Hub. If you spot (or host) a new sewing challenge on social media, send them to me @stash_hub or email me yvette@stashhubapp.com so I can add them to the app and encourage more sewists to get involved.
Pingback: Sewing Challenges - February 2024 - Stash Hub