Havel’s Sewing would like to know: Where do you make your masterpieces?  Do you have an entire room dedicated to your sewing endeavors?  A converted closet?  A cleared space at the dining room table?  The creative process is mysterious, and we all need to nurture our imagination by surrounding ourselves with inspiring items.  Your sewing space is essential to your creative spark.  Here are a couple of resources to gain inspiration for your creative domains:

Where Women Create from Stampington & Company

Stampington & Company publishes several magazines dedicated to various fiber arts and other illustrious crafts.  Havel’s Sewing’s favorite is Where Women Create.  The magazine features very talented artists who share their studio and the inspiration behind the space.  You’ll get wonderful ideas for both space arrangements and new projects to try!

Modish Handmade Spaces

The fabulous blog, Modish, offers a Flickr pool called Modish Handmande Spaces.  Readers and other bloggers upload photos of their studios and creative spaces for your perusal and inspiration.  Check out the Modish blog for loads of wonderful handmade items including jewelry, art, pottery and clothing.

Although sewing can be a solitary endeavor (think of those times you’ve been hunched over your machine, hours into a project, ripping seams in silence) Havel’s Sewing would like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on all the ways sewing has become a mighty social force. Whether you’re in an informal sewing circle with a few of your old college friends or you meet at the local coffee shop once a week for a Stitch n’ Bitch session, sewing and crafting brings people together.

Best Friends Quilt Shoppe

First, there’s the fabric shops. Many offer classes, of course. But Havel’s Sewing has found that many also offer clubs and social events aimed at avid sewists. Best Friends Quilt Shop in Cincinnati, Ohio hosts a “Stash Pot Pie” every 3rd Saturday. Customers can join in the fun, eat pie, take advantage of free patterns and the company of other quilters. We’ve even heard of ladies playing poker for fat quarters with their fabric store friends!

make workshop nyc

Stitch Lounge is no longer around, but a crop of similar studios have popped up around the country. The concept to these “sewing lounges” is that you have a place to meet up with other sewists and either use the studios machines and notions or bring your own and create in good company. Classes are often offered, and other sewists are there to answer questions. A few studio owners have even published books full of fun sewing projects.

American Sewing Guild

The American Sewing Guild offers local chapters who meet regularly to discuss various sewing topics. They also offer discounts at fabric stores and with notions dealers AND host a national conference where members can take classes with nationally recognized artists and designers.

But if you’re a little too busy to get to the meeting, then you can always login online and enjoy the vast social sewing networks the internet has to offer. Almost every fabric designer seems to have a Flickr pool where you can check out projects made with their fabric – or upload your own! Also, BurdaStyle is an excellent source for ideas and patterns.

No longer do those seams need to be ripped in silence. Meet up with your friends and gab while your stitch. Share your projects and your expertise online. You’ll certainly gain inspiration, and maybe learn (or teach) a thing or two.