Bowie Sew Along - what you need to know and buttons!

Do I have be an experienced sewist? Absolutely not....if you're just starting out and want to make your first skirt or tote bag and applique an Aladdin Sane lighting bolt on it, you're just as welcome as someone making a full trouser suit or cos-play-perfect Bowie costume. Everyone is welcome!  

When is it? From now until the end of March 2013. If you finish during the month I'll gladly showcase your project as soon as you email me a link and photo/s, but I'll also be having a big round-up on April 1st (because we all know there'll be people sewing into the wee hours on 31st March! Including me).

Why March 2013? Here's the background to how a few of us sewing along with the Sew Weekly challenges decided last year to do a Bowie Sew Along. But the reason it's happening during March is because David Bowie is releasing a new album on between 8th-13th, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is starting a special exhibition called 'David Bowie Is...' this month, so the world is going to be awash with Bowie goodness and inspirations.

Are there any rules about what I have to sew? Nope. As I say, if this is the very first thing you've EVER sewn you are just as welcome as a sewist with decades of experience making costumes under their belt. Make a skirt in a fabric similar to a Bowie look, make a shirt or a jumpsuit, make a tie, a bag or a dress, make a full suit if you want to....and you over there, yes you, you've always wanted to make that full-on Jareth the Goblin King costume haven't you? Well, now's your chance. And if you love to upcycle, it would be fabulous if you chose a Bowie look as inspiration, whether it be one garment or a full look. 

Do I use need to use decade appropriate patterns (60s/70s/80s/90s/00s)? Nope. We're doing this for fun. It only has to be Bowie inspired....but don't let that stop you finding that perfect 70s jumpsuit pattern and making it out of authentic 70's curtains if you really want to......but we're doing this FOR FUN. No stressing yourselves out, ok? Or Aunty Tempest will have to play the entire Requiem for a Laughing Gnome at you:

You have been warned.

Not familiar with the various creations, looks or music of David Bowie? Don't worry, I'll be posting a little treat every day to sew along to (I bet I'm not the only one who likes immersing themselves in music, videos and movies whilst I sew) and building a bit of a resource library here on Fanbloomingtastic for you to use as starting points or entire inspiration. We'll do this together, holding hands, laughing as we go....said the Laughing Gnome....sorry, I will stop the Laughing Gnome references very, very soon....I'm just trying to hold back some of my favourite Bowie stuff until March proper.

Are you a huge Bowie fan already? Fantastic, I hope you'll excuse my lack of knowledge and be gentle with me. I've grown up with David Bowie as a Brit and always admired his work but I'm not pretending to be any sort authority on him. If I say something stupid or get a reference wrong, please feel free to let me know.....but in a kind way, ta.....as I said, this is a bit of fun. Comments are very welcome but if there's anything nasty against me or other sewists, this is my blog and I'll be deleting it.

What do I do once I'm done? Well first, have some fun wearing your creation. Then take some photos, post about it on your blog (if you have one) and send me an email with a link and a photo or two (or three) so I can get excited about what you've made too here on Fanbloomingtastic. I'd really, really like it if you can send me photos of your creation/s ON YOU, WITH YOUR GORGEOUS FACE VISIBLE, but if you really feel you have to stay anonymous on the internet I understand if you send pics of your dressform looking stunning. My email is fanbloomingtastic (AT) gmail (DOT) com

So, ARE GOING TO JOIN US?! Come on....a Sew Along like this doesn't come along every month!

Here are some things you can do next:

• Leave a comment below to say you're in, with your twitter or website address or instagram account etc so we can watch your progress and get to know each other better.
• Grab a button for your sidebar which I've coded to link to a Bowie Sew Along index/archive/resource page which will grow throughout the month. See the bottom of this post for the codes to grab or here.
• Invite your friends to sew along with us.
• Use the hashtag #bowiesewalong on twitter and instagram to help spread the word.
• Check out the Pinterest board I'm building for inspiration.

There'll be a Flickr Group for us to support each other, ask advice, show off our beauteous creations etc. I'll give you the details on Thursday.

Oh and I must say a big thank you to Rochelle of Lucky Lucille, who I'm shameless learning from and copying how to provide you with resources for this Sew Along.

Rochelle is currently a 1940s Sew Along right now finishing on March 29th that I'm taking part in too....and as Debi from My Happy Sewing Place will be showing us later this month, David Bowie and the 1940s can go hand in hand (see above pics too).....so if you'd like combine the two please feel free and join in Rochelle's 1940s Sew Along too! Here's the link to her blog Lucky Lucille.

OK, sew on, you Pretty Things!

Ps. have you seen the new video/song out today? With Tilda Swinton? The Stars (Are Out Tonight).

(Bowie photos in this post via Last.FM and boaznyc.blogspot.com)

OK, here's the grab my button codings:

 

Bowie Sew Along button 300 x 300 px:

Code for 300 x 300 px button to copy and paste into your sidebar:

<div align="center"><a href="http://fanbloomingtastic.typepad.com/blog/bowie-sew-along-index.html" title="Bowie Sew Along on Fanbloomingtastic.com"><img src="http://fanbloomingtastic.typepad.com/bowiesewalong/bowie%20sew%20along%20300%20x%20300.jpg" alt="Bowie Sew Along on Fanbloomingtastic.com" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

Bowie Sew Along button 250 x 250 px:

Code for 250 x 250 px button to copy and paste into your sidebar:

<div align="center"><a href="http://fanbloomingtastic.typepad.com/blog/bowie-sew-along-index.html" title="Bowie Sew Along on Fanbloomingtastic"><img src="http://fanbloomingtastic.typepad.com/bowiesewalong/bowie%20sew%20along%20250%20x%20250.jpg" alt="Bowie Sew Along on Fanbloomingtastic" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

Bowie Sew Along button 180 x 180 px:

Code for 180 x 180 px button to copy and paste into your sidebar:

<div align="center"><a href="http://fanbloomingtastic.typepad.com/blog/bowie-sew-along-index.html" title="Bowie Sew Along at Fanbloomingtastic"><img src="http://fanbloomingtastic.typepad.com/bowiesewalong/bowie%20sew%20along%20180%20x%20180.jpg" alt="Bowie Sew Along at Fanbloomingtastic" style="border:none;" /></a></div>