Stitchscape Swap 2022

 

Long time readers of my blog (and this is going back a few years) will remember that I used to belong to an artist trading card (ATC) group called MixedMediaGroup_UK which was a friendly postal art swapping group which had monthly themes you could sign up to join in with. I think the group closed down about the same time that my Stitchscapes started in 2016, there just weren't enough people joining in with the swaps and it ended up being about three of us regularly hosting and swapping between us. 

The themes could be anything, and we often had collections of themes (colours for example which would mean every month was a different colour), or months that were designed to fit together and become a bigger piece at the end. If you had an idea you were happy to host you would post about it and if more than two other people signed up it could go ahead with everyone sending you three cards to swap round and post back out so you received back three different cards. 

I would usually sign up to several themes a month for postcard sizes, trading card sizes, inchies (these were so cute - just an inch squared!)....whatever they had going that took my fancy. I'd even got my own separate blog dedicated to the ATCs I was making and trading for - I've just checked and you can still see/read it if you are interested, just click here. 

As I've been developing my Dotty Textiles business and social media platforms, I've come across lots of like minded creative people who like little projects and I wondered aloud recently whether anyone would be interested in joining in for a year if I hosted my own Stitchscape swap. The only rules really being that they have to be ATC sizes (2.5 x 3.5 inches), have to feature fabric and embroidery, be backed with something slightly stiffened and be postable as a standard letter. Amazingly I had about 10 people sign up straight away which was just incredible!!

There are two cards to be made on a theme every month, one card you keep for yourself and one card you post to me (the host) to swap it for you with someone else's. 

 

For this first month we have a little catching up to do so the Stitchscape Swap members are working on both the January and February cards to send to me by the end of the month, and then we'll be on track for just one card a month. I'm really hoping that this takes off and we could maybe have a Stitchscape Swap 2023!! Wouldn't that be great? I still have all of the cards and inchies and postcards that were made and sent to me from my old group and they are just so inspiring with many techniques and styles being used. I'm also hoping that the rule of embroidery and fabric isn't too restrictive. It could be any style of embroidery (perhaps apart from stumpwork as it's got to go as a skinny letter) and you can interpret the themes however you like. 

If other materials work with the themes, such as papers or paints or wooden embellishments that's absolutely fine, it doesn't have to be raw embroidery. Mixed media is always an exciting challenge!

I finished my set for the first theme this week (I've made a couple of extra as I had lots of space in the hoop I was using). The theme is 'Snow Capped' and I've gone with a little cabin completely covered in snow with lots of sparkly beads - my only concern is whether the beads will be small enough for the post! I'll have to do some rigorous double checking otherwise I'll have to upgrade people's postage on their return envelopes. 

The February theme is 'Winter Sun' which I've just started. I've gone for a pale yellow sun just peeping above a slightly misty, frosty looking landscape with a Silver Birch tree trunk in the foreground. The bottom layer is quite big though so I'm not sure what I'm going to add in there yet, maybe some frosty looking flowers or rocks with moss on? I could use a metallic thread for some lazy daisies....

Of course, you don't have to start right at the beginning of the year, every month is a new theme and it doesn't matter how many people swap in each month (as long as we get more than two) so if you would like to join in then it's the more the merrier!! The only details that are kept on file are your name and email address so that I can contact you if anything goes wrong. All swaps are sent in to me with a stamped, self addressed envelope so I don't need to write your address down anywhere.

If you are interested, please email sales@dottytextiles.com and I can send you a PDF with further information on the swap. 

I'm so looking forwards to receiving lots of beautiful cards in a couple of weeks time!