The Beautiful Campaign

Hello dear Pattern Revolution readers.  You know how passionate we are here about women sewing for themselves.  A little over a year ago we launched the Self Care Sewing initiative and encouraged women to step beyond their fear and their daily obligations and take a small piece of time to sew for themselves.  Well, now we are going a step further.

Robin and I developed this campaign at the turn of the new year, and when I recently saw the new Dove 'Choose Beautifull' ad, I couldn't have been happier with our timing.

Because here at PR, we really do see beauty in every single one of the readers that touch our lives.  We see beauty in your sewing, in your stories, in your smiles.  We see your beauty in your children, through the eyes of children who receive your handcrafted items, and in the time you take to care for those in need through items you create.

I am the worst at having someone tell me I am beautiful and brushing it off, as if it couldn't possibly be a truth, as if it is something they are just obligated to say and it has no real bearing on me.  Because when I look in the mirror, it is hard for me to see 'beautiful'.  I see dark circles from three years of sleep deprivation, I see sagging skin and stretch marks from putting my body through back to back pregnancies,   I see convex curves where I once saw concave, and the ever growing streak of grey in my hair is my marker to every emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing thing I have experienced in my 33 years on this earth.

BUT.... yes BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If I look a little closer, if I clear my eyes from my warped perceptions of a photoshopped world, if I remember what beautiful is in the eyes of those who love me, I can start to find it again.  In those dark rimmed eyes I see faint lines caused by laughter: the side splitting laughter that only your girlfriends can evoke, the half hidden giggle snorts when your children do something sooooo wrong, and yet soooo hilarious and you just can't keep that straight face, the laughter of inside jokes that only your sole mate can eek out of you with a smirky smile and twinkle of the eye.... so much laughter - and that is beautiful.  In that sagging and stretched out skin, I see the strength of a woman who gave birth to 3 children in 13 months, and THAT is beautiful.  Those convex curves will come and go, but when my husband places his hand on me, they melt away and I am simply his beautiful.  And that grey streak - well I can dye it any time I choose.... and every single hair represents a story, an adventure, a chapter of my life - and it is beautiful.  All of these things are me, and I am beautiful.

Admitting we are beautiful can be a challenge, can take courage, and can take a lot of support.  So that's why we are here.  To challenge you, to give you strength, and to have your back.

We'll kick off on May 1st with the women's BundleUP! collection.  A collection of 11 patterns  that can help you create amazing things that give you confidence.

May 11-15 We will be looking at Women's swimwear.... I told you we'd be challenging you!!!  All body types shining beautifully in outfits they will wear all summer to the beach or pool to celebrate the joy of time with family, or to sunbathe and celebrate the beauty of creation around them.

May 18-22 We are going to take a look at sewing for the hemispheres.  Not every one of our readers lives in the US or in the Northern hemisphere for that matter.  So we will celebrate the changing climates of the season by sewing up direct comparison of what is HOT to wear in each hemisphere.

May 25-29 We will be looking at dressing your body shape.  We'll look at the classic body shapes and how to best flatter them with styles that will make you feel your best.  Tons of inspiration from ladies who face the same complications as you in sewing for themselves, and how they create clothes they love.

And after looking at all these different categories and getting you so excited that you just HAVE to sew, we will have Kara joining us for a week of Sewing the Everyday Essentials June 1-5.  She is going to approach an essential wardrobe through the eyes of the modern sewist, putting to use all the information you have learned previously in the month along with addressing different styles that we each have in our daily wear.  *We'll be sharing the intro to Sewing the Everyday Essentials next Monday, May 4th!*