Generalist Sewist

I am still having trouble uploading photos, so today is a day for musing.

There seems to be a new term out there, at least new to me - Sewist.  When I first heard it, I thought it must surely be someone like me.  Someone who sews with a little of this technique and a little of that, etc., without being truly amazing in any.  A sewing generalist.  Good at embroidery, good at quilting, good at garmet-making, good at home dec sewing without focusing on any one.

Turns out that's not it.  It is a combination of "sewer" and "artist," an artist whose medium is fabric and/or fiber.  OK, still a little like me but a different meaning than I'd envisioned.  I think the problem is that I'm all over the place when it comes to sewing and I loved the idea of finding a home where I could fit.  A term that described my all-over-ism.

In a few weeks I'll be doing a workshop called "Sewists Get Their Choice," which is a good topic for me.  I want to be able to help others realize that they can be a sewist with choices.  If they don't like making clothes, artistic or otherwise, there are other ways to go.  If they don't want to get into their sewing machines in depth, they can do machine embroidery and have loads of fun and make some artistic things.  People do it every day.

Even within a medium, there are choices.  Some people like art quilting, some traditional, and there is a whole new group who do what's called "modern quilting," which is functional but not traditional piecing. 

For myself, I'm pretty sure I'll never narrow it down.  I'll never sit still long enough to be really good at one technique because I've really practiced it.  I'll always be a Generalist Sewist.