Portable Mini Sewing Altar
In my mini-sewing altar (which I take along to photoshoots and any on-site work I do for clients) I bring practical and magical support tools.
The fabric on the bottom is a cloth napkin (which is made in the first week of Sewing is Magic), or you can use a special handkerchief or doily from your family or sewing community.
The spray bottle here is my take on Florida Water - used to clear a space and set intentions. This 4711 is a genderless citrus and woodsy scent that lifts the mood of wherever I am. It’s from the part of Germany where my family lived centuries ago, and I bought a bottle in Paris, where some other ancestors lived. I set intentions with it and spray my work area before I sit down to begin in my own studio, or I’ll wear it as my signature scent if I need to bring the protection and clearing magic with me somewhere else.
I set the threads I’ll be using on the altar cloth if I know ahead of time, and set the intention for connection without tangles. (This one is my preferred organic cotton sewing machine thread, Scanfil. I bout mine at Monaluna, but you can also find it at Esther’s Fabrics or ask to have it carried at your local fabric shop.)
Tailor’s chalk is my favorite way to mark alterations or pattern match points (notches, etc.) this one’s a vintage piece, but you’ll get a lovely triangular one in your Sewing is Magic Kit.
These thread snips are perfect for keeping right beside your worktable, whether it’s at a sewing machine or a cozy chair for hand-stitching. Sharp, quick, and always there for you. You can place the scrap threads in the cup to collect while you sew, and transfer them to your threadcycle bag (textile recycling programs are available in many municipalities, check your local city or county website to find yours) or burn them or dispose of them some other way before you pack up for the end of your stitching time.
This vintage thimble is one my adult daughter bought herself after completing Sewing is Magic on her own. She keeps it at my space to wait for her to begin sewing with me, even though she usually sews on the machine.
I have a dried rosebud to remind me of the sweetness of life and to keep my heart open while I make anything. In the past, I’ve placed a tea bag with dried herbs that hold magical meaning, and then drink it at the end of my session, or begin with a cup of tea and stir in intentions.
A couple of crystals. I change these out pretty regularly. Here I have a turquoise stone and a Herkimer diamond.
The beeswax tea light is a new addition to my mini-altar but I love it because not only can I light the candle while I work, but I can also use the beeswax if I need to condition or add strength to thread.
The little needle book also comes with your Sewing is Magic kit. I make them with scraps of fabric I love with wool or eco-felt inside. In your kit, I supply a few safety pins, a few straight pins and 2 or 3 hand-sewing needles. I’ve been using this one for a long time and I keep adding to it.
Finally, to hold it all, I have my grandmother’s sugar bowl. Everything but the spray bottle fits inside. I have a special spot in my travel bag for it, for when I’m working outside my studio.
Do you have a sewing altar? Will you make one? I’d love to see it, if so!
#sewingismagic #sewingmagicminialtar #sewingwithmyancestors