Welcome to Stitching Zen with Gail & Jen! We are honored to have you here.

Stitching Zen is an exclusive, online sewing course featuring pattern projects packed with techniques & insider tips! Each quarter we will release a new pattern. The first project is the Zen Jacket. You can download the PDF pattern in the introductory lesson. There are step-by-step instructions to show you how. The accompanying series of video lessons outline how to fit and construct the garment from start to finish. Plus each quarter we will show you pattern hacks, embellishment techniques and special surprise bonuses. Your instructors, Gail & Jen, are readily available to answer any questions you may have. For technical questions, your tech instructor, Alaina, is also here to help you. You may use the discussion forum at the bottom of each lesson, or email us directly at [email protected].

Where is the discussion forum? As you go through each lesson, you will notice there is a discussion board at the bottom of the screen where you can post comments, questions, pictures and interact with other students.

We also have a private Facebook group for members of Stitching Zen to share inspirations, ideas and ask questions. Join the private Facebook group here. If you do not have Facebook, or do not want to participate on Facebook, that is completely fine. If you are not on Facebook, don't worry, you won't miss a thing. We will upload any livestreams or important info from Facebook on a separate section here. You are encouraged to post using the Teachable discussion forum on the bottom of each lesson. This forum is only seen by Stitching Zen members and instructors. You also have the ability to upload photos by clicking on the upload photo icon (see image below).

As always,

Please be kind and courteous to other members. We are all here to express our individual creativity and create a community environment around our shared love of sewing. While creative critiques are encouraged, please be respectful to other members.

The content in this group is exclusively for paid members only. Please respect everyone and the value of this content by not providing lessons to non-members. If you have a friend or family member who would be interested in joining please encourage them to sign up.

Have FUN!! Most importantly remember to have fun. Don't be too hard on yourself if you make a mistake or don't get something perfectly the first time. In fact, we think of mistakes or "goofs" as learning opportunities, and you know what? Everyone makes them! In fact, sewing focuses on repetitive actions and a skill level that can ALWAYS be improved upon no matter your level of experience. We will all learn from each other.

"According to the famous psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, crafting allows us to enter a "flow" state, a perfect immersive state of balance between skill and challenge. With what is increasingly referred to today as "mindfulness" being a much-desired quality for many people, it's not surprising crafts are being sought out for their mental and even physical benefits." ~ excerpt from www.sciencealert.com (If you are interested, read the full article here)

And there you have it, now let's get down to it and start achieving our own state of Stitching Zen!

If you have any comments or questions, enter them below! Let us know what you are hoping to achieve in your own creative practice. We'd love to hear from you :)

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