Hi everyone 
have I missed the July prompt? 
nope–she is posting this week, after our holidays are over…
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Thank you
Announcement Time!
Thanks for the patience, all! I had too much going on over the weekend to sit down at the computer and get this done properly. But here we are!! Our winner for June and the lucky recipient of @Magpie’s awesome flower hoop is…@steiconi! Congratulations!! You also get to pick our theme for July!
Our prize for July will be a $15 dollar gift card on Amazon or winner’s choice of shopping place online and is being donated by the awesome @skrutt!!
First post will be updated when we have a new theme! 
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woohoo! Thanks!
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The July theme is “Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody”– Mark Twain
stitch up a literal moon, or show us your dark side!
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Oooo…I like it!! Should make for some interesting stitching! 
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Nifty!! I have ideas already! 
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Awesome theme!
Message me your mailing address & I’ll send you something purty!
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Looking forward to joining my first craft along with you ladies! Can’t wait to see everyone’s crafty goodness! 
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I occasionally have wondered…
What exactly constitutes a “Stitch” for this Along?
We mostly have various forms of needlework; embroidery, cross stitch, that sort of thing.
I’ve entered needlefelted items and applique, and nobody has shrieked in outrage.
But what are the limits? Hand sewing? Machine sewing? Quilting?
I just finished a piece for July, but it’s fabric collage; scraps machined stitched to a backing. Does that count as a “stitch”? It’s OK if it doesn’t; I could add some hand embroidery, or just do something else entirely.
I do tend to be excessively literal, and like to have rules so I can bend them.
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Great question! I would like to know also.
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If nobody has already defined “stitch,” we could come to a consensus…
I would propose “a decorative piece made using some kind of needle, powered by hand or machine.” I could see limiting it to hand power, too.
How would YOU define it?
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Everything you make is always gorgeous, so I suppose we could care less if it fits the rules or not!
I would think that the main purpose of everything submitted in this thread would have to be decorative. It can be functional too (like a bag decorated with embroidery) but decoration is the point. And I don’t think anything would could as embroidery if it doesn’t use a needle and thread.
But by that definition, I could submit quilts as well, and that’s not the purpose of this thread. Unless maybe it was an art quilt that contained lots of embroidery, those might fit here? I personally feel machine embroidery can also belong in this thread, but maybe only the type of machine embroidery that requires human effort. Not anything made by the fancy professional machines where you download a design, push a button and go do laundry.
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Great question @steiconi. I don’t believe a hard and fast definition was ever established for this along. I do feel like it always had a “hand stitch” element to it. And the stitching is visible. So hand stitching seams for a bag or, as @Immaculata mentioned, a quilt wouldn’t necessarily count. But hand embroidering squares of a quilt would. I’m thinking of @marionberries’s camping squares she made one year (I think for a tablecloth). I feel like strictly machine stitching even with visible stitches probably doesn’t fit. Adding hand embroidered elements would totally work.
What do you guys think? Are these “guidelines” (not rules!) aligned with how you view the parameters of the stitchalong? Do we want to change it up? Expand the definition?
@kittykill - I’d love to hear your thoughts on your initial vision for this stitching corner. 
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Visible decorative handstitched elements included in some way is what I thought. That’s a pretty loose interpretation.
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I believe we talked about it a long time ago (maybe the old site?). It was to be hand stitched, but could include felt applique projects (dolls, badges…) and could be part of a larger piece, like a quilt or collage. As long as it has hand stitched elements.
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I submitted a machine embroidery piece awhile back and no one objected. I would put out there that using an embroidery sewing machine does take work and creativity; picking colors for the feel you want, setting up the hoop with the appropriate interfacings, constantly watching the machine and changing threads every other minute or two. Then framing, hooping in a decorative hoop, or turning it into another stitched item like a pillow, etc. 
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