We can’t wait to see all the luscious textiles you have been busy creating and looking back with you at some of your favourite work, in our Instagram Challenge #SeptTextileLove.

The full list of prompts will be shared here on the seam blog on 31 August, ready for people to respond to from 1 September. If you like to plan ahead, you can see the prompts a week early by subscribing to the seam newsletter. The full list of prompts is shared with our newsletter subscribers as an exclusive preview so they can get a bit of a head start (and there’s a #SeptTextileLove planner for you to download too).

How does it work?

We, at seam collective, have created a list of prompts, one for every day of September, for you to interpret and post one or more related images on your Instagram page. You can respond to as many of the prompts as you wish, this could be only a few or it may be all of them.

The only requirement is that you include the hashtag #SeptTextileLove so we, and everyone else involved, can find, like, comment on and share your posts! It’s also helpful if you include the prompt that you are responding to.

Who can get involved?

Anyone who loves or creates textiles! It doesn’t matter if you just started as a hobby or you are a textile professional/artist. #SeptTextileLove is a big textile family and we love to see you how you interpret our prompts and your take on textiles.

What do you get out of it?

New seam member Helen MacRitchie says:

“Now a member of seam collective, I have enjoyed taking part in the challenge for the past 3 years. It’s a great way to discover new artists and to introduce yourself to them. I’ve been able to reach a whole new audience by using the hashtag and increased my personal following in the process. The community is very supportive and friendships have been made over the comments shared. We all appreciate how daunting it can be to put your work out there at first or, if you’re a seasoned Instagrammer, posts can feel repetitive. These hashtag prompts give you focus with fun and variety. Give it a go and join in.  You’ll be glad you did.”

Our background images for 2021

Every year one or two seam members provide our background images from their current work. This year we have a theme of nature-related work from Kate and Helen.

Kate Bond – A section from a commission for St Davids Hospice, Wales. The piece sits together with a new mural and two other acrylic pieces. The medium is photographic. The imagery was gathered on a recent walk around where I live in Widcombe, Bath.

Helen MacRitchie – A detail of hand felted work inspired by the Oxfordshire countryside. The wool roving and yarns are naturally dyed using leaves and bark foraged locally.  Helen has employed wet felting, free machine embroidery and free knotting techniques. 

What next?

Follow the seam blog to ensure you receive the prompts on 31 August, ready to start in September.

If you’d like to start thinking about the prompts ahead of the challenge and prepare a few responses, subscribe to the seam newsletter and you’ll receive the full list of prompts one week before they’re publicly released. We also include a prompt planner for you to download too.

The seam newsletter is issued four times a year and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Penny Wheeler