poll time!

[yhlee]

Howdy! Since it came up, I'd like to ask the comm how we feel about the on-topic-ness of allied crafts, e.g. dyeing, weaving, spinning, lace-making, tatting, crochet, knitting, whatever as well as sewing (machine sewing, patterns/pattern-drafting, tailoring, embroidery types like Hardanger or blackwork or Japanese silk embroidery, cross stitch, etc.).

Poll #30455 allied crafts?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 10

View Respondents

How do we feel about saying that allied topics to sewing are also on-topic?

View Answers

yes! (dyeing, weaving, lace-making, spinning, tatting, etc.)
3 (30.0%)

no thanks! (other than brief mentions, I prefer a sewing-focused comm experience)
2 (20.0%)

only specific topics that I will name in a comment! (e.g. "no knitting/crochet, everything else is fine")
2 (20.0%)

something else that I will specify in a comment!
4 (40.0%)

cattens are best!
4 (40.0%)

Comments

[yhlee]

I don't feel very strongly about this so am likely to implement whatever a plurality/majority of voters prefer. (We can revisit in the future if the comm is overwhelmed by 200 tatting posts a day, haha.)

My vague handwavy instinct here is that crochet and knitting specifically are well enough served elsewhere that we could let the crocheters/knitters go elsewhere for their fix other than passing mentions on this comm, but for all I know, the tatters and spinners already have a GIANT thriving DW presence and are well enough served elsewhere. :p

(I have tried a little tatting thanks to lshelby but am very out of practice. It is very cool though!)

[onlysmallwings]

I'm not sure that there is an active comm for yarn crafts, but I would still prefer to keep this comm sewing-focused. (I say this as a knitter, we can get really focused on that to the exclusion of other crafts.)

[yhlee]

Makes sense! I figured I had rather ask outright than guessing, mainly because there was A Mention of Lacemaking in another post. XD

(I used to knit but was very bad at it, lol.)

[nou]

I agree that excluding crochet and knitting would be best, to avoid them taking over.

[rugessnome]

I'm tempted to suggest we could have a yearly? quarterly? (maybe monthly or by comment count if it gets really talkative) post to which any longer discussions about non-sewing fibercrafts would be attached as comment threads. (I think that sort of thing could work? but I'm not very experienced with comms.) I'm okay with discouraging knitting/crochet talk simply because it's well served elsewhere, and I can see where it could potentially overwhelm discussions.

I do think dyeing fabric (or potentially notions) is closely related enough to sewing that it should be considered on topic, but dyeing yarn is less so. (I also think the structural implications of different types of woven or knitted cloth should be admissable anywhere relevant as that does affect sewing qualities.)

[yhlee]

(Sorry I've been neglecting this comm - I had some life stuff come up.)

I think yearly/quarterly/??? non-sewing fibercraft posts, which I could link in a sticky, is a good compromise. I'm still inclined to off-topic knitting/crochet unless it's directly related to a sewing project (as daidoji_gisei suggests below), but otherwise this sounds like a good way to handle it that I hadn't thought of - thank you!

[daidoji_gisei]

I voted “something else” because it strikes me as conditional. I have seen projects where a dress was made by crocheting a top to be a bodice, which was sewn to a skirt, or a dress/skirt/pants were made longer by sewing a crocheted extension. I think these would be appropriate because they would involve the process of how to sew a crochet fabric to a non-crochet fabric. I would never post a crochet-only project here.