Take back your sewing time
Hey there sewing friend !
Ever found yourself knee-deep in a project, only to realise you've spent hours without making much progress? We've all been there! Welcome to the world of sewing time management, where the right approach can make all the difference between feeling accomplished and feeling overwhelmed. Before going further, let me tell you about how I managed to finish my degree three weeks earlier than the rest of my year group. TIME. MANAGEMENT. Even though I did my degree in fashion design, I basically did an undergrad in time management by default. I knew that my graduate year would be full on so, I made sure I stuck to a few key rules that were eventually the key to my success.
Making my environment enjoyable to be in. I wallpapered my little studio space, hung shelves and had a snack box. All vital in keeping me happy and eager to come into the studio and work for the upcoming year.
Staying late early on. I knew that I would have the most energy early on in the school year, so I made sure to capitalise on it. Staying late two to three nights a week, sometimes till 9pm allowed me to put in hard yards early on, preventing those all nighters towards the end of the year that many of my fellow students endured.
Brakes. One of my fondest memories from my last year of my degree was the little walk I took myself on between 5 and 6 every evening. Leaving the studio to get some fresh air and walk around the local gardens was the saving grace of my sanity. I would often also lock my phone in my car, giving me back some “me time”
Even though I completed my degree nearly five years ago, I still implement all of these time management techniques into my everyday life, allowing me to keep the creative juices flowing and the sewing projects pumping ! Below are five key steps that you can take to not only manage your time when it comes to your sewing projects, but also thrive in your creative hobby. Let's have a look shall we ! They say that a journey of one thousand miles starts with a single step, so let's start with that single step. Breaking down your sewing project into smaller steps will not only allow you to feel more accomplished with each step, but also allows you to pick up and put down your project when time permits.
Preparation. This involves washing your fabric, picking out all the notions and thread. Performing these little tasks are easy to do throughout the week, chuck your fabric in the wash and have a rummage through your sewing threads for the correct match. Each step can be done in under fifteen minutes, and will make the sewing process a lot easier later on.
Cutting the fabric. When you start to layout your fabric and pin your sewing pattern to it, you might need an afternoon to get this right, so might be best to leave this part for a weekend when you can get really stuck into it.
The prep work. Depending on your sewing project, you may need to prep certain pieces before heading over to the sewing machine. For example, if you are sewing a more structured garment like a blazer, you will need to do some fusing. Or, if you are sewing a lightweight fabric like chiffon, you may need to back it with a stiffener before sewing. All these little extra details that go into preparing the fabric to sew will be worth it when you sew up the final garment.
Construction. This one needs to be broken down into individual steps, depending on your sewing project, there may be several stages of sewing construction. You certainly can get the easier steps out of the way such as joining the shoulder and side seams in under half an hour, but the more complex steps such as a fly facing, now that may take some time management skills. Deconstruct your sewing pattern instructions and line up the more time intensive sewing techniques for days that you feel well rested and ready to sew. This will lead to less mistakes and not having to spend so much time with an unpicker !
ENVIRONMENT IS EVERYTHING
The second time saving technique I use when I am sewing is, catering my environment to be efficient. Have you ever seen a line of ants? I bet you have, dont lie. Well, have you ever noticed that they walk all over the place until they find food, and then slowly but surely, they make a line. They get more streamline until they have worked out the most efficient way of getting from A to B. Your sewing space should be like this, efficient, not filled with ants.
When I sit down to sew, I am more likely to enjoy and finish my sewing projects if I have easy access to everything.
Loose threads? Snips attached to my sewing machine!
Raw fabric edge? Overlocker under the desk!
Creased fabric? Ironing board to my right!
Having everything you need at arms length may not be practical for those of you who do not have a dedicated sewing space, but I am sure that you can find a way to organise the space that you do have to become a more efficient sewist !
I heard this one thing that I have to share with you. “Never finish anything you enjoy doing” sounds very counterproductive to everything I have discussed with you up to this point doesn’t it ? But basically, if you are sewing a fly front for example, it is better to leave it unfinished and return back to it than to complete it in one go.
In my experience this type of work flow has worked wonders for me, because leaving something you enjoy doing unfinished allows you to come back to it and continue to keep working on it, instead of finishing tasks in one sitting. This also allows you to step away from your sewing project when necessary and return when you are fully locked in and can focus.
So there you have it, three actionable steps that you can do today to spend more time doing what you love and sewing your dream wardrobe. If you enjoyed the topics covered in blog post, make sure to reach out to me on socials at “ford_wardrobe” I would love to hear how you put these steps into place for your next sewing project !
Annie xx