Everything I Sewed In 2023 - Motivation and Reality - My Vintage Closet

How to be a Finisher
In the realm of sewing, a seamstress often finds herself amidst a sea of fabric and a cascade of ideas, with the allure of costumes and historical sewing projects beckoning from her stash. Motivation becomes the driving force, pushing her to transform unfinished projects into exquisite creations. The art of hand sewing requires patience and dedication, but the satisfaction of finishing a project is unparalleled. Encouragement plays a pivotal role in overcoming hurdles, and learning how to make time for this craft is essential. Setting deadlines becomes a motivating factor, transforming the sewing room into a sanctuary for self-care. Whether delving into sewing tutorials for beginners or drawing inspiration from seasoned crafters, the journey involves not just creating garments but also crafting a handmade wardrobe that embodies the principles of slow fashion. Manifesting creativity becomes a mantra, as every completed project symbolizes a manifestation of skill and determination. So, grab the needle, change your life stitch by stitch, and revel in the satisfaction of everything you've made.
Don’t pick a project halfheartedly. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. We each have different tolerances for challenges during a project. Match it to your time, skill, and fundamental desires. Do you actually know what you want? YOU, not someone else’s projection of what they think you should be creating. Just because your great grandma, grandma, mom, sister, and cousin are all fantastic quilters, and it runs in the family, does not mean it aligns with your current interests. You may be ready to move on to a new kind of project. This is healthy and good. Many of us enjoy craft hopping and the experience of a new hobby. Just have a plan for disposal and acquisition of all your supplies. Your house storage and budget are your biggest problems, so be honest about that and work with it. It’s okay; just develop a plan and rhythm. Is your stash the problem? What is your stash telling you? Are you sure your stash isn’t actually your acquisition hobby and not your hobby of doing? Does your stash reflect your current hobby, or are you wading through all of past you’s awesome supplies? Did your stash outgrow your honest ability to use it? Do you know where everything is? Remember, all stashes need curation. Put the items you are currently using the most at the top, make them the easiest to access. Properly sort and store the rest or pass it on. Sew ahead of your needs. Write down your events - one-time-a-year concepts like Halloween, comic con, New Year's, parties, funerals, weddings. Get ahead of that. Do a genuine once-over of your closet and identify what is missing. What would genuinely make your closet awesome for you. Make space for what is important to you. Clear the way. If you have to play house Tetris every time you sew, your projects will take much more effort and time. Be kind to yourself and prioritize your space. Your dining room might go away, you might not own a couch at the end of it, but you might also be a lot happier if your home reflects how you are happiest spending your time. Put away the other projects. Out of sight, out of mind. Keep track of your rhythm. You need to know how you flow and how to support what is your actual brain reality. This is coming from someone autistic. Stop acting like you are supposed to mirror anyone else’s process for finishing. Give yourself the structure you need to be happy in what you are doing. You aren’t supposed to be miserable and struggling through your hobby and craft. It is supposed to uplift you. So get honest about what would make you happy in your creative adventures. And do that. Without judgment. Understand that each project will have different stages of development, and each one will feel different. Recognize what stage gives you grief and address that. What do you need to change or happen for that part of the process to be easier or more pleasant? Do that. Be realistic in how much time you give yourself to complete a project. Sewing something in a day is fantastic, but a lot of the time, it’s just a stunt. And stunts are exhausting. I'm not sewing to be exhausted. I want my projects to genuinely recharge my batteries. I want to feel good about what I’ve sewn and not feel like I need to take shortcuts. I’m sewing items that I want to last a lifetime. If I wanted fast fashion, I’d go to the store.

For me, last year: In the end, get rid of anything you absolutely do not want to finish. Get rid of any fabrics you hate working with. Get rid of anything that is making you feel guilty. Get rid of clothing that makes you sad and sew for your reality ahead of schedule. Stop stressing out and focus.

For 2024, put at the top of the pile what you really want to create. And then, skill drill time. Build a pathway to you being able to bite off exactly what you want to do.