5 Great Sewing Habits You Can Adopt

Do you make resolutions for the new year? I think it’s nice to have a little reminder to come up with some new goals and to reflect on what you’ve done the past year.
Sewing-wise, this has been an special year for me. I started to work for Madam Sew in March 2018. From one day to the other I spent a lot of time in my sewing room. I have learned a lot and done a lot more projects this year compared to the years before, but all in all, I haven’t really done much sewing for pure fun. Documenting every step with pictures and video material forced me to go slower - not easy for me - and think about explaining every step to someone else. And I realize more than ever what a long way of learning I still have ahead of me!
In 2018 I also discovered the sewing lives of all those lovely Instagrammers. How inspiring it is and how much fun to share your own creations and how it motivates me to sew even more.

These are my 5 sewing resolutions for this year and I hope they become new habits.

1. Get A Sewing Journal

A sewing journal is a little place to
- document your personal measurements and those of the people you sew for (kids, husband, nieces, ..)
- document all your projects with notes, drawings,….
- do some future planning and add some inspiration, ideas (wardrobe planning or maybe learning how to quilt?)

And it is a good excuse to buy a little notebook 🙂. I love buying note books! Look what a pretty book I found!

"SeaSaltandStitches" dedicated a post about her journal, very inspiring! Link at the end of this post!

2. Reorganize Your Fabric Stash Regularly

I will reorganize my stash regularly. Sewing can get messy. I bet you also gather a lot of stuff. And things get quickly out of order and before you know it, you don’t know what you have any more. I will do some rearranging once every season... so I know what I still have lying around and try to plan my projects as much as possible with the fabric I already have. And I won’t be wasting time trying to find that interfacing, that elastic threader or hunting out a zipper foot for half an hour (why didn't it just go back where it came from?). So, I’ll try to keep my craft stash organized and avoid the frustration and wasted time. There is a place for everything and everything in its place :-)

3. Just Buy The Things You Need

I‘ll try to purchase only the materials (fabrics, notions, and tools, such as needles, threads, linings, zippers or new rotary blades) I need for a specific project. Of course, you need to have your basic notions at hand when you’re sewing, but that mountain of fabrics that you couldn't resist in the store without a specific project in mind... Fabric is made to be sewn, not hoarded like dragon’s gold :-)

If you need a little reminder from time to time, I made this poster for your sewing room, download it here!

4. Don't Rush

I will not rush everything I make. I tend to get impatient when finishing sewing projects, so I will try to slow down my sewing and enjoy the whole process rather than focus on the result.

5. Take The Time To Learn

I would like to get better at sewing. I will take the time to learn new techniques. Sewing is not a destination but a process, a way toward betterment :-) By inspiring each other and using all the resources online, you don’t even have to leave your house. And interacting with others is a great motivator. But a local sewing group or sewing class is a lot of fun too.

Every Wednesday evening I sew with 9 other ladies. It’s a children’s clothing class and I’m going there for more than 6 years already. I consider it as me-time and that classroom is where I don’t rush, where I take my time and my best projects are made over there, not in my sewing room at home, where I have a tendency to rush, hence point 4 ;-)

And while we’re talking about tools and learning new stuff, I have one request for you: Use the tools you buy ! Don’t keep them in your drawer. I have to test a lot of tools for work, especially presser feet :-)... Using all these feet has made my sewing easier and the result is often more professional.. straight lines, less puckering, … choose the right presser foot for the right job and you’ll see the difference! Really, don’t be afraid, open that box, put it on your machine, and stitch!

And… to get you of to a good start.. some practical take-away sewing advice .. these 5 tips will make your sewing better, I promise.

1. 1. Replace your machine needle regularly (a blunt needle makes ugly stitches, can cause damage to your project or your machine).
  2. Pre-wash your fabric (no more shrinkage).
  3. Iron everything (hems, seams,.. to get better results).
  4. Use more pins and clips (for more accurate sewing).
  5. Increase your stitch length for garment sewing (small stitches are hard to remove, your fabric will tear before the stitches do and it doesn’t change the quality).