GC Home | Register | Shop | Learn | Business | Around Town | Info

What Blocks You?
Guest Editorial by Carol Broscheid, 
as published by Robbie Fanning, Creative Machine

As someone who has enjoyed making clothes for many years, I have been frustrated by my recent lack of motivation, but I know that I'm not alone.

Many of us seem to fantasize about sewing more than we actually do it. We visualize wonderful sewing projects while at work, while we are driving, when we can't sleep at night -- but when it comes to making these sewing dreams come true, we just can't get going.

Here are seven reasons for procrastinating and some solutions that have worked for others. Above all, remember that it's worth it to knock down your own blocks. Remember what you like about sewing, and strive to reach that happy place once again.

1.  No Time

• Schedule time for sewing the same way you would a doctor's appointment -- write it on your calendar.
• If you can only sew for short blocks of time, plan in advance. Have all the materials for a project stored in a basket, heap, or plastic bin.
• Give your sewing time the same importance as other activities, If you can schedule a large block of time, don't plan on doing anything else -- let the laundry and the dusting go.

2. No Place

• We are much more likely to work on a project if we have everything out and ready to go, but many of us do not have a dedicated sewing room. Use your ingenuity to find a corner of your own where you can at least leave your machines set up. You may need to invest some money to buy efficient storage.

3. No Plan

• Like the shoemaker's children who go barefoot, we are dressmakers with no dresses with no dresses to wear, quilters with no quilts on our beds.
• Set up a notebook, and make a plan -- then work the plan. For garments, a little wardrobe planning and a closet cleanout are in order. A popular idea is to plan a capsule wardrobe around a few basic colors. make jackets, pants, skirts, dresses, and blouses that can be coordinated, so that you will always have something to wear, and there will be more room in your closet.
• Chip away at it. Little by little, you will astonish yourself with your own progress.

4. Fear of Failure

• If your skills are rusty or not up to your standards, take some time to work on them. Practice pockets, collars, buttonholes, miters, etc., on scraps, and file them in a notebook. Make your failures at the test stage, not the final project.
• Take classes. It is easier to succeed when someone friendly is nearby to encourage you.
• Read books. A good author inspires you to try new techniques.
• Vow to learn something new with each item you make. Keep a sewing journal and document what you've learned.

5. Fear of Fit

This is the number-one fear of many garment sewers.

• You can read books, invest in software, and slash away at patterns, but the secret is to get help if you've found you can't do it alone. And it is worth it. making clothes that fit in flattering colors, fibers, and textures is an emotional high worth aiming for.
• Switch gears. If a fitting problem is taking the pleasure out of sewing, walk away from it for awhile and work on something that rewards your efforts more easily -- make something for the house, holiday gifts, quilts, etc.

6. Perfectionist

This one, closely related to fear of failure, is a hard one for some of us.

• Program yourself for success by making something simple more than once, tweaking it until you're happy.
• Do whatever it takes to improve your skills so that your work looks hand-made, not home-made. This might mean taking classes, some of which might be expensive but worth saving up for or putting on your birthday wish list; working with a mentor; or hand-basting everything. It also means investing in good equipment.
• Trust that if you work hard and pay attention, each project will be better than the last.
• make a pact with yourself: when complimented by others, never point out your mistakes. (And truly, sometimes we are the only ones who know they're there).
• Be realistic: Is everything you buy perfect? Then why must everything you make have sky-high standards?

7. Overwhelmed

It's easy to be overwhelmed by encroaching fabric stashes. messes, UFO's, goofs, and information overload.

• Things -- If they bother you, whittle them down little-by-little. Fewer things to handle means more time for sewing. (But you can't do this overnight. Be patient and ruthless.)
• Messes -- Take the time to set up an infrastructure for Things (baskets, boxes, shelves, bags, drawers, etc.) Then put Things away little by little. If the mess prevents ou from sewing, it's self-defeating to perpetuate the mess.
• Mistakes --Don't hang onto them forever or you will be reprimanded every time you open the closet. Make a commitment to finish the projects that still hold your interest, and find new homes for the ones that don't.
• Information -- You don't have to do or know it all. Choose one or two new techniques to learn. Practice, use them, and then go on to learn something else.

When Carol Broscheid moved across the country from a large house to a small one, she lost her sewing room -- and her motivation. She mentioned this to our on-line discussion group, which sparked an extended discussion of sewing blocks and how to break them. Happily, Carol and her husband have just bought a house with a big sewing room for her.

"Reprinted with the permission of The Creative Machine Newsletter, PO Box 2634-R, Menlo Park, CA 94026-2634, 800-906-6788 or 650-366-4440, fax 650-366-4455"

More information on The Creative Machine Newsletter

Back to the Get Creative! Conference Center

Back to Meet the Get Creative! Experts