Starting good sewing habits is a journey not a destination. Just because one starts a habit, doesn’t mean it will continue all by itself, it takes continual effort. But with focus, repetition and commitment, creating good sewing habits can lead to a lifetime of creative outcomes.
People always ask me, “Sara, how do you get so many sewing videos done?” It takes focus, dedication and the mental strength every time I turn the video camera on. I also believe the JOY sewing gives me is a BIG part of what gives me motivation to keep filming. I love teaching others how to sew and use their sewing machines!
The other day I was getting a little burnt out filming all the videos for an upcoming online course. I needed a break. Lucky for me sewing is also relaxing, and can be just the right medicine I need to get mentally revived and back in the game.
Confession:
I love office supplies! Ever since I was a young child I have loved roaming through an office supply store. Paper products, colorful paper clips, sticky notes and pens bring me so much joy. Keeping office supplies organized brings me even more joy!
I recently fell in love with Paper Mate’s InkJoy Pens for my personal journaling and never-ending notes and lists I make, so I ordered a complete set of all 14 colors. Click here to order your own set!
I took the afternoon off to create an easy to roll up and take with me fabric organizer for my new set of pens. As a child, I remember my mom making me a crayon fabric rollup and I loved it! I could keep my crayons in perfect rainbow order and protect the tips from breaking off.
This little project started percolating in my mind a day before I sat down to sew. What size should it be? What color of fabric did I want? How would it stay closed?
By the time I sat down with fabric and rotary cutter, I had mentally sewed through the steps in my mind multiple times! Not having a pattern, means cutting fabric pieces larger and longer than needed knowing I could cut off the excess fabric after the lines for the pens were sewn. I used pins to test out how much extra fabric was needed to house this size of the pen and then repeated the spacing 14 times – one for each color.
It turned out exactly how I had imagined it! Since I have passed down my addiction to office supplies to my daughter, I get to make her one too for her own set of Paper Mate InkJoy pens. I didn’t want to share, so I bought her her own set. ✅
Good sewing habits can lead to new, off-the-cuff creations, like my little pen organizer.
Here are some good sewing habits to help bring out your inner creative self:
- Having your sewing machine set up and ready to use in a blink of an eye can be your first good sewing habit. Is it time to start researching sewing furniture? You will wonder why you waited so long! Click here to learn “How to Turn Your Sewing Room into a Sewing Studio”.
- Clearing away distracting clutter can be another good sewing habit to start. I often will remove any and all projects, supplies, and fabric from the view that I am not currently working on. “Out of sight, out of mind” is my favorite go-to good sewing habit.
- Keep only your favorite scissors, pins, marking tools, and other sewing supplies at your fingertips. Having too many or multiples of the same item can be distracting.
- Work on one project at a time. Multitasking is like texting and driving. Enjoy the pleasure of working on one project with precision and purpose.
- Try out the “Seinfeld Effect” and record how many days in a row you sew in your sewing studio. Try not to break the chain of daily sewing days. If you skip a day, make sure you don’t skip two days. This can be applied to any new habit you are trying to incorporate into your daily routine.
- Please post one of your own Good Sewing Habits in the comments below!
So Why Did I Want New Pens in the First Place?
I also love to journal. I’m not a super journaler like some people, but I do enjoy writing down one good thing that happened to me each day. The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal: A Five-Year Record has fit my style of writing over the last couple of years. With its five-year set up it reminds me how much I have accomplished from year to year. Click here to see the inside pages.
I also have recently acquired the Clear Habit Journal to complement the Atomic Habits book by James Clear.
Start just one or two new daily good sewing habits today to begin the small changes for your future. Your future self thanks you!
Looking for a new sewing challenge to begin learning more about your sewing machine or embroidery machine? Check out our Stitching Cosmos and Embroidery Essentials online courses.
