Made By A Fabricista: 5 Ways to Get Your Sewjo Back

It happens to all of us. We are eager to sew, sit down to go over our project and get it started. At some point though you just can’t get yourself to finish. You get frustrated or stuck and your project gets put to the side. When you come back it just doesn’t excite you anymore. Why does this happen?! A lot of things could cause it. I totally lost my Sewjo on this project. While I’m happy with how it came out it was not easy to finish. You can get your Sewjo back though!!

Here are 5 ideas on how to do that.

1. Clean Your Sewing Space

I know! No one wants to talk about cleaning. And in a lot of sewing community forums people always joke about sewing first and cleaning or cooking later. I have done it too. But a cluttered space can contribute to a cluttered mind, especially when trying to wrap your head around a new project. For me I like to clean my whole sewing room. I put all scraps away, vacuum the floors to get rid of all the thread. When it ends up all over the house and in the laundry I know I need to vacuum it all up. And I definitely cleaning off my sewing table. You got to have room to work and see your project. Cleaning helps me feel more organized.

Closet Core Patterns Fiona Sundress

2. Take a Break and Get Inspiration

Sometimes you actually really need a break from sewing, especially if you sew a lot. Get outside and try another activity. I like going for a walk. I think of other things while walking or how to execute the project I’m working on. Sometimes I will go out and walk around one of the little beach towns here and get new ideas. I see what is trending in the stores and how I can recreate it in a fabric I would like. Just seeing what other people are wearing or even decorating ideas can help motivate me to get back to sewing.

3. Take a Class

Taking a class can help you meet like minded people. You can bounce ideas off other people or get inspiration from them. Fabric Mart has virtual classes too that you can take to help you get new ideas or learn new things. Having a guided course can help you finish a project and sometimes seeing a finished project to motivate you to getting sewing old projects again.

4. Work on a Small Easy Project

Sometimes you do need to put your current project aside and work on something different. I really like making garments but I do get tired of having to fit myself every single time I work on something. So what I do is I make a project that doesn’t require fitting. I make bags or home decor. Or I make a tried and true favorite pattern that has already been fit adjusted. I love Noodlehead patterns for bag making and Fabric Mart carries Noodlehead plus a lot of other bag patterns. It’s a great way to sew without the stress of getting it just right for your body.

5. Learn one new skill

Try to learn something new on a project. It is ok to challenge yourself. Having a hard time sewing zippers? Cut a swatch of fabric and practice sewing it in. Learn how to do it BEFORE you start on your current project. Practice sewing buttonholes. Or practice sewing curves or whatever you are finding is holding you back. There are so many free resources on YouTube or TikTok now. You can find help with anything!

You can get your Sewjo back. It might take time. Try these tips to help you in the future, before you know it you will be inspired be sewing again! Happy sewing!

HANNAH | @modistrasews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following category DENIM.
You can also shop our collection of Closet Core Patterns HERE.

Made By A Fabricista: Revisiting a Pattern After Five Years

Have you ever used a sewing pattern and then immediately vowed never to sew it again? Well, I have. It all began in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown. I tackled sewing projects that were more challenging to help me grow as a seamstress. There was one pattern in particular that almost did me in, the Seamwork Penny shirt dress. The Penny dress pattern has a classic button-up dress shirt style bodice with a gathered skirt and pockets. It is a beautiful take on a shirt dress, and my sister and I loved it. The only downside is that it was recommended for intermediate-level sewists and I was only an adventurous beginner back then. I think I had only ever made one button-up shirt before attempting this Penny Dress and it didn’t even have a collar! Despite all of this, I thought “Why not try it, what’s the worst that can happen?” Thankfully the worst didn’t happen, and the dress turned out surprisingly wearable, but I had some intense frustration at the end. I...

Made By A Fabricista: A Simple Frock for Spring

Hello friends! I’m really into sewing and wearing tent dresses at the moment. A tent dress is basically a wide A-line style gown. For this month’s project, I’ve opted to try out The Assembly Line’s Square Neck Dress. This style is a little avant-garde in its enormity and shape, and boasts the squared neckline it’s named after, plus some cute hem side slits. All that volume is fun to move around in, plus there’s loads of air circulation which is cooling. This dress’s main feature–its wide and high squared neckline–really piqued my interest recently, and I added it to my Make Nine plans for 2025. I find it so satisfying to check off those boxes as I sew! This beautiful shirtweight linen is a color I simply adore; a muted medium blue. Stormy skies, worn-in denim, and ocean waves all come to mind, and that is exactly what I want to be all wrapped up in. While I think a wild or large print would be amazingly on display in this big canvas of a dress, I also thought that a subtle ...

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog