Thread Thursday 5: Have You Seen My Sewjo?

When you’re Sewjo is strong, you’re in the zone. You’re finishing projects. You’re learning new techniques. Strong Sewjo makes you a quilting god!!

When you’re Sewjo is weak, products languish in drawers. New projects just don’t excite you. Every technique seems like such a challenge. Weak Sewjo makes you sad. Well, it makes me sad anyway.

And that’s where I’ve been over the past few months. Every single weekend has been packed with activities outside the house. Every week night has been an exercise in just surviving until bedtime so I can do it all over again. And the thought of going down to the studio to get anything done has been so overwhelming!

Why Does this Happen?

This must happen to a lot of us because I got so many emails over the summer suggesting tips on how to get my Sewjo back. Maybe it’s just that quilting and hot summer months and their activities just don’t go together so well. Maybe we all have so much going on that we just need a break. Some quilters I’ve read about lately have moved and had to completely rebuild their studio space, and it just left them exhausted.

I’ve noticed for me it always seems to hit in the summer. Each year near the middle to end of June, I just stop being motivated to sew. And then it takes me until about this time of the year to get back into it. So I thought I would share with you some of the tips that work for me.

7 Ways to Reclaim Your Sewjo

Go for the Quick Win

Mini quilts are some of my favorite projects. You can try out a new technique without really committing to it, and they go together so fast! So if you’re in a rut, go for the quick win and consider taking a sew day to knock one out. I make minis quite a bit and have a display of them in my studio. I created them all for a reason, so I like to see them in my studio and remember their stories. Speaking of which…

Think About Why You’re in it to Begin With

We all have a reason for why we got into quilting in the first place. Maybe it was to express your creativity. Maybe it was to share your talents with those you love. Or perhaps you think other quilters are really cool and wanted to have some like-minded friends to hang out with. Whether it’s for a specific project or quilting in general, try to find some visuals of why you’re in this to begin with and keep them somewhere outside your sewing space where you can see it and be reminded about your love of quilting.

For me, it’s seeing silly things and thinking about them in fabric form, sharing art with my daughter, and finding inspiration in nature like the heart-shaped hole in a rock formation in Great Falls Park. It also means having something to do that keeps me from running the mean streets of suburban northern Virginia!

Deadlines

I’m on the fence about this one, but enough other quilters mentioned it in their stories that it seemed important enough to include here. Deadlines just don’t work for me. I find it really hampers my creativity. But some people seem to do really well when a calendar is staring them down. If that’s you, pick a deadline for a project and make it your goal to finish it on time.

Try a New Technique or Color

Maybe you lost your Sewjo because you’re stuck in a rut. If you’re using the same technique or sticking with the same colors over and over again, quilting can become quite dull rather quickly. Get your Sewjo back by trying something completely different to see how it feels.

When I made the Anemone quilt for the Pantone quilt challenge, I tried new techniques and a completely different color palette than my normal range. Some of the flying geese were paper pieced, some were traditional, and some were done using the four at a time method. Using coral was a requirement, but I really stretched in how to make the coral work by using white as the only other color. It turned out to be really fun to do.

Dreading Your Least Favorite Part of the Process

This is where having a quilting buddy could really come in handy. If you really hate basting and your buddy really hates binding, why not swap projects for those steps and avoid your least favorite parts?! I love hand sewing the binding at the end of a project. It’s just so nice knowing that you’re almost over the finish line. But I also know a lot of quilters absolutely hate that part. So if any of you out there want to swap me for basting, hit me up!

There’s Not Enough Time

So why even bother, right? Wrong! Find a little bit of time – even if it’s just 10 minutes – to schedule your sewing time. A few years ago, I committed to sewing for 10 minutes each day, whether I wanted to or not. Some days I would just shuffle stuff around in the studio to “clean up” a bit, but most days that 10 minutes turned into a half hour. I know we’re all super busy, but I guarantee we have 10 minutes a day several times a week. You’ll be surprised at what you can get done in 10 minutes and delighted when you’re enjoying yourself so much you go just a little bit longer.

Incorporate Sewing into Other Activities

I find that when my motivation to do anything is super low, I’m usually just spending the time watching TV or movies until I can get motivated enough to get up off the chair. Let’s be real. That motivation isn’t always going to just show up. So I’ve started keep a hand sewing project by my chair in the living room. Whether it’s binding a quilt or working on an EPP project, it’s so much easier to pick it up off the side table than it is to go to the studio to get some cutting or machine sewing done.

Are We Motivated Yet?

Have any of these tips worked for you? What works that I didn’t include? I’m always looking for ways to stay motivated and creative, so share your ideas in the comments.

In the meantime, I feel my Sewjo coming back, so I’ll be back here soon to show off some progress!