Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Sewing Simplified

11:38, Tuesday, January 13, 2009 .. Posted in Sewing Room .. 2 comments .. Link

I love to sew, but with young children, a home to tend, etc., finding time to set aside for sewing can be a problem. It often is the one thing that keeps getting put on the bottom of the priority list until a situation happens, such as a child having a growth spurt that brings the sewing quickly back to the top of the list.
In simplifying my life, I have come to realize that I need more structured ways to deal with the sewing. I am making items to put on Etsy in addition to working to meet my family's needs. Here is how I am simplifying my sewing to make the tasks easier to manage.

* Have a single set of patterns for each family member. There is no need for buying several dress patterns, pant & shirt patterns, etc. Find one pattern that is versatile. There are many that have several looks in one pattern packet. With creative use of fabrics, you can use the same pattern to make a daily or a special occasion outfit. One side note: when patterns on on sale, buy the pattern you are using in each packet of size ranges. This will benefit you should the pattern become discontinued before you need the next size range.

* When you buy fabric, launder it right away and hang it up to prevent wrinkles.

* Choose one day a week to cut out all the fabric for that week's sewing. With many sewing projects, such as cloth diapers or small projects, the cutting out takes longer than sewing the items. If you can precut the pieces and lay them together, ready to sew, your project can go much faster.

* I am sewing the Etsy projects one or two days a week, depending on how much I get done the first day. The rest of the week, any projects that I take on will be for my family and home.

* I am starting a notebook of sewing & crochet projects for each family member. This will help me to stay focused on what the needs are and where I am at in meeting them. It will also help in planning my fabric purchases. I will be able to plan ahead and mail order the fabrics that I need so that I have the fabric on hand and do not have a lot of down tome between projects.

By organizing my sewing this way, it will make the task more efficient and (hopefully) more productive. I sew around my children's schedule, so having things ready in advance will be a benefit. I am looking forward to this year's sewing being more productive that previous years.
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01:13, Tuesday, January 13, 2009 .. Posted by haflinger
Sounds like you have it worked out in a nice way.. How are you doing on Etsy? Things are slow at the moment for me.. Happy Sewing.
Blessings Sister Brenda

sewing

09:40, Friday, January 23, 2009 .. Posted by Handmaiden
You have a very good plan. I found that if I would sew one (or more) seam a day I could make all of the dresses that my girls needed,( 7 girls in a row, a boy, 2 more girls). I was lucky to have a place that I could keep my sewing machine set up and ready to sew. It only takes a couple of minutes to sew a seam. But those seams add up. I love sewing, have fun

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