(on) progress
The shirtwaist/blouse is done, except for the buttons. My house looks sort of normal again, because I cleared away the sewing machines. The weekend will be busy and the next one I'm on holiday for a while, so sewing will resume after that. But I won't sit still, my project planning tells me there is plenty of small tasks I can do in the mean time.
Project planning? That sounds very serious for a hobby. Well, it prevents stress and stress is definitely too serious for a hobby. In this case I'm actually on a deadline, so if not planned properly, stress will occur.
I was looking for a method with that helped me with the following:
This way sewing is more efficient. I wondered whether you should aim for efficiency in something you do for fun. The answer was yes. Efficiency is not getting things done as fast as possible. It is a) spending time on the important stuff and b) getting things done. When I have to cut large pieces of fabric, I have to use the floor. Before I put my precious fabric on the floor, I have to clean it. Now I plan things properly, I make sure I have all ironed pieces of fabric and prepared patterns for upcoming projects and I cut everything in one go, instead of doing it one by one with a week and a cleaning session in between. (Not that my house is that dirty, but my fabric-safe cleaning standards are bit higher than my daily living cleaning standards.) Massive improvement of craft time versus house work time. You can spend that time on handsewing button holes, if that makes you happy. (Not fast, but important because it makes you happy.) Also I use my evenings more for crafts. I don't want to start sewing on a week night, but patterning can be done in 1-2 hour sessions. Most evenings Alex and I watch some series and nowadays it is more often a patterning session plus one episode instead of 2-3 episodes.
It saved by ass for Orenda. I managed to finish the last few steps in the week before while my father was hospitalized, because everything important was done or in the last stage. Sewing buttons and knowing that I would be done after that actually eased my panicked mind.
I once made 3 garments in the evenings of one work week. The work was devided in 3 one hour stressless sessions. One for cutting, one for serging and one for hemming and finishing. These were sport garments (running thights, tank top and long sleeve) that had no complicated closures and allowed me to serge first and hem later. This can't be done for everything, but my method allowed me to recognise that this could be done.
So, long story. As most of my remaing active LJ friends sew or craft, I wonder whether you do any project planning for crafts?
Project planning? That sounds very serious for a hobby. Well, it prevents stress and stress is definitely too serious for a hobby. In this case I'm actually on a deadline, so if not planned properly, stress will occur.
I was looking for a method with that helped me with the following:
- Limit the number of projects I'm working on (at least mentally)
- Utilise the time I have for sewing/hobbies more efficiently
- Buy fabric
- Launder fabric
- Iron fabric
- Prepare pattern
- Cut fabric
- Sew
- Hem
- Finish
This way sewing is more efficient. I wondered whether you should aim for efficiency in something you do for fun. The answer was yes. Efficiency is not getting things done as fast as possible. It is a) spending time on the important stuff and b) getting things done. When I have to cut large pieces of fabric, I have to use the floor. Before I put my precious fabric on the floor, I have to clean it. Now I plan things properly, I make sure I have all ironed pieces of fabric and prepared patterns for upcoming projects and I cut everything in one go, instead of doing it one by one with a week and a cleaning session in between. (Not that my house is that dirty, but my fabric-safe cleaning standards are bit higher than my daily living cleaning standards.) Massive improvement of craft time versus house work time. You can spend that time on handsewing button holes, if that makes you happy. (Not fast, but important because it makes you happy.) Also I use my evenings more for crafts. I don't want to start sewing on a week night, but patterning can be done in 1-2 hour sessions. Most evenings Alex and I watch some series and nowadays it is more often a patterning session plus one episode instead of 2-3 episodes.
It saved by ass for Orenda. I managed to finish the last few steps in the week before while my father was hospitalized, because everything important was done or in the last stage. Sewing buttons and knowing that I would be done after that actually eased my panicked mind.
I once made 3 garments in the evenings of one work week. The work was devided in 3 one hour stressless sessions. One for cutting, one for serging and one for hemming and finishing. These were sport garments (running thights, tank top and long sleeve) that had no complicated closures and allowed me to serge first and hem later. This can't be done for everything, but my method allowed me to recognise that this could be done.
So, long story. As most of my remaing active LJ friends sew or craft, I wonder whether you do any project planning for crafts?