How to Start or Chose A Sewing ProjectMay 9, 2025 Ooops - a little late. Walt and I are on our way to Yellowstone and trekking northward, but I will keep posting these, unless we get chased by a bear (only kidding,
I hope!!!!)
This may sound like kids' stuff - after all, you've been sewing for a while, and it's always fruitful to go back to some basics when you have a block or simply want to sew something successful.
I've been cleaning out my closet, from winter to summer, and this is when I clear out what I'm not wearing. I've noticed there's a lot I'm not wearing. It's made well. It looks good on me, but it's simply not functional. This tells me that I
need to go back to basics on what is functional for me and what isn't.
I put this together about 4 years ago on how to organize and think about projects in a way that was not only useful but also would produce a garment that I wanted to wear over and over. There is one caveat here. I had not had time to rework my woven top, so much of my wardrobe was stretch content for tops and bottoms. Having brought that pattern up to date (which is more a matter of blocking off the time to do it), has opened up a whole new category of tops, which I'm thoroughly enjoying.
Here are some ideas to help you
start a successful project. A successful garment is one that you want to wear over and over.
- Assess Your Skill Level:
- Identify Your Interests:
- Consider Time and Budget:
- Choose a Pattern:
- Match Fabric to Project:
- Set a
Goal:
- Get Inspired:
So let's look at these a little closer.
Assessing Your Skill Level
Here's the secret here - be honest. The truth is that we all have things we would love to sew, but if our skill level isn't there, don't try and press yourself. I'm all for learning new skills, but the truth is that unless you are working on a new skill or technique, then don't increase your workload by attempting a new skill that may take many practices before it's done well
enough to meet your standards.
Learning new skills and techniques is a whole other project than working on a functional addition to your wardrobe. Please know that I'm the first one to encourage and even push toward learning a new skill set. But sewing functionally for your wardrobe is different that learning a new technique.
Identify Your Interests or Need
This has gotten to be a particularly hard one for me lately. I'm always looking at a new look, and that's fine, but lately I've had some projects that haven't quite hit the mark. I'm not wearing those garments, partly because I'm so spoiled in that I
only keep really wearable, stylish and flattering clothes. And when one garment doesn't meet that standard, I'm not wearing it and need to let it go to make room for the clothes that do earn a place in my wardrobe. The "need" can vary from different categories:
- Something you need daily
- Something you would wear weekly - special luncheon, church, for a weekly meeting or presentation
- A garment you would need on a monthly or bi-monthly basis either for work or for pleasure
- A garment that you wear annually or maybe a little more often.
Just to let you know, I didn't include that once-in-a-lifetime outfit. The one that is for a life special event - wedding, award presentation, but there is a need here, it's just something that you would allow at least months ahead to plan and sew.
But for our purposes here, we're looking at the basic wardrobe you need for your lifestyle. Next in this category, you need to assess your
style. Some of us run the gambit between extremely tailored to out-of-the-box frou-frou. You know what's best for you, and stick with it. Some may say, you don't have enough of this or that in your wardrobe. I say, there's a reason for that: you know it doesn't put your best foot forward, so don't go there. It's OK not to have everything in your wardrobe.
The time part is solved if you're sewing with one of your core patterns. You know basically what you're doing, and doing it again in another fabric (which is always different and no one will know that it's the same pattern you have used for many
other garments), is always a great short-cut to a perfect filler in your wardrobe. This cuts down the time considerably. Using your core
pattern also fits into the budget. But I do collect yardage specifically for my core patterns - usually about 2½ for tops and 1½ for pants. I also stick strictly to my color palette. Staying in my color palette has led to so many happy accidents. I will have a stack that I'm most interested in (or working to get inspiration for), and suddenly there's a combo that I hadn't thought of, and I'm off cutting it out and sewing it up. Staying within your color palette is
not only extremely inspirational, but it also makes every garment you make work for YOU, flatters YOU, and makes you feel special. Of course,
time is your most valuable resource. You can go to the bank and borrow more money, but you can't borrow more time. Therefore,, think of the time you spend sewing as an investment into the future, so don't squander that with cheap components - whether that's equipment, fabric, or notions. Each should be the best or close to the best you can make it. That way, your garment shines for many years and becomes a beloved member of your wardrobe.
I will NOT use my most prized silk knit to make a top to work in the garden. At the same time, I won't use an extra-cheap, thin, and unreliable fabric for hiking or more physically strenuous activity. Most of the time, I'm dressing just as much for
myself as I am for others to see, as it always comes up: "Claire sews everything," which is automatic advertising for my classes and presents me as an expert in sewing. My clothes are my advertisement and vice versa. I am keenly aware of this. I always find it slightly awry that sewing teachers wear RTW when teaching dressmaking.
One final thought here: It is far cheaper in the long run to use a beautifully made garment from a quality fabric. The
fabric may cost as much as $10/yard more, but wearing the garment repeatedly and having it last is far cheaper than making it again from cheaply woven fabric. I predict that we will move more to this durable model because of the cost savings, but we are also sick of using our expensive and most valuable time to make something that only lasts a few years. Remember, the poor consumer can't sew. So their clothing durability time is more like weeks, compared with years for we
sewists. Using a fabric from a superior maker means that the garment will last for years and decades. Some of my more current makers are Robert Kaufman, Cloud 9, and some designer deadstock. The designer is the classic ones like Armani, Tom Ford, Michael Kors (although that can be cheap too), Dior, Chanel (but now that Lagerfeld isn't there, that quality may be in jeopardy), Zac Posen, and Jason Wu. There are some others out there, but when I see a designer like that, I
know that the fabric is mostly well-made.
Yeah, this is a duh! moment for we artists. The idea of making a ball gown out of denim (although RTW has done this) is not appropriate, nor is making a robe out of sequinned fabric. Those are two extremes and easy to figure out, but can a challis go
more formal?...can a silk taffeta go more casual - yes, and knowing how to apply different fabrics to projects can make or break an outfit. At the same time, once you know the rules, you can break them, and don't limit yourself to clear-cut, predictable rules. After some experience, it's perfectly acceptable to at least bend the rules a little if not outright break them. Using a typical casual fabric for a more formal look is as acceptable as using a formal one for a casual
look. One of my favorites is that my Walt has worn suits all his life and will probably never wear one again, including in his casket. Sometimes, dressing up just a little is more in style, so I've made him a bunch of camp shirts out of washed silk taffeta that tones down the brassiness of the fabric and makes it elegant to wear and look at. So he's dressed up casually. This kind of turn on using a fabric can be very effective, but it is breaking the rules, so be sure and
know the rules very well, before you break them.
For classic help with selection, use the pattern envelope for a similar garment. Check out the suggestions for a blouse or pants or dress or jacket and this will give you a good start. Choosing the correct weight, stability (stretch or no stretch), can also make or break a project. Here's a good way to start on chosing the right stretch percentage for your project.
Most of us are pretty clear about what our goal is. For me, this means more about my needs and wants discussed above. This could also be your time allotted to get a project finished.
If this is for a drop-dead time, then plan at least
twice as long as what you would need, then multiply that times 2. The reason is that this gives you plenty of time to wander off into variations that you will only think of while you are in the middle of the project. This makes that garment just that much more fabulous for you - like adding pockets just where you need them without them showing, like adding a collar or collar treatment that you didn't think of in the cutting or planning stages, like taking some element out of the
design that won't work in your life-style.
Hopefully, you're already inspired. This really should happen in the planning stages and when you are inspired, it pushes you right through to the end.
Pinterest in my go-to place for this. Start with a basic search <white shirt>,
<classic evening dress> or anything like that and let Pinterest tempt you with fantastic ideas.
WARNING: You can go down many black holes in Pinterest - so don't get stuck on those. I'll talk more about those later, cause they are beneficial to know.
In the meantime, CREATE!!!!!
The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style. Check it out.
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