How to Sustain a Sewing Brain is the sequel to How to Develop a Sewing Brain, and is available now to order as a physical copy here. Below is an excerpt from the Zine.
On the JOY that you find in STARTING
I have found a deep sense of joy and purpose in making clothes for myself. So much so that I strive to ignite that spark in other people. I think you need this joy to sustain a creative sewing practice because frustration will come your way and you need the joy to combat it. To a beginner, each step of the sewing process can feel insurmountable. But with a few garments under your belt, you can start to feel the joy that is accessible to you.
The first shirt that I made was orange and made of patchwork. I took old T-shirts and polos and sewed them all together to create a fun color-blocked moment. At the time, I had been quilting for a couple of years, and the idea that I could take patchwork, which I loved making, and WEAR IT?!? My mind exploded with possibility and I was immediately hooked. However, this first shirt was far from perfect and had many mistakes. Namely, I did not know how to attach a collar so I hand-sewed it on (like binding on a quilt). The stitching immediately broke when I put the shirt over my head. Also, I had not finished any of the interior seams in any way, I had just used a straight stitch. But I could wear it! That was the important part. That was how I accessed the joy so that I could keep going and improving and making more clothes for myself.
Once I got my first t-shirt under my belt, I was obsessed with creating more. So I did. The excitement carried me through many broken needles and seam-ripping sessions. I didn’t care that I was making mistakes because I was creating clothing that I was proud of putting on my body. That steam that pushed be through the early days of sewing can and will wear off. So, what does one do in this situation? How does someone maintain this level of deep interest? It's the difference between liking and loving a hobby. The difference in exploring one hobby for an extended period of time and trying a new one every other weekend. I think the key is to set a broad goal, and then take your time exploring every facet of that goal. For me, the broad goal I set for myself was to remake my closet. Any project I come across (sewing or not) can fall under this category as long as I am sustainably upcycling a piece of my wardrobe. I have gotten into needle felting and dyeing clothes because of this goal, and now I feel like my little brain has plenty of space to explore when I get bored of working on sewing projects.
New Studio Pics
I moved into a new sewing space! Of course the sewing area is a mess, but I feel like the rest of the studio looks so nice! I am working to get the space up and running so that I can rent it out to other creatives while I am not using it. Thank you thank you for engaging with my content so something like this can happen!