I've lost my passion for sewing :( Help!

[LadySeasan]

Yes it is true.  I have lost my passion.  Anytime I think about breaking out the sewing machine to sew, I just dont feel like it.  I don't feel like sewing at all!  I am at the point where I loathe my machine and anything related to it.  I know (or at least hope) that this is just a phase. Maybe I am experiencing burn out. But I need some motivation.  I have a couple of projects that I NEED done, because only I know how to make what I like. But its looking grim.

HELP! 

[Becky10]

I get the same way with paper macheing and painting. It's the last thing I want to do but if i just start meddling in it without too much direction i end up falling back into it and cant put it down.
When was the last time you tried sewing?
I cant tell if this is cause you havent done it in a while so youre just dreading it or if you've been sewing a lot lately so you've gotten sick of it.

[LadySeasan]

The last time I sewed was the first week of December. I had to make a Steampunk Santa Costume for a friend. But during that time, I just lost the joy!

[Dinobabe]

This happened to me last year.  I completely ignored it for a while and then made myself start again.  I was fresh and new with enthusiasm!  That is how I finished my noble bodice.  Don't be too downhearted!

[LadySeasan]

I hope I get my mojo back soon. My sewing table/area has never looked like bad. I just have piles and piles of stuff on top of my table and my machine! You can't even see it! I think by hiding it, I am hoping it will disappear! lol. 

[Taffy Saltwater]

Maybe a small project, like a bag or pouch.  One that you can finish relatively quickly and give you some satisfaction that you completed it. Especially if you bead or embroider it, or make it with a lovely scrap of pricey, detailed fabric.

[Lady Rebecca]

Maybe if you take an afternoon, and just move all the stuff that has accumulated in your sewing area away, so you have a nice clean space to work in. I always find that I dread getting into a project if I can't just sit down right away and sew.

Also, put aside the things you need to sew, and don't do them as your next project. Instead, do something you want to sew, something that is purely for yourself and your own enjoyment. Then sewing won't be a task, it will be fun!

[LadyShadow]

I went through one of those. I lost the joy of sewing and it seemed like a horrible ordeal. I took some time off and ignored everything related to sewing. I wouldnt even mend things around the house that really needed it. But after a while something caught my attention that I just had to sew and that was it. I got my joy and enthusiasm to sew back. Hopefully your phase wont last too long.

[gypsylakat]

Go to the fabric store. With coupons. something will inspire you there.

[Cilean]

Hello Dear,

How do I get out of the doldrums??

#1. I look at Renaissance Faire Pictures and SCA Coronations and look at the people's gowns.  Sometimes just looking at them will spark something for me!

#2. Sketch, when I just don't want to look at my sewing machine? I pull out my sketchbook and begin to play with colors and lines. 

#3. Check out my stash, I go through my bins refold some of the lovelies and well it will spark my need to do something!

#4. Clean up my sewing Space, sometimes just putting things away or organizing things will make me want to do something.

#5. When the going gets tough? The tough go shopping! Go to fabric store, and think of what you want to see on yourself! And then? Let your fingers run over the wool and damasks, and just picture what you want to make with it! 

Just know everyone goes through this so, while I can't tell you how long it will last? I can tell you it will end and you will find joy in sewing. Perhaps the last deadline burned you out a little,
so allow this time to be a vacation from your machine, and time for you to plan your next move!

Cilean

[Kate XXXXXX]

That table is part of the problem.  Pick out the one thing you NEED to do.  Put EVERYTHING ELSE AWAY!  Set up some PIGS: Projetcs In Grocery Sacks.  Everything you need for a project in one bag together: pattern, fabric, trims, etc. and label the bag.  Then put it away in a closet, nice and tidily.  Make a PIGS out of the project you do need to do as well, so everything is in one place and findable.  I have a ton of the jute and heavy plastic bags we get in supermarkets these days that I use for this.

Clean the sewing machine and sewing table.  Clear off the cutting table, putting everything away, sewing related or not.  Make all the sewing areas clear and clean and tidy.  Yeah, housework is boring, but when the sewing is piling up and you can't see for mess, the mojo goes int hiding!  I got like that just before Christmas, and then with Mum dying...  Oh, well, I HAD to sew, no matter what, so the mess is sorted and largely contained and put away, and I'm actually mildly enthusiastic about the fabric for the funeral suit arriving some time today!  And the tidy-up was partly inspired by my sister, who is sorting out Mum's flat, dumping a huge sack of sewing stuff on me to sort through.  I had to find homes for the cloth, the scissors, the bits and pieces...  And bin things like the off-cuts from a dress she made in the 70's!

[operafantomet]

I agree with others - remove everything irrelevant from your table.

Also, don't force yourself to do or make anything. Don't sew for a while if you've lost the mojo (unless you have commissions which have to be finished). Do something else entirely! As probably everyone else can attest to, this happens every now and then, and you just need to take a step back. But the joy of sewing always returns. Always.

I personally find it helpful to do some research instead. Looking at other people's garbs and web sites, as other suggested. Renting/buying a big stack of books with portraits and just browse through. Read well researched books that'll give you ideas of what people wore and why (the why part is often the most fun one). The theoretical stuff often sparks the "practical" side to make something. And if not, it's been fun and interesting none-the-less. 

[Anna Iram]

Yep agree with that. I haven't sewn anything garb related in a while. I don't really need anything (I know..it's not about need... )...and ..I don't know.... I'm just not inspired to take on such a big project as a gown. I do little things for instant gratification and I do love to watch other people's gowns come together and I always get a thrill from playing with the stash and pairing this fabric with that trim and reading about what it might become. I do thias for fun so for me there's no pressure.

Totally agree with giving your work station better feng shui. Clutter bogs down the flow of creativity.

[LadySeasan]

Thanks ladies. I do desperately need to clean up the area, it just seems like a huge task (even though it isnt!).  Maybe once it is cleaned, then I can get back into gear.


I have been looking at a lot of costumes and garb for steampunk and such, so there are always things that I see and i'm like "oooh I can make that!", but then when I think of actually working on it, I get so lazy!

[Dinobabe]

I have also found that moving stuff around, as opposed to actually cleaning, helps.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Doing something small brings back that passion. What you have made for yourself has been lovely!! You'e just getting started!!  Don't let that passion die!!!

My problem is not enough hours in the day to make all the things I see that I would love to have in my collection! I sew for a living be it Alterations and Commissions. It is making something for myself I have to make time for. Which is why I have Apprentices.