How can I save time when sewing? How can I get sewing done but not take so much time with it?
To save time in sewing begin by pre-washing fabric, collecting all supplies together ahead of time, and removing distractions. This prepares you for the best sewing experience, besides other successful strategies for sewing efficiently.
It takes time to plan ahead. And it can feel like a waste of time to plan ahead. But it’s not. Because having a plan, however simple, will help you to head in the right direction.
It will save you time in the long run because when you are ready to sit down at the sewing machine you will know exactly what your next step is.
And knowing your next step is half the battle.
Step 1 : Save Time in Homemaking First
What part of homemaking takes the most time? Mainly cooking, cleaning and laundry. At least in my homemaking.
And that takes away from the time I want to spend in sewing. So instead of sitting down at the sewing machine, I am kept busy getting food on the table for my family, cleaning the messes they make, and making sure they have clean clothes to wear.
Working ahead a bit and making a plan is needed so that time can be saved for sewing.
Here’s the plan.
Make a meal plan and prep ahead so that making meals doesn’t take so much time. Like the plan below.
In this post on how to meal plan 3 different ways, you can find something that will work for you to make a plan.
Form a routine to keep the house in order on a daily basis so you can keep up without spending the whole day at it.
In the article on what to do if your house always feels messy, I talk about 2 things you can do right now and then repeat to keep your house in order.
And do laundry on certain days or certain times so that you don’t get behind and still have time for sewing.
Doing laundry takes time and getting it streamlined in the best way for your household is such a great way to save time so you aren’t spending so much time trying to catch up.
This blog on getting laundry done goes into it deeper.
There may be other things in your daily life that take your time. Identify them and work them into a plan or routine so that you aren’t spending all your day attending to them.
Again, this can feel a little contrary to saving time but trust me, in the long run, it makes a huge difference and you will be glad you went to the effort of making a plan.
Step 2 : Prep Your Sewing
- pre-wash fabric
- print and tape PDF patterns
- cut out pattern
- gather all supplies needed
There are times you have just a few minutes free to do a little something in between tasks. Those are the perfect moments to prep your sewing.
Pre-wash the fabric you want to use next. All it needs is to get wet and then dried in the dryer so that any shrinking happens before you ever sew it up into anything.
If you like using PDF patterns as much as I do you may have some of the same problems that I do.
Like buying a pattern, downloading it, or maybe not, and forgetting about it. And there it sits. And then when it’s time to sew, either I forget I ever had it, or I can’t find it anywhere.
Here’s the solution. Download and print your pattern right after purchasing. Then you at least have it in hand and it’s not so easy to lose.
The next thing is, of course, to tape the pages together and cut it out. And these are the things you can do when you have a few moments free.
Tape it together one time. And cut it out the next. It doesn’t have to happen at the same time, but at least it will be done by the time you are ready to cut it out and start sewing.
And the last thing you can do to prep for sewing is to gather everything you need for your next sewing project.
Gather together the fabric, pattern, thread, buttons, interfacing, zippers or anything else you need for that particular project.
And now, when you have that bigger window of time to sew, you can get right to it!
Step 3 : Get rid of Distractions
The biggest time waster is distractions. And that is why it’s so helpful to plan ahead in making meals and keeping house.
Because those are big distractions.
Like getting ready to sit down and sew and suddenly you realize it’s closer to mealtime than you thought and there is nothing prepared. So you have to cook instead of sew.
There are many other things that can distract us from sewing. Like phones. Whether it’s messages or other notifications, our phones are very distracting.
Put your phone in another room. Or put it on silent mode for awhile so that you don’t hear any notifications.
Children. Distractions unlimited.
We can’t set them in another room for a couple hours so that they don’t distract us.
So there has to be another solution. But it depends on how old they are.
When mine were really small, I would sew when they were napping. (unless I took those quiet moments to nap myself 😄)
But otherwise I would let them play with my sewing tools, the safe ones, or fabric scraps. They loved to play with what mommy “played” with.
Here’s the thing though, if you and I can relax, face the reality that the children are going to distract us, and accept it, they are going to sense that and relax too.
And therefore, be happier to entertain themselves and find something to do.
Plus, if the prep has been done ahead of time, instead of suddenly deciding to jump in and start sewing, you will be that much ahead.
And last of all, we can be our own distractions. When a difficult part comes up it’s so easy to distract myself so that I don’t have to face the difficulty right then.
It’s really easy to do. And hard to recognize right when it’s happening.
So take note and see if you aren’t one of your own distractions. 😉
Step 4 : Set Sewing Appointments
Schedule your sewing time. Make an appointment with yourself to sew.
Sometimes we need to make an appointment with ourselves to actually get some real dressmaking in.
So set a date and time that you plan to sew, make some easy preparations for the meal you have planned for the day, get that load of laundry in the washer, and sew!
Keep the appointment like you would a doctor’s appointment. It’s just as important!
Because there are many benefits to sewing. But that will take another article to talk about. 😊
Step 5 : Sew Efficiently
This is the last step to saving time in sewing.
And here’s how no matter what pattern you are using or even what you are sewing.
- pin
- sew
- press
- repeat
Pin as many seams as you can at once. Then sew them all. And then press them all.
Repeat the process.
The more seams you can pin and sew at once the more time you save by not needing to get up every little bit to press the seams and then to sit down again to sew the next seam.
Another time saving tip is to choose simple pattern designs that take less time to learn and to sew together.
And last of all to choose fabric that is easy to work with such as cotton, linen and stable knits.
Conclusion
Save time in sewing by starting with your homemaking and making a plan to keep it simple and easier to keep up with cleaning and cooking.
Save time by prepping for your sewing by preparing the pattern and gathering supplies needed for the project.
Save time by getting rid of distractions, setting appointments to sew, and sewing efficiently to get the project done in good time.
And maybe you have some time-saving tips that you like to use to be more productive. If so let me know in the comments below!
I’d love to hear from you! 😊
