Reflections on sewing life (post children)

 

Since becoming a mother I've found the time available for sewing/personal hobbies (or anything non-child related) greatly reduced. While I may be questioning just what I did with all those spare hours pre-kids, I would say becoming a mother has forced me to make a lot of changes (mostly for the better) in the way I approach and deal with life in general. Amazing isn't it how parenthood can make us rewrite our priorities :)
Recently I've been reflecting on how motherhood has reinvented my sewing, for the BETTER :)
What you say? Surely having little people underfoot, lack of sleep and a very limited time schedule should spell disaster in the sewing room?
Bear with me...

It's true I might not be knocking out the garments, writing up the reviews or churning out the blog posts like before and sometimes I am M.I.A from my sewing group meet-ups for months on end...BUT what little I do manage to make/write or do nowadays is of a better quality and more personally satisfying. A lot of my sewing processes and procedures seem to have improved in general, right at a time in my life (mum to small children) when I thought that they would end. 

To begin with  I  find I am actually thinking about projects- and steps in construction- much much more. Whereas before I might have blithely rushed through each step of a project - and in my haste have stuffed it up due to not reading instructions (helloooo Burdastyle magazine!) or understanding techniques - now the lack of opportunity to actually sew means I think about each project, plan out each step and mull over problems in my head throughout the day/week/month. 
This forced decline in output has (I think) improved my "hands-on" sewing skills immensely. I have learnt a lot about different techniques as I research more now on the Internet (yay for smart phones!) for things I don't understand or am not confident in doing. I don't want to waste any precious minutes in front of the sewing machine -if I can at all help it. 

Pre-planning and research are now imperative to any project, no matter how big/small, easy/complicated.  

I find I am more ruthless and realistic now in selecting what projects to actually attempt: Will it fit in with my "mummy lifestyle"? Do I have anywhere to wear it? Will my kids/husband actually wear it? Do I need this item in my wardrobe/ life? Will I get it completed in time before the season (weather or fashion) is over - or before my kids go up a size? Has this pattern been well reviewed online ( if anyone has put it up)? 

Most importantly will I enjoy the project? Will completing this project teach me something new or introduce me to a new pattern designer? Or at least be easy enough to deliver some "bang for bucks" by gratifying my itch to sew without too much time investment?

If the answer to any of these is "NO" then I am now likely to bypass or at least seriously rethink a project ( with the exception of online reviews, sometimes a negative review may be due to a garment not suiting someones shape/ personal style or due to a lack of understanding or experience, multiple bad reviews from several sources however...). 

Over time I am trying to improve my technical skills, aiming to become more accurate and efficient in each step. The lack of time available means that I have dragged my overlocker out of it's box (where it has sat for three years!) and reacquainted myself with its use. I have just downloaded and printed out a PDF manual for my old "Zig-Zag" Palmer Princess machine so I don't have to keep constantly switching thread in my Janome to do topstitching (changing spools over every seam is frustrating!).

I've found myself questioning pattern instructions and whether the steps given are the best way to do things. Is there a better finish that I could do in the same(or less) amount of time? Is that step really necessary? Can I sew this seam and that at the same time (rather than separately as the pattern suggests)? 

Becoming more aware of time allowances has also made me look at my sewing supplies and fabric/pattern stashes in a new light. If it takes forever to find a piece of fabric or pattern because I have to wade through so many boxes of stuff then really do I need so much? Am I realistically ever going to use (or sell?) it all? Am I ever going to get the chance to make up all the patterns I have before they go out of fashion (and if it comes back into fashion can I be bothered altering the original pattern to fit in with new stylings)? Can I be bothered learning to grade a pattern up so it fits? IS it worthy of my time???

Child-free time in front of the sewing machine or cutting out and playing with patterns and fabric is too rare a commodity these days to fritter away halfheartedly. 

I find slowing down in sewing means that I now enjoy the little that I get to do much more. Things like hand basting - which used to drive me nuts- are now an opportunity to sit down, relax and just focus on one thing at a time. 

Don't get me wrong -I may still reminisce once in a while about how much things have changed since having children, and like any parent there are days when I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew with this whole "child rearing" thing ;)
HOWEVER I so do love our little family and the many myriad changes that having children has brought into my life.
Wouldn't change it for the world :)

(Although occasionally a bit more sleep WOULD be awesome ........)

Kate :)