Fall and winter are very busy times for a lot of people. However- they’re also the best seasons for sewing. So, I’ve complied tips on how to sew faster and get the most out of your time.
1) Batch your sewing and chain piece. What I mean by this is, do multiple projects at once. For example, I made this turtle neck sweater and dress using the same pattern (pictures below). So, I cut both garments out at the same time.
And then I pinned and sewed them both at the same time (shoulder seams on the sweater, then on the dress).
Chain piece just means to continue sewing without cutting your threads when possible. For example, sew one sleeve on and then the other without stopping to cut the threads. It doesn’t seem like it would really save that much time but all these little things do add up!
2) Get the most out of your time– even if you have only 5 minutes, you can prep! There are a lot of things you can do if you only have a few minutes. Get your sewing machine ready (oil it, change the needles, etc), wind your bobbins (I always recommend winding two at the beginning so you won’t have to come back and do it again), cut out the pattern pieces, attach one sleeve, etc.
3) With knits: skip the hemming. They won’t fray. So, you could always just leave your hemlines raw.
4) Skip pinning the entire project. I only pin entire seams when it’s a slippery fabric that will move around too much. Otherwise, I only pin at the most important spots: like where two seams need to match up. This can save a lot of time!
5) Use a sewing Planner and Swatch Organizer This will make batch sewing possible! For example, you can use the swatch organizer to decide which fabrics you’d like to use this season. Then, you can decide which patterns you want to use for those fabrics. This way, you’ll know ahead of time what you’re making and you can plan to make similar garments at the same time.
Another bonus: This will save you time at the fabric store too! If you know what you’re making for the entire next month, you can purchase everything you need in one trip instead of going every time you start another project.
(p.s. you can download my free sewing planner and swatch organizer on this page)
6) Finally, put your phone down! The average person spends over 3 hours a day on their phone (no judgement- it’s something I’m currently working on myself). So, instead of scrolling, you could definitely complete a project with that amount of time!
I hope you find these tips helpful.
Also, if you have any tips for how to sew faster that I missed, please share them in the comments!
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