Do you have tips for those of us whose creative/sewing mojo has evaporated?

Has it happened to you and if so how did you get it back?

I still like looking at websites, videos and social media but that isn't really creating when the sewing machine is buried in a cupboard.

Jenny O'Hara
Perth, Australia

Losing your motivation to sew isn’t uncommon. We don’t know what causes it, but we know it when it happens! It’s happened to all of us in the In the Folds team at different times across our sewing careers, and many have expressed their frustrations in our private online community when it hits.

But knowing that it’s a shared experience doesn’t make it any easier to negotiate.

So we thought we’d throw it open to our community to share their ways of overcoming lost sew-jo. There’s some real gems in there and we’ll definitely be using them ourselves when we lose our sewing motivation, because we can pretty much guarantee it will happen again!

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR SEWING MOTIVATION

Try setting a creative pledge. Start by setting yourself a short term goal each week. It can be as simple as sewing for 20 minutes a day to help you finish a WIP. Don’t be too rigid with it - inflexibility may contribute to losing momentum, and we want that momentum to build up each week!
Link your sewing time to another activity to help in habit formation. Got a favourite show you love to watch or an audiobook that you’ve been wanting to listen to? Set up your sewing station so you can listen to the audio while you cross some sewing to-dos off your list. This works particularly well with old favourites because it doesn’t matter if you get a bit distracted.
Spend time preparing a project so that you’re ready for when inspiration / time / energy to cut strikes.
Turn to some of the more mundane tasks, like mending or hemming. Sometimes doing something that requires very little of us in return (like making decisions!) can be a great way of starting the ball rolling again. And there’s nothing like getting a pile of mending out of the way to get those creative juices churning!
Give yourself permission to just take a break! Spend the time you’d usually be sewing learning something new. Knitting or crochet can be done while watching TV with others, and you might just find your next crafty passion…
Go into a clothing store and look for and try on clothes that you like. When you realise they don't fit properly and are outrageously priced you might just be inspired to start garment sewing again!
Watch someone else create something! TV shows like The Great British Sewing Bee are great for sparking creativity.
Maybe you’re just bored with the fabric and patterns you already have. Spend some time finding a new project that excites you, buy some fabric just for that project and strike while the iron’s hot! Try to keep the project simple so that you don’t burn yourself out.
Switch things up by sewing something for someone else.
Lost creativity can be a sign that it’s time to clean and declutter. Even though we creatives can often function quite well in what others would class as ‘mess’, there does come a point where a clean slate works wonders. And you might find a lost project that will be just what you need!
Rotate between projects that are at different stages. For example, one project might be at the preparation stage, another might be at the cutting out stage and another at point of finishing.
Alternate between projects of different skill levels - challenging projects give you a chance to push yourself and up-skill, while the easier, more care-free projects let you have a breather and just have fun.