stitch log 02: stop saying you don't have time
How are your summer makes coming along? the three truths you need to accept when crafting, summer updates, and more ✨🎀🫶🌷
Hi bestie,
We’re coming up on the end of July, and I cannot believe how fast summer is flying. Summer in Bozeman is sensational, but short lived. Mid-day rain sprinkles, dusty dry trails to hike and bike on, alpine lakes to dip your toes into — I love it all. I hope that my love and adoration for seasonal changes never wanes.
I started this newsletter to convince you of two things. First, you do have time to craft. I love to create in short, 10-20 minute intervals. When I’m feeling unmotivated but know that I have a project on my sewing table, I will set a timer for 10 minutes just to get started on something. Sometimes, that 10 minutes hooks me into making for an hour or more. Oftentimes it does not, and I stop after my timer goes off. Either way, small bits of crafting is better than none at all.
The second thing I want to convince you of is your crafting abilities do not need to be perfect in order to create something great. Crafting is a learned skill, and with time, your knit stitches become even, your brush strokes more precise, and your seam lines straight. Something I always say to my sewing students: if someone is close enough to notice that your seam lines aren’t perfect, they either love you, or they are standing way too fucking close.
Because I love giving advice, here is a bonus third thing I want to convince you: crafting is not about the finished project. In my eyes, the final result of a project is a fun lil prize for all of the time and patience spent creating. Crafting is about appreciating the process. I try and stay present for every step of my craft, focused on the now instead of the finale.
How are your summer makes coming along? I know that for a lot of folks, summer tends to be the time of year when creative projects are put on hold. I totally get it — it’s hard to convince yourself to spend time sewing inside when there is a beautiful world to explore. Growing up in Florida, summer was the worst time to be outside. I have a lifelong habit of feeling most creative in the summer, when the natural light streams into my craft room for 15+ hours a day.
Most of my summer making has been dedicated to fixing up the items in my TMP (To Mend Pile). My big summer goal was to create a few outfit options that weren’t jean shorts and a t-shirt. This has always been a big goal of mine — I am a t-shirt collector and I typically have nothing to wear when I’m looking for something a bit less casual.
Throughout June and July, I spent all my crafting time working towards this goal, with big success! I now have three tank tops, a breezy pair of cotton pants, a long flowy skirt, and a mini dress. All of them make me feel so. freaking. confident. whenever I wear them.
Of that list, the only item I made entirely from scratch was the pants. The pattern is the #zwblockpant (my second time making them) and the fabric is double cotton gauze by ISeeFabric in the shade Sunflower. Every other item was refreshed from my TMP.
Now that summer is winding down, I’m starting to think about projects I should make this fall. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.
xo,
Nem
