Community Blog | Getting My Sewjo Back, Is It Possible? with Kerri

Well, here I am on the up turn of a long and dreadful lack of inspiration. Have you ever just felt,…. blah?

Lacking motivation, deprioritizing the things that make you happy?

That is the head space I have been living in for months, and it simply felt like it had no end in sight.
So, how do you get out of this perpetual state? I find most of the time I must fake it. Find even the
smallest sliver of joy and run with it. The way I most often do this is to start small. Find a very simple but beautiful pattern and just make something. It’s a start.

Often when I force myself to start with a small project it can reinvigorate me and create that spark. We all just need a little spark sometimes, right?

To see if I could bring my joy back, I decided I would make one dress. Seemed simple enough, baby steps. Let me tell you it worked!

I chose the Arum Dress Pattern from Deer and Doe. This dress has called to me for some time. There is something to be said for a classic piece with a flattering silhouette. The Arum Dress is a woven pattern that features a dolman sleeve, back princess seams and two different length options. I find that dolman style patterns flatter those that are larger up top. After reviewing the measurement chart, I was surprised to find that I measured a straight size 44. No adjustments needed. I find this to be a rare occurrence for me as a 32 G.

To hone in on what I was trying to accomplish I made it exactly the way it was intended.

For my first Arum I used the Wine Paths print rayon that I picked up from Phee Fabrics. It has a nice stripe pattern that I knew would flatter my figure. I chose to position the stripes so they would run vertical on my finished piece. I knew this would also alleviate some frustration in the stripe matching process. My choices paid off, it was perfect!

After making the first dress I thought, could this be made in bases outside of the recommendations?

This thought led me down a positive path and it made me want to test my theory.

This time I made the dress in a wonderful Art Gallery Lemon print cotton spandex blend. I knew
choosing this fabric would pose some challenges, particularly because this pattern has a neck facing instead of bands. It made me wonder, should I convert the neck facing to a more traditional knit band?

After some thought I knew it was not the look that I wanted, I really wanted the same clean look as my previous dress. I figured it couldn’t hurt to do the facing exactly as I had done before, what’s there to lose? For this I needed patience and oh, so many pins. To my disbelief it came together like butter.

My confidence now restored and gears turning I pondered, can I make it work in rayon spandex too? My third dress was a rayon spandex rib knit, in a bright sunny yellow. I knew this fabric choice was risky as it has an abundance of movement but again, I pushed through. Sticking to a very similar process as the dress prior. Pinning and pinning some more. I really had no faith this would work, but it worked again.

With my sewjo now fully intact, I decided to make just one more.

For the last dress I went with a more muted but classic choice, using a lovely lightweight denim, a fabric closer to the original recommendations. Knowing I had previously put myself to the test with more finicky fabrics this one came together smoother than I imagined. From beginning to end, it only took 1 hour! It was exactly what I needed to come full circle.

Now fully invigorated, I can’t help but feel inspiration all around me.

Taking a small step approach works! It can work for something as complex as depression, all the way down to simpler day to day frustrations. You can take something simple and turn it into a wealth of inspiration. I know starting something at all can seem too big a task at times, but it is these simple actions that create momentum. Baby steps start us down the path to finding ourselves. Simply knowing that hobbies can be the outlet you need to find your joy and bring back that spark is sometimes all it takes!

Happy sewing and may your sewjo be forever in your favor!

Kerri is a sewist with about 5 years of experience. She is a mom of 3, a lover of fashion and all things vintage. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does and that is why she is so in love sewing: She can make things that are uniquely her! Find all of Kerri’s makes on Instagram @sewsewwonderful