Time Management for Quilters: How to Make More Time to Sew Every Week

Most quilters, whether it’s their hobby or career, would take more time for their craft if they could. The reality is, for most of us, there are plenty of other commitments – like employment and family – fighting for our attention, so finding time to quilt comes down to making time for it. Here are some tips how:

Interrogate where your time goes

We all get 1440 minutes in a day, so surely somewhere in there we can eke out some time for sewing, at least a few times a week. Block out the essentials, like sleep, work, commuting, housework, family time and then see what’s left. Then from that time, commit to spending some of it sewing.

Schedule it

Once you’ve worked out what free time you have, it’s time to make some of it sacred sewing time. Here at Make Modern we believe taking time to sew is important therapy that contributes to your wellbeing, just like exercising, reading or meditating. This might mean finding time to attend a quilt group or class. Or committing to spending half an hour a day in front of the machine. If you can’t commit to time every day, perhaps one night a week can be sewing night.

Plan your projects

Having multiple projects on the go isn’t the most time effective strategy. You lose time trying to find supplies and working out where you were up to, and end up feeling like you’re spinning your wheels. It’s wise to take some time to assess your current WIPs, work out where you’re up to and develop a plan to work on them in a logical manner. There are plenty of great planners to help you organise your projects.

Don’t overcommit

Be realistic with how much time you have for quilting. If you sign up for four swaps, promise your best friend a baby quilt, and have three BOMs on the go, things are going to fall apart! Be mindful of deadlines – quilt and life-related – and only commit to what you can actually complete with your sanity intact.

Multitask

It’d be nice to have huge spaces of time to sew, but this isn’t always realistic, so learn to multitask. Start a hand sewing project to stitch on your commute, or while waiting for the kids. The tiny bit you get done each time will add up. Watch your TV shows while you sew, or try audiobooks. Set up a space for the kids to play near you, or take your sewing outside while they’re in the yard. It may not be as productive as bedtime sewing, but it’s progress.

Take babysteps

We’ve already established that most of us don’t have huge chunks of time to sew. So accept this and look at the progress you can make in small blocks instead. If you’re organised and adjust your thinking, you’ll find these short bursts can lead to big results. Don’t believe us? Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done.

Don’t sew when you’re tired

It’s tempting to carve out a bit more sewing time at the end of a long day. But when you start making silly mistakes, it’s time to call it done. When you’re tired you work slower and make errors – nobody likes an unpicker, but that’s better than wasting precious fabric. And don’t trade sleep for sewing too often – it’s probably not a viable excuse when you’re falling asleep at work the next day.

Put down the phone

We love our phones too, but they are such a time suck! It’s scary how much time you can waste staring at a screen – and that’s time you can spend sewing. Sometimes you’re looking at inspiration or buying supplies – but if you’re honest, you can probably cut this down and still stay connected.

Less = more

Having less of many things can mean more time for quilting. Fewer hobbies, fewer supplies to organise, fewer WIPs – if you cut back, you can carve out more time to sew. Simplifying can lead to more time to quilt. Can you give up activities you don’t enjoy and replace them with quilting? Can you refine your chores so you can sneak in more sewing time? Streamline your supplies so you waste less time tidying, and focus on your most important projects.

You don’t want all your sewing to be work-related, or it starts to suck the joy out of it. This may have started as a passion – keep that passion alive. If you’re feeling inspired, indulge it. The rest of your work will benefit from it. Just keep it in moderation – don’t take a week off to make a king-size quilt!

Like anything – it’s about balance. Work out how to juggle work, downtime and your priorities. Don’t feel guilty if some days don’t go to plan – pick yourself up and get back into it tomorrow. You’ve got this!

This is an extract from Time Management for Quilters by Jane Kelly. Read the full article in Make Modern Issue #21.

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