GNOME ANGEL

Sometimes our passion for patchwork can get a little lost. Angie Wilson explains how you can revive your mojo to rise out of any sewing slump

Angie Wilson offers ten top tips to help revive your mojo and rise out of any sewing slump

Are you in a quilting rut? You’re not alone. I recently found myself going through a dry spell of inspiration when it comes to my quilting adventure and it was horrible. I’m usually so enthusiastic about the things I’m making and the fabrics I want to add to my stash, but for some reason the thought of sitting in front of my sewing machine just had me feeling all meh. So, what do you do when your passion flies the coup? Here’s a list of ten things that I did to get my quilty passions firing again:

1

Take a class. This is a great way to learn something new, meet some new people and get a new perspective.

2

Read a wide variety of magazines. I love seeing all the beautiful photos in home decorating, music and popular culture magazines. It’s a great way to look for colour and print combinations that you might not have thought of before.

3

Go to an art gallery. Not only is the stroll around the gallery good for your health, but seeing how others have played with print, colour and composition can help get your creative juices flowing as well.

4

Surf social media. Done in small doses a surf of a quilting hashtag (try #quiltsofinstagram) can help you see the possibilities in your stash again.

5

Give yourself permission to take a break. It worked for Ross and Rachel. Sometimes a break can be just what the doctor ordered for finding your sewjo.

6

Get together with friends. Laughter really is the best medicine, and quilty friends are a great source of laughter. Get together to work through your WIP pile and you’ll find your love for creating returning.

7

Watch Project Runway. For some reason seeing others powering through to meet a sewing deadline really seems to snap me out of a sewing funk. I like to pretend that Tim Gunn is in my sewing room with me, asking me questions about what I’m doing.

8

Sleep. Never underestimate the power of a good dose of sleep to get you back on track. Plus, curling up under a quilt you’ve made is one of the best feelings in the world.

9

Rearrange your sewing space. A change can be just what the doctor ordered… Move your machine to a new spot in the house for a whole new perspective.

10

Try something new. Sometimes working on another project can help you bring back the joy for an existing project. I often cross-stitch in between projects to help me focus on something else for a little bit.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years it’s that your desire to quilt will come and go, and that’s natural. The key to keeping it thriving is to feed it, and that sometimes means getting out of your rut and looking through a new lens.

No matter how deep your sewing slump, there’s always a way to fire up your excitement