Monday, February 11, 2013

In My Studio: Time Saving Tips




The other day I was in my studio sewing on my machine.  After taking the fabric off I realized I had sewed the wrong sides together; I would have to unpick the whole thing. I was so cross with myself, how could I have done something soooo stupid! What a waste of time! Yes, that's the crux of the issue TIME.
As a Mom of a very active 3 year old boy I don't get much time to devote to my business. The time I do get is therefore very precious and I hate wasting time knowing that the sound of little feet will come along any minute to put an end to my industry. Don't get me wrong I love my family very much but getting that work/life balance right is so hard and in my case, ultimately, work is always on the losing side.
With this in mind when I am not making mistakes on my sewing machine here are some of the ways I manage to save time:

1.    I try and keep my studio organized and tidy, it saves time looking for things and cuts down on accidents.


2.    I stow any products that need to be hand sewn in a basket, together with the needle, thread, and scissors. I bring this out at night and sew in front of the TV.


3.    Similarly, I collect together anything that needs ironing in a pile and do it all at once in the evening in front of my favorite show.

4.    I bring a flask of tea and a bottle of water into the studio with me in the morning to cut down the trips to the kitchen for refills.

5.    I make a quantity of products at the same time, cutting them all out at the same time, then making them up stage by stage until all of them are completed.


6.    I throw ingredients into a crock pot early in the morning then dinner will be ready on demand and the extra stress of preparing dinner has been taken away.


7.    I try and go shopping for supplies in the evenings or weekends when my partner is home to babysit, therefore freeing up those precious weekday/daytime making hours.


8.    Similarly, I try and do a couple of hours of paperwork/computer work at the weekend when my partner can take the little one out. The accounts always get forgotten and doing a couple of hours a week saves me loads of time later on.


9.    In order to stay on top of things I always keep lots of lists; lists of supplies to buy, lists of outstanding orders, lists of events to plan for, then when the opportunity arises I can plunge right in.


10.  I never try and do any work when my family are home,  the distractions are just too stressful and I end up making mistakes that set me back even further. Close the studio door!


11.  Having said that, when things get busy I sometimes utilize my partner to help with packing and postage.

Good luck and good making!

by Sarah Omura, SO Handmade

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