Starting a Sewing
Business, an d Getting into the Zen of Sewing
As I sew along I learn more than one might think. Sewing,
like any skill, continually unfolds with new lessons
and inspirations. Here are my top ten tips for starting
a business using your sewing skills.
1. Always double check your
seams to be sure they are doing what you have asked
of them. It is amazing to me that after 23
years of sewing I still do things like hooking the elbow
fabric into the bottom hem of the shirt with the bottom
stitch. Yesterday I put the lining of a jacket sleeve
in a quarter turn from where it was supposed to be.
I don't know how I managed this but it was like putting
my arm through a satin cyclone, kind of nice but not
exactly the plan.
2. Sewing is a meditation.
It is yoga.
Sewing can provide frustrating setbacks. It is most
productive to breathe and practice patience while sewing.
It is an excellent zen practice.
3. Don't micromanage your
seams, let them flow. Sometimes I bust myself
clutching the seam with curled fingers, shoulders hunched
to my ears, forehead nearly resting on the thread feed,
holding my breath…yikes. Don't do this. The sewing
machine knows what to do. It it doesn't, it often needs
adjustment. If the fabric is tricky, take the time to
pin or baste before running it through the machine.
Guide your seams gently. Fabric is liquid. Let it flow.
4. Budget your money, know
where you stand. I keep a 3-ring binder with
a list of my monthly bills in the front, and paper for
calculating in the rings.
5. Budget your time.
Keep a day planner. Schedule out your month ahead. Avoid
overextending yourself.
6. Have faith that if you
have what you need right now, this is all that matters
for the trend will naturally continue. Have
deep gratitude for this. This is a tough one, but I
breathlessly practice it one day at a time. I find that
as I go along not knowing how I will next pay the bills,
somehow they get paid. Somehow I continue to be housed
and fed decadently every day of my blessed life. I am
deeply grateful.
7. Work as much as you can.
With the previous caveat of 'budget your time', within
that structure WORK! Work hard for your self and for
all of humanity. Put your soul into it. Be an inspiration
for others to do the same. Be disciplined and active.
Love it. And when you hate it that is the time to jump
into the middle of it and love it!
8. Know your limits. When
you feel yourself hyperventilating or you feel your
heart racing, take a rest. If your work load makes it
so you have to schedule two 60 hour work weeks in a
row then insist that the following two weeks are super
mellow. Vacation at home. Lay around and watch cartoons.
Play yard games with lewd and hilarious friends. Meditate.
9. Take care of your body,
mind, and soul. Stretch, dance, hike, sing,
walk, chant, read, converse, cook-make your own lists.
And in that day planner where you budget your work time,
be sure you're attending to your mind list, your body
list, and your soul list every week.
10. Sincerely laugh your ass
off every day. Then pick your ass back up
and dance.
For real.
Contact Information:
Lelu Laserlight, Eugene, Oregon
For unique remastered originals, see Lelu Laserlight
here: lelulaserlight.etsy.com
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