Why We Leave Projects Unfinished
Most projects don't need more time, they just need a way back in.
Somewhere in your sewing space, there’s probably a project waiting. Perhaps it’s folded neatly in a project bag, draped over the back of a chair or hidden in a cupboard because you’d rather not think about it.
You know the one.
The project you were excited about when you started. The project you fully intended to finish. The project that somehow became unfinished.
If you’re taking part in the One Match One Make challenge, I’d like you to think about that project this week.
Not with guilt. Not with frustration. Just out of curiosity.
Because unfinished projects are far more common than we like to admit.
It Usually Doesn’t Start With Abandonment
Most projects aren’t abandoned on purpose. We don’t wake up one morning and decide never to finish them. Instead, life happens. We get busy. Something more urgent demands our attention. A new project catches our eye. We run out of fabric, thread or enthusiasm. A mistake which requires unpicking, again, knocks our confidence. One missed sewing session becomes two. Then three.
Then suddenly the project feels impossible to return to. Not because it’s difficult. Because the distance between us and the project has grown.
The Story We Tell Ourselves
The longer a project sits unfinished, the bigger it becomes in our minds. We start telling ourselves stories.
“I don’t have time.”
“I don’t remember where I got up to.”
“I’ve probably forgotten how to do it.”
“It’ll take ages to finish.”
Sometimes those stories are true. More often, they’re assumptions. Many unfinished projects are much closer to completion than we realise. They simply need a little attention.
Progress Hides in Small Steps
One of the reasons I wanted to run the One Match One Make challenge is because sewing doesn’t have to happen in large chunks of time.
Sometimes all a project needs is one sewing session. Sometimes it needs a decision. Sometimes it needs a zip fitting. Sometimes it needs five minutes spent figuring out the next step.
The problem isn’t always the project itself. The problem is knowing where to begin again.
Choose One Project
This week, I have a challenge for you.
Don’t start something new.
Don’t browse patterns.
Don’t organise your fabric stash.
Choose one unfinished project.
Just one.
Then ask yourself:
What is the very next step?
Not the next ten steps. Not everything that’s left to do. Just the next step.
Perhaps it’s:
Cutting a missing piece
Sewing a seam
Attaching a strap
Pressing fabric
Finding the pattern instructions
Whatever it is, make it small. The smaller the better.
Lower the Bar
Sometimes we make finishing a project harder than it needs to be.
We imagine we need an entire day. We imagine we need to feel motivated. We imagine we need to tackle everything at once.
What if your goal this week was simply to reconnect with the project? Not finish it. Reconnect with it. Open the project bag. Look at the pieces. Remind yourself why you started. Take one small action.
That’s all.
My Unfinished Project
If you have followed my posts this year, you will know that I have started designing and making 3D bags. I really enjoy the challenge as it is a completely new skill for me, and it has taken me a while to get my head around the design process. Sketching and working things out on paper is my go-to. But designing using software is a whole new world! It takes time, a lot of time, and this often frustrates me to the point that I just walk away and start something new.
But not today!
I recently printed a frame for a bag, which I really love. I’ve done the tricky part. Making the fabric part of the bag should have been a walk in the park, but I just couldn’t get my pattern to come together the way I saw it in my head. A week away on holiday gave me the perfect excuse to shelve it and put it away. Out of sight, out of mind. But now that I am home again, I have decided that getting this pattern sorted will be my focus for the One Match One Make challenge, and as promised in last week’s post, I am sharing my progress so far.
I decided to set aside 45 minutes (one half of a football match) to get on top of this and move forward with this design. I started by remeasuring the frame and making a paper pattern with 1cm seam allowances. The base of the bag frame is larger than the top, so I needed to allow for the narrowing in the pattern. Once I had got this right, and I’ll be honest, I did have to have a couple of attempts as I cut the first one too short, I cut the pieces from calico.
Stitching them together was a breeze as I had taken care with the measurements, and I am really happy with how the calico prototype fits inside the frame. I am now confident to go ahead and make it in fabric. The only decision I still have to make is whether to add a drawstring or a zipped closure to the bag. What do you think would be best? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
This Week’s Free Resource
To help you tackle those projects that have been waiting patiently in the corner, I’ve created a new Sew Smarter resource:
The Project Finisher Workbook.
It’s designed to help you:
Identify your unfinished projects
Choose which one to focus on
Break it into manageable steps
Build momentum again
Celebrate progress
Because sometimes the hardest part of finishing a project isn’t the sewing.
It’s finding your way back to it.
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This Week’s Challenge
Find one unfinished project.
Open it.
Identify the next step.
Then spend just one sewing session moving it forward.
That’s it.
No pressure to finish.
No pressure to catch up.
Just one step.
I’d love to know which project you’re revisiting this week.
Leave a comment and tell us about the project that’s been waiting for you.
Happy next step!