My sewing journal journey

In the beginning of 2020 I started my first sewing journal.

I was starting to get serious about sewing and mending, I had just watched a YouTube video about it, the world was in chaos, and I was at home in our first experience of a lockdown.

I had a lovely blank journal I had made years previously in a fleeting affair with bookbinding as a hobby. A sewing journal was the perfect use for it.

Reasons to start a journal
One of my favourite YouTubers Evelyn Wood, makes a good case for keeping a sewing journal. A few key reasons are to learn from your project notes, keep track of what you’ve made and still want to make, and to see how far your skills have come over time!

I have a couple of extra reasons for mine beyond these. Not only do I sew, but I also do crochet and cross stitch. There were a few projects and ideas there I wanted to keep track of. I’ve also recently learned the basics of knitting so at this point the journal is more a craft journal rather than just sewing.

Another thing that originally drew me to the journal was a focus on the sustainability of my hobbies. If I can easily see which items I’m reusing or purchasing second hand versus new, I can work on pushing those proportions more towards new to me, and if buying brand new, making better purchases by finding local and sustainable sellers.

How I started
I started with the sewing projects I was working on at the time. Each page is in its own colour, with common information for each one. This includes start and finish dates, the reason for the project (learning something new, filling a wardrobe gap, just for fun!), supplies and where they’re from, and lots of space to write notes about what I’ve learned.
Since then I’ve added a skills line item to plan what I’m learning with each project or embedding previously learned skills.

What it looks like now
It’s amazing how quickly you forget what you’ve made and when. Since starting the journal about 4.5 years ago I have 21 sewing projects listed, 7 other craft project pages, and some pages are for more than one item of that type. I’ve interspersed the projects with future project idea lists and started a musings page to help prompt me to think about things I’m challenged with on my sewing journey.

Right now I’m thinking a lot about garment fitting. How do I make new pieces and adjusted mending pieces fit me the best? This has lead me to sleeve drafting articles, standard body measurement thoughts, and how these things are as much art as science!
I’m also reflecting on the impact of this hobby on my wardrobe size. I’m deeply enjoying the creativity and learning of making - but do I really need another skirt hanging in my closet? How do I continue my sewing journey with this in mind?

Tracking the source of my supplies has been an interesting exercise. I haven’t bought brand new fabric in years, but have needed to buy trims and threads.
I shop first at the secondhand sewing shop on Brisbane’s south side The Sewing Lair. They’ve recently opened a second location closer to me, which is exciting. Reverse Garbage Queensland often has interesting odds and ends to add to my projects too. If I can’t get supplies at those places, I still go to the sewing chain store Spotlight, mostly for thread colours that match my projects.
I’d like to find other reuse places to source the supplies I'm currently buying new. I could maybe try Facebook Marketplace and also ask the repair cafe sewists where they get their supplies in case they have local and independent sellers they use and like.

What I’m going to do next
I really need a table of contents! I’ve amassed enough project pages and other topic pages I’m forgetting which section things are that I want to reference.

I want to include more visual inspiration in my sewing journal. I sometimes see a cool feature in a photo or someone walking down the street (ooh gathered sleeve tops, so lovely! Wow that asymmetrical hem cut looks great!) and rather than be inspired for a second before forgetting, I want to sketch the idea in my journal for inspiration to continue until I give it a go.
The coloured pens I’ve been using bleed through the pages easily so I can’t use the backside of the paper with more pen. This is where I can sketch onto scraps or recycled paper and glue them into the journal.

I’ve really enjoyed keeping a sewing and craft journal so far and I look forward to seeing how much more my skills improve over time, and how many projects I can tick off my growing lists!