Stitch Well

You may recall us introducing you to the work of Ingrid Fetell Lee in All Stitched Up! #292. Ingrid has become somewhat of an authority on the topic of joy, how we experience it and what we can do to incorporate it into our everyday.

Originally, Ingrid piqued our interest with her essay entitled ‘The Secret to Finding More Joy in Less Time’. Most recently, it was the title of an email from her that caught our attention – ‘Is Your Home Driving You Crazy? Try This.’

Like many of us, there are times Ingrid looks around her home and all she can see are the problems – piles of laundry, a kitchen countertop that is anything but beautiful and myriad projects yet to be completed. Almost instantly our minds connected Ingrid’s observations with those of our sewing room – piles of supplies, surfaces that aren’t necessarily of our choosing and more UFOs than we care to number!

Like Ingrid, we’re familiar with the world’s solution to such predicaments. Products. Ingrid, however, has realised that our homes – or in our case, our sewing rooms – are more than just a problem to solve or a collection of things that need curating.

Ingrid realised that our homes are in fact a tool we use to live well.

Aren’t our sewing rooms supposed to be just that too – a tool we use to stitch well?!

Whilst we confess to often choosing form over function, the truth is, our sewing rooms should be a space that serve us well and support all we hope to achieve with needle and thread. Ingrid helped us realise that before we purchased another storage solution, we needed to be clear on what our needs and aspirations for the room are.

After reading through the list Ingrid created, where she posed three simple questions she used before making changes to her home, we adapted them to the space we use to indulge our love of all things needle and thread.

1. Why do we want to change our sewing room?
2. What is our vision for our sewing room?
3. Where will we start?

The questions above helped us to consolidate the why behind our desire to change the room, helped us to imagine how we’ll use the room going forward and where we’ll start ‘Day Stacking’ our way to the final result. We hope they’ll do the same for you.

Here’s to each of us creating a space that helps us to stitch well and stitch joyfully…