What I learnt from sewing for 10 minutes a day

Written By Helen Miller

I am always giving things up. Chocolate, alcohol, being hard on myself—all really to no avail. (I still drink alcohol, eat chocolate and have the occasional, though not so frequent, dig at myself).

So, as we approached Lent this year, I had the usual conversation with myself: If I give up chocolate, I might lose x amount of weight, or if I give up alcohol, I’ll suddenly have the energy of a mid-90s Energiser bunny. It felt heavy and high-pressured and, generally, just sad.

Then I got defiant. I don't want to keep giving things up just to fail. And I started thinking—what if I take something up instead? What would happen then?

After fighting the inner gym bunny in me (yes, who knew she existed?), I decided the thing I actually wanted to do more of was sewing. Crazy, right? I mean, I sew for a living! I run a business based on sewing! How much more could I need to sew?

This is genuinely the most organised I’ve ever been for a project! Check out those post its!

The "Just for Me" Rule

The truth is, I don’t get a lot of time to sew for myself. That "just for me" not too worried how it’ll turn out, creative, ‘I’ll give that a go’ type of sewing. I have no dedicated space for sewing at home and the excuses not to clear the dining table and get my machine out come way too easily.

So that’s what I committed to. 10 minutes a day during Lent. No excuses. I did set some rules, though. 10 minutes isn’t a lot of time in the making arena, so it didn’t have to actually be stitching, but something towards it. For me, "sewing" included:

  • Printing or sticking PDF patterns together (everyone’s favourite activity!)

  • Cutting out fabric

  • Organising or digging out bits from my stash

  • Looking for and ordering patterns

  • Planning and, of course, actually sitting at the machine.

This skirt has an adjustable waist and pockets big enough for wine bottles - enough said. It’s all cut and ready to sew!

Getting Over the Hump

I found the hardest part was getting started—pulling myself away from that rerun of ‘Sort Your Life Out,’ stopping the scroll, or ignoring the washing up (this bit was actually easier than you’d think!).

I’d say to myself, "It’s just 10 minutes," and launch myself into it. Some days I really only did 10 minutes, and that might be a hurried bit of EPP between cooking tea and being a mum taxi. But some days time slipped, and 10 minutes turned into 3 glorious hours of sewing bliss.

Couldn’t resist a squirrel that sews! Another project all cut out. I’ve started sewing but have to be in a mood when I can super focus, it’s all very small!

What I Discovered

I learnt so much about myself! Apparently, I like to have a lot going on at once. (I sort of knew this, but it was totally validated). There was no point where I worked on the same project for more than two consecutive days.

In just 10-minute bursts, I started:

  • A new skirt

  • An applique cushion cover

  • 2 quilts

  • 1 teddy

  • 1 squirrel character doll

  • A bra (!)

  • ...all while dipping into my ongoing EPP project.

None of them are finished. But all have made brilliant progress! And I have genuinely loved it. It turns out my brain is less of a tidy sewing box and more of a chaotic stash pile—and I’ve finally decided that’s okay.

Having quite so many projects on the go has forced me to have some kind of organisation system - trick is to use it!

Moving Forward

I did miss days—I think 3 or 4 out of the whole 40 days—but I didn’t beat myself up. That’s just life!

I am going to carry it on and have committed to trying to sew for 10 minutes a day for the next 90 days. No pressure—I’ll probably start another 10 projects in that time, but maybe I’ll have finished a couple too!

If you had 10 minutes of guilt-free sewing time today, what project would you pull out of your stash? Let me know in the comments!

Patterns & Projects Mentioned

If you’d like to try your hand at some of the projects I’ve been working on during my 10-minute sessions, here are the links to the patterns I used.

Everything else you see was designed and drafted by me. Sometimes I’m following a professional roadmap, and other times I’m just letting the fabric lead the way and figuring out the construction as I go—which is often where the most fun happens!

Helen Miller
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