Every sewist has one. Yours might be a basket, bag, drawer or plastic box. Some call it the too hard basket or UFOs (unfinished objects). Mine is affectionately known as the naughty corner. However, is it the projects that need discipline or me?
A real place for real projects
In my sewing room, the naughty corner is a very real place, not metaphorical at all. It is the cupboard which is literally in the corner of the room.
It is where projects go when I feel stuck on them or when something has gone wrong. Sometimes I can tell they are not going to fit quite right so I stop sewing and into the naughty corner they go.
Projects that have frustrated me or confused me go into the naughty corner. Sometimes I just run out of steam or more truthfully, run out of patience.
Sent down like a criminal to prison
This might make you laugh. In New Zealand’s High Court in Auckland, in the dock, there is a trap door with stairs leading down to the cells. Years ago, when someone was sentenced to imprisonment, they were literally “sent down” the stairs. I think the stairs and trap door are still there but no longer used.
In a way, my naughty corner is a bit like that. The project gets “sent down” when it is not behaving. Most of the projects in my naughty corner are still in their special project bags, buried under a big bag of fabric scraps. They start at the top of the pile and somehow, often after I have been rummaging for craft supplies, they end up on the floor of the cupboard. There they lay, hidden beneath layers of good intentions, banished out of sight.
Letting it breathe
I let the project sit for a bit and give myself time to reset. Often it is several months before I pull a project out when I have a new plan or just a bit more determination.
Another common trigger for sending things into the naughty corner is the end of term. I go to a weekly sewing class that runs in eight-week blocks. If something is still unfinished by 9pm at the end of week eight’s class, into the naughty corner it goes. Projects get abandoned in the naughty corner in favour of a fresh exciting project for the new term. The new term feels so full of promise. The old projects just slip away – from the top of my scraps and craft supplies pile to the naughty corner at the bottom of the cupboard. Down they go.
A strategic pause not a failure
I do not put things in the naughty corner because I have failed. Mostly it is because I need a break from the chaos. You will know what I mean if you have tried to power through a tricky project and it keeps getting worse. I remember one term, on the last class of the eight-week block, I was trying to finish a garment. There were just ten minutes of the class to go. I had already spent time refilling an empty bobbin, then the sewing machine needle broke. It felt like the machine was telling me, “that is enough for now” so into the naughty corner the project went.
If I am truly motivated to finish a project, I will. Not even broken needles, unpicking seams or resewing the same section for the fourth time will stop me. However, if frustration is taking over, there is no shame in putting a project aside. The naughty corner lets me breathe, reflect and regain my spark.
A space for second chances
Of course I would like everything to be perfect, finished on time, with no drama and no detours, with the finished project fitting as it should. Sewing does not work that way and neither do I.
I have come to realise the naughty corner is not a place of shame. It is a place for second chances. Yes, I might need a little help and that is the good thing about sewing, you do not have to do it alone.
My naughty corner has a rule. There is a limit to the number of projects in the naughty corner. It does not fit more than three projects. If I put a project in the naughty corner, then one that has been in there for a while has to come out to be finished. No excuses. Otherwise, the pile can get overwhelming and nobody needs that kind of pressure from their hobby.
A quiet reclaiming
The next sewing class starts this week and I have pulled the three projects out of my naughty corner. I am re-reading the patterns, trying them on and figuring things out. This is the term of finishing things. A reset, a quiet reclaiming of the work I started and still believe in.
You cannot punish a sewing project. It is just fabric and thread. It does not have feelings so the naughty corner is not going to hurt it and it will not hurt you. There is no guilt about the naughty corner.
Give yourself permission to take a step back from projects that are not going well. When you have the energy, unpick those seams, replace the sewing machine needle, give it another go.
Finishing with fresh eyes
Do not think of it as failure but as part of the creative process. When the time is right, look at it with fresh eyes. Finish it. Wear it. Love it. Nothing beats the feeling of turning something that once felt impossible into something finished and fabulous.
What is in your naughty corner?
Do you have a naughty corner or maybe a too hard basket that is quietly gathering UFOs with potential? I would love to hear about it. Whether it is a zipper that went rogue, a top that turned out too tight or just something that lost its sparkle. You are not alone.
Leave a comment. No judgment, just real talk from one sewist to another. Let us swap stories and cheer each other on.