On April 13th, 2019 (just two days before my birthday) I completed my 100 days of sewing challenge. I honestly could not believe that that it had come to an end or that I even made it that far. That challenge was no joke! I never sewed for that many days straight so I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. The days went by slow but fast at the same time. It was exciting seeing my pieces come together over the few days and it was a great way to see how long it took me to construct a particular garment. However, with a full time job and personal obligations there were honestly some points where I wanted to run away from my sewing machine.
Believe it or not, towards the latter half of my challenge, I began to lose my sew-jo. Part of the reason for this was because I had poor planning. Remember, I sort of woke up one day wanting to do this and not actually taking the time to think this through. I was afraid that if I gave myself too much time to think it through then I would eventually talk myself out of doing it. On these days where I lost my sew-jo, I heavily relied on my Instagram feed and Pinterest to encourage my creative juices to flow again.
On the brighter side of things, I was able to share more of my process and even did a tutorial of one of my pieces in my stories (this process is saved in my Instagram highlights for Simplicity 8636 shirt dress). This was my way of seeing how it may be if I even did sew-a-long video on YouTube and I actually enjoyed it. I have a lot of friends of mine who follow me on social media that have no idea about how clothes are made so they enjoyed seeing it. It encouraged me to share more of my in progress work on my feed and in my stories. Not to mention, sharing my progress on my feed daily drastically increased my Instagram following which was a pleasant surprise.
Another great thing is that I created 15 pieces ( two of which for a client) and altered two garments for family during the challenge. I made more in my challenge than in the first year and a half of my time sewing. My skills have strengthened and I tackled some fears such as invisible zippers and pants. My eyes have definitely opened to what I am truly capable of doing with this skill.
Now the question remains about whether or not I would do this again and I would have to say maybe. I don’t want to flat out say “no” because honestly I don’t even know what I plan to make for tomorrow night’s dinner. I may not do the full 100 days but I can certainly see myself doing a smaller version of it. However, I would recommend any sewist to try this challenge at least once no matter the skill level. It is not easy but comes with a lot of benefits for your sewing skills. Let me know in the comments below if you would try something like this. Until next time, loves!
Love,
Christine
Create & Pray 
I have decided to try this in 2021, as well as the Facebook 52 Weeks of Sewing challenge. That one comes with a plan and spreadsheet and everything. I have a lot of sewing experience, but need to refine how I approach fit, as well as wardrobe building. To this end, I am beginning a sewing course on January 7, and will begin the #100daysofsewing challenge on that day. Any tips, beyond posting on Insta to keep the accountability up?
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Hi there! So exciting that you are going to try this challenge out. I actually haven’t heard about the Facebook challenge but I have seen someone on Instagram challenge themselves to complete a project each week for a year. As far as how to stay accountable outside of posting, definitely plan as many projects that you hope to complete during the challenge. Even if you don’t complete them all, that is okay. It’s more so for you to have a list to choose from (a mixture of hard and easy projects). I didn’t have that so I found myself scrambling between projects and that didn’t help my motivation at all. Also, you can go even further and break down what steps of each project you want to tackle on any particular day. A lot more planning but you will thank yourself later for setting up smaller achievable goals for yourself each day. Lastly, even if you don’t post everyday on Instagram, definitely take a photo each day after you made progress for the day and you can compile those photos for your own recap at intervals of your challenge. Hope this helps. Wishing you much success on your challenges and a very Happy New Year!
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