Using Pinterest for Sewing

Ah, Pinterest. How do I love thee? I'll be honest, I planned my wedding before Pinterest was a "thing." I used to joke that I was glad that I did, because I would have gotten totally stuck in the endless rabbit hole of possible DIY projects and ideas. Inspiration overload!

Now that I've had a few years of "pinning" under my belt, I realize how valuable a tool Pinterest can be, not only for inspiration, but for organization as well. It's like a virtual file cabinet...with pictures! So in this post, we'll talk about how to use Pinterest for inspiration as well as tips and tricks to use it as an organizational tool. Ready? Let's get started! 

 So, how do I utilize Pinterest for sewing?

Inspiration:

Pinterest is my go-to source for inspiration. I find ideas for garments to sew and patterns to make my ideas come to life.  But sometimes efficiently searching for garment ideas takes a little practice. Here are some specific ways you can search that will increase your chances of success:

• Fabric – I often begin a search with a specific fabric in mind.  I choose simple descriptive words to describe the print.  I begin my search with the color and print style. For instance, “navy stripe top, “teal floral skirt”, “red plaid jacket”, etc.
• Garment type – If you have yet to narrow down your fabric choice, but know the type of garment you wish to create, you can search specifically for that. For example: “double hood sweatshirt”, “dressy joggers”, “cocktail dress”, etc.
• Type of Style – It can be fun to broaden your search to a style that you identify with.  This will yield more varied results, and you may be surprised by how inspiring it can be to consider new ideas using this type of search. I usually use the word “outfit” on the end of these searches. For example, you can search: “stay at home mom outfit”, “business casual outfit”, “athletic outfit”, etc.
• Patterns – Pinterest is a great resource for finding both PDF and traditional paper sewing patterns.  You can find not only patterns that are new to you, but also blog posts where other sewers have sewn and reviewed these patterns already. And how great is that?  Or you can search for a pattern type, such as “knit blazer pdf sewing pattern” and get a ton of wonderful inspiration.  

Organization:

We all know that Pinterest is an amazing search engine for sourcing creative ideas. But if this is the only way that you utilize Pinterest, then you're missing out on its full potential!  I use Pinterest to store and catalog my sewing lists, and it's an incredible organizational tool to have in your creative arsenal. Here are a few of the Pinterest “List” boards I use.

• Fabric Wish List- Each individual SSE fabric page on the website has a “pin it” button.  This feature makes it easy to pin your favorite fabrics and keep a list of all the fabrics you want. It's also great to have the fabrics you're dreaming of handy, especially in the event of a sale or Bundle Chicken event! 
• Fabric Stash- This probably is my favorite way to use Pinterest as an organizational tool. Have you ever find fabric packed away in a box or closet, having forgotten that you've even bought it? Or do you wish you had a way to assess easily how much yardage of a certain fabric you have each time you begin a project? This next tip will definitely help! Each time I place a fabric order, I pin the fabric to a “my stash” board.  This way I can easily reference my stash when I am considering which fabric to use for a pattern.  It is also helpful when trying to find the name of a fabric once it is sold out and no longer visible on the website.  Plus, its just fun and inspirational to see it all in one place!

• Patterns- I have a Pinterest board where I keep all my patterns cataloged. It's so helpful when I am considering a new project to be able to browse through and consider the best pattern to use.  This also saves me from buying the same pattern twice! Raise your hand if that's ever happened to you (Me...I'm raising my hand)!
• Finished Projects- This is also a fun one. Pinterest is a great way to catalog your finished projects. It helps you see how much you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve grown in your craft. Take a picture of yourself looking fabulous in a recent make, or snap a quick picture of it on a dress form and pin it to your board. Sometimes when I find myself in a sewing funk, it's so nice to be able to see my projects together and get that creative spark back!

 **Tip** One of the things that I love about Pinterest is any of your boards can be kept “secret." This means that they are only visible to you, so you can choose exactly what material you’d like to be public. 

I hope that after reading this you see Pinterest in a new light and are better able to utilize some of what it has to offer! If you are new to Pinterest, don’t feel like you have to dive in and do it all at once (remember "inspiration overload"? I swear, it's real)!   Start by signing up for an account and creating your first board, maybe a board called “Sewing,” and repin a few things that you like or inspire you. It can be as simple as that. 

And of course, be sure to follow the SSE Pinterest board here (SSE Pinterest) and all of our fun and exciting pins will show up on your feed!