How do you motivate yourself into starting a big project?

Well, it's all about where your comfort level is. When I first got my first doll (my Obitsu 27cm girl) I wanted to learn to sew for her but I wasn't very good at making things yet. My mom showed me how to make tiny pillows and I started off by making her a ton of little pillows as a result. I've lost most of them but it gave me some ambitions.

Remember, it's not going to look amazing first try. If following a tutorial for a traditional shirt is intimidating try lying your doll down on some paper and sketching a rough shirt shape around them and make it a bit big to allow for seam allowance and cut it out for your first pattern.

I get motivated by checking the "what are you currently sewing?" threads, the project journals ect. I actually joined the sewing project seasonal challenge because I wanted to get motivated and it's worked so far.

Next goal is setting up my Shark themed stuff early since I need something to do. Gonna make pillows and all that. (And I bought way too much shark fabric)

 

If you're stuck I find completing something else will give me motivation. Especially little easy things.

Im always int the middle of like 3 different things

 

I find a more unpleasant task to do... oh, I have to clean the bathroom? I'll get to that right after I finish sewing this shirt!

It's the same with writing or schoolwork-- oh, I have to write a six page essay for class? I'll do that after I'm finished dusting and vacuuming!

 

What I like to do is have multiple projects to work on. All of a different nature, but geared toward the same doll. My current work in progress involves a lot of crafting, painting, and eventually sewing. I just completed her face up, which is what I was most excited to do. The only thing that was frustrating with that was waiting for the weather to cooperate! I, too, am a sewing newbie. I've drafted my own t-shirt pattern to fit my doll and have attempted hand sewing and machine sewing it. I just recently purchased the machine so I'm still trying to learn it as well. I can get the main concept down but sleeves!!! Sleeves are my arch nemesis right now...the fabric I have to use is a stretchy knit and my machine constantly wants to eat it! So many of times I push the machine away and work on crafting that I know I'm good at so at the end of the day I feel accomplished!

 

I separate big projects into steps. First, finalize a pattern. Next, choose and prep the fabric. Third, cut out the fabric. Etc. I sometimes pause a tv show and run off to do a simple step. It gets me closer to the end project and I can zap through the commercials when I return!

 

The last big doll clothes project that got somewhere was Liberace, it starts with a theme and searching through my stash. For him it was music and having some stuff with piano keyboards on it was the spark. I picked up a few more things at the fabric store to give me mix and match options, planned what to cut out of what fabric, did all the cutting at once, then the sewing when I had the time.

With my brain injury executive disfunction runs rampant so I have several projects at several different levels of completion- Fabric is ready for cutting (and another doll might take it), pieces cut and ready to be sewn, being sewn and I must finish at least one item during this sitting (helps with finishing tasks). I also sew by hand so sewing and having a DVD going often happen at the same time which is like another reward.

 

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time...
Break the project up into smaller pieces and parts.

And sometimes, start with the scariest one... or the easiest... or the one there is no going back from.

 

I was in the same situation few months ago, when I got all the materials I needed to start practicing with the face-up, I just did it, the satisfaction of seeing how the work is taking shape, it is something amazing

 

I visualize the finished product and how I'd feel about it. I also remind myself that not starting or not finishing has a history of frustrating and hurting me. I just finished my debut novel, Concrete Monsters, after almost 4 years. I've had periods where I couldn't get myself to work until I forced myself. Actually, forcing yourself to start or continue, isn't as bad as it sounds. I found it usually puts me on a roll and I actually enjoy working. You just need to make yourself take that first step. It's like starting a crappy car engine. Yes, it's hard to get it started, but once it's running, it's RUNNING.

 

Come up with another big project I really want to do and then tell myself I can't even start to start on it without finishing the other project(s) first. This literally got me to work on something I'd procrastinated on for half a year. Then I got into it and it's almost done (stalled currently due to weather. So, not my fault.).

So when it's finished I can start the other thing I really want to start. Though I've got so much I need to do first I might have to keep procrastinating......forever. Omg.

 

There are two tricks that work for me, both for starting and sticking with a project:
Firstly, when I know I'll need to stop soon, I prepare the project so the next step will be super easy. (As in, pin the next seam but don't sew it yet.) Like that, when I get back to it, I can just dive right in without going "where was I?" or trying to remember what comes next.
Secondly, I keep project journals (or, for smaller/quicker things, post in the "what are you currently sewing/crafting" or Sewing Project threads). That helps me remember what I've already done, and reminds me of how far I've come with something. It's easy to look at something unfinished and go "ugh, I never get anything done!" - keeping a journal helps (me) keep track of the things that did get done, and how I they were done.

 

I'm also stuck in the same place as you, but what I try is to write it down on my planner together with every single thing I have to do and use the boring moments to make steps towards my goal.