Sewing Unfinished Projects?

I've been acquiring bits and pieces to build bleacher like seating to get a lot of my dolls sitting in a double layer for pictures. This is for my 1/3 dolls. I've got all of the parts, and do plan on finishing it hopefully by the end of this year. I haven't even begun to put any of it together, or cut things that need to be cut, or paint things that need to be painted.

All the pieces are piled on a stand at the foot of my bed. Where they have been sitting for most of the year. I think a part of me is asking, how am I supposed to put all this mess together? Is it going to look okay. It looks fine in my head, but? Is it going to be stable enough to hold the dolls. What if I waste these pieces by doing a bad job?

I made a diorama once for me 1/4 dolls when I first got in the hobby. It was huge, and took up a lot of space. After a few months I just broke it, and threw it all in the trash. I think I am a bit worried about not doing a good job. It's silly, but some of the pieces of materials that I set aside are taken from other things and if I destroy them by not doing a good job, those bits an pieces are gone forever. I don't know until I put it together, right?

If I can repurpose something that turns out badly, or I decide that I have the materials, but no longer want to make it then I will use it all for something else. I have taken apart some of the doll furniture, and clothing that I have made and reused it for something that I am now currently using for my dolls.

 

I honestly try to make a point of finishing my projects. I wasnt always that good with that though and still not too succesful. Although not old, just maybe a month old or so, I have an almost finished renaissance jacket for one of my boys. The last thing to do is sew the sleeves on! And closures. I also started embroidering a new shirt for one of my girls.
I think my main pain point is the closure. I hate sewing on on making closures, so sometimes I did put it off for YEARS.
I still really hate that lol.
Otherwise its half finished faceups, wigs, and dolls awaiting bodyblushes that wait long times for me to get to.
Gotta say though that Im rather busy currently, so not always have the time

 

I have SO many unfinished pieces in my "UFO" box! Separated by size into gallon storage bags. What's kept me from finishing them is simply executive dysfunction. I would 'perfect' (read: I was happy with the fit at that time) a pattern and batch cut several items out at once. I was always left with this pile of stuff that needed to be sewn together, and then executive dysfunction would barge right on in.

I've learned over the years that batch cutting items does not work for me. So I've made an effort to stop that, and now only cut ONE item at a time, and do not cut anything else out until I'm finished putting together the current item. But the UFO box just sits there, and even has several items in it for my favorite doll size. And some of these items have been in there for YEARS. Long enough that I've circled back to the original patterns that were used to cut out those items and have since improved those patterns. Some pieces can just be adjusted slightly to work; but others won't.

I have 'emptying the UFO box' as an ongoing sub-item for my yearly goal list, and usually don't do anything with it. Though I did manage to empty out the UFO bag I had for my Iple SID guy when I updated his t-shirt pattern earlier this year. So maybe there's hope I'll get that box emptied! Or maybe I'll just have to sit down with each bag and use the KonMari Method as a way to designate the cut pieces as scraps -- either for cutting out stuff for smaller dolls OR to use as stuffing for projects that require it. I do have a doll-sized tailor's ham and sleeve roll on my 'want to make' list...

 

I usually carry my physically started projects to the end but I've found myself sitting in a "bought materials, ready to go" limbo with quite a few plans, and it's definitely annoying me a bit. I have so many wig wefts and specially sourced fabrics ready to go and.... they've been in this state for at least a year if not more I've even cut out some patterns and gathered references and just... no. I think it's sometimes just intimidating to go forward when you know there are a million steps involved, especially as I find it hard to put things on pause if I can't finish them in one go. It's not just things for dolls, it's stuff I've wanted to sew for myself as well.

I think I just need to trick myself into cutting out stuff from fabric so it's easier to get to the sewing part? I also think it's fair to scrap projects that never get going, though, and make something else in the spur of the moment, that way at least the materials see an outcome in this century

 

I have unfinished projects from early in my BJD collecting days cuz I worried about my skill level. I tend to just throw those out Sometimes I just lose interest in the project and eventually circle back, or again throw it away. Though usually I cut out a pattern but don’t have time to sew it. So it stays in pieces for a while. I try not to have more than two projects going at a time so I actually finish them.

 

My project graveyard is mostly overambitious sewing projects I've since abandoned. Some of them are so old, I have no desire to return to them, though I may take them apart to use in other projects. I also have a few incomplete pieces of doll furniture.

The main cause is project based hyperfocus abandoning me. Sometimes the hyperfocus return, and I can complete a project. These are my project phoenixes. Fortunately, I'm much stricter about allowing myself to start overambitious projects, so I'm more likely to get phoenixes than filling my graveyard.

 

I try not to start a new one until the current one is done and it would take weeks to finish bc of indecisiveness most times Also perfectionism and analysis paralysis. I also tend to fix an already working pattern and then end up with an awful fit, so I start again.

 

I alternate between sewing, knitting and crocheting, so... the amount of unfinished projects I have abandoned due to perfectionism kicking in, or from losing interest... yeah, it's a lot . I can rarely dedicate myself to one task long enough to finish it. Oopsie.
Not to mention I really struggle with understanding patterns and perceiving how "3D" things like garments work, so working on those is exhausting & therefore burns through so much energy.... not a very useful combo to have as a fashion student btw.

 

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I have too many to count. I'm a "butterfly crafter" constantly flitting to the next project even if the current one isn't finished.

A few weekends ago I was looking for an easily transportable project to take along to work on at a Craft Day with friends and pulled out my unfinished dolls clothes bag looking for things that mostly need a little hand work to get them finished.

I ended up with six (of the original twelve) Dancing Princess dresses I started for a Fairy Tale themed doll meet that took place 14 years ago (they were worn tacked together in places and sewn on to the dolls and looked the part on the day but they were all made in less than a fortnight and I kept meaning to get abck and finish them),

Once the deadline for the event was past, of course, the urgency to get them finished evaporated.
I got the hanging sleeves added to the burgundy and brown silk outfit the redhead on the right of the picture is wearing and the red silk and and brocade sleeves added to the red dress in the centre of the picture and some of the fastenings added to the blue-turquoise. lilac and salmon coloured gowns (the girl in red adn blue standing on the left was in a borrowed gown - I ran out of time - I finally made her green silk damask renaissance style gown a few years ago)

I hacve a set of ten Gingham Victorian-style gowns (each in a different colour) that are in various states ofcompleteion from just needing fastenings to mostly constructed





As well as a set of ten Victorian Bathing costumes (again, each in the wearer's signature colour) in a similar state of unfinishedness:



As well as many other individual projhects (Victorian is featured highly as the main bul;k of my SD sized gang are from one large extended family of siblings, half siblings and cousins)





As well as a few doll scale patchwork projects...


And don't even get me started on the unfinishedd full-sclae costumes (some started in the 90s!!!) that I have multiple crates of

Teddy

 

Teddy, your work is gorgeous as always, but the size of your UFO pile makes me feel a bit better about mine!

 

{LAUGH!} I'm glad it's been good for something

Teddy

 

TBH, though, a lot of my "UFOs" are still in the "wouldn't it be nice"/mental planning stage.

The latest idea: My parents were watching an episode of Perry Mason (crime show from the 50s) and there was a rich woman character wearing the loveliest A-line dress with a line of "gems" going down the side. So I immediately took notes on how it looked for future doll dress purposes. :3

 

I don't count those as UFOs - they're plans for future projects.

Teddy

 

I'm a serial project hopper and project un-finisher in all honesty, 90% of my projects are unfinished!

It's mainly a motivation problem; I'll get partway through a project I was super excited about, and suddenly it starts feeling like the finish line is just SO far away and that getting there would be SO painfully tedious, regardless of whether I'm 30% done or 95% done.

I'm not sure why it's like that, but it prevents me from finishing anything half the time, so I tend to start one project, get tedious-brained about it, start a different one, and repeat until the end of time.

I think in the entire time I've been into doll sewing of any kind (including non-BJDs, it's around 7-ish years I think) I've finished a grand total of just 5 or 6 projects. If I'm remembering correctly, it's one kimono, two dresses, one sweater, and one pair of overalls.

There's currently several unfinished 1/3 BJD-related sewing projects in my WIPs pile that I do want to finish someday, but anything older that didn't get finished usually either got lost or thrown out. I know I tore apart a few unfinished 1/4 items because I wanted to re-use their trims for other newer things too.

 

Usually the only unfinished ones are projects that cannot be progressed on due to weather -- projects that involve blushing or face upping and spraying ( out of doors).
For styling/costuming I usually am encompassed by the one concept at hand - it gives me a happy focus in a crazy world, and I keep working on that and refining and executing until it is fully completed. That may take months due to RL, but only room for one project at a time in my head and soul, and in my available space.

 

@Teddy I always admire your dolls' wardrobes so much, and all that you get made for them, you industrious soul! My girls here are lucky if they get ONE outfit, let alone 5 or six each! Goals.

 

Aww... Thank you. I suspect ADHD plays into it - The law of averages says that SOME of the many projects i get distracted into starting, must actually reach completion, even if themajority of them don't.

My goal is that each doll with have a wardrobe that at least covers each season, and some specific use outfits (attending a party, "Sunday best", Seaside holiday etc) where possible, So far few (if any) of them have that but with a house full of dolls (not just BJD), that's a huge task.

Too many ideas and a lack of follow-through mean that there's a LOT that goes unfinished.

Teddy

 

Well, I was going to write a long response incorporating what other people have said, whilst elaborating on the specific projects I've been neglecting... but then I decided to finish one of them instead

(I guess I just needed to find something I hate worse than sewing, namely: writing)

 

{applause!!!}

Teddy

 

Haha, thanks

Behold, a beret:

 

Well done!

Teddy

 

I've been trying to construct a coat with lining for my sorcerer character, but I've just been overall a bit overwhelmed by the scale of working with something more tailored. I've been trying to take my time with making the pattern, but taking my time has translated more into just not doing anything for it. Occasionally I have had to move the fabric out of the way to get to other things, but I truly hope to get the courage to pick the project back up again.

 

Fingers crossed!

Teddy