4 Tips to Increase Sewing Speed for You and Machine (2024 Guide)

Stitching Machine Repair Sewing Hacks

Increase Sewing Speed by enhancing the efficiency of your sewing machine, sewing posture/ergonomics, reducing distractions and preventing sewing injuries.

Some of you may be doubtful that to increase sewing machine speed by 400% seems impossible!

But I am sure some of you would 100% agree with me that it is humanly possible to increase your sewing speed by 400% and relax in your leisure time!

I have experienced that shift in my sewing machine and overall working style.

That helped me with increased sewing speed and you can achieve it too, using these timeless sewing tips -

  • Increase sewing speed by right workstation selection.
  • Reduce Stress and Injuries
  • Eliminate the distractions
  • Choose right size of sewing table for yourself
  • Fit an electric motor to your sewing machine.

A sewing machine, which is slow and problematic in working is something, which may make you sick.

Not only do you experience body ache, chronic fatigue, cervical and back pain but also boredom when your sewing project does not come to an end, even after spending long hours putting pieces together.

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A slow sewing process can be turned into a relatively faster work, only if you modify your workstation, sewing machine placement, mechanics and working habits.

"We will pick all of these points one-by-one to see how we can improve upon each step to make our sewing more enjoyable."

Almost everybody, who is enthusiastic about sewing owns a sewing machine.

Even if you borrowed it from your grandmother, mother, relative or a friend – you can improve on a few things to make your sewing better.

You can improve your health and work to a tremendous degree if only you know how to select the correct workstation or sewing station.

HEIGHT AND WIDTH OF SEWING MACHINE TABLE

The height of your sewing machine workstation or a table depends on your height. I explain it this way –

If you have worked on a desktop computer, you are instructed to keep your spine erect. Your wrist should rest on the keyboard without stretching too high or bending too low. Right?

You can follow the same rules while sitting on a comfortable chair and working on your sewing machine.

The point is to keep your posture right. Working on desktop and sewing machine, both require your sitting attentive yet comfortable. Not stretching too much or bending too low.

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REDUCE STRESS AND INJURIES

Sewing requires long period of standing or sitting in a particular posture.

Sometimes, even if you know that you are straining yourself, the work demands itself to be completed before we could move our legs or hands.

This situation becomes all the more crucial if dress making or sewing is your occupation.

Hence, you undergo this occupational hazard and put yourself into risk of harming your health.

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There are certain things you can keep in mind :-

STRETCH & BREAK

  • Take repetitive breaks and get up from your table to stretch yourself. Doing stretching exercises for muscles and eyes will help you to be overall fit for your sewing, too.

DON’T STRETCH AND DON’T BEND

  • Take note of your posture. Just have a look at that old school stenography / shorthand images, where the girl is sitting straight and her hands on typewriter.

Same way, your legs should be under your table; your hands should reach to your sewing machine comfortably.

You should not be hunching too low and you would be able to enjoy sewing or cutting for a longer time.

GET SOME LIGHT

  • Check if your sewing machine and cutting table is placed where you get maximum natural light.

If that is not possible get florescent lightening over head fixtures to minimize eye strain.

Even if your sewing machine has in-built light bulb, you would need to have enough light around you.

ELIMINATE THE DISTRACTIONS BY THESE METHODS

Distractions are a big hurdle in achieving any goal. Sewing is no exception. Having a sewing block is a common scenario.

Beginners feel that it’s too difficult or time consuming task to accomplish and that is the reason they can not get themselves to the cutting table and their sewing machine.

The fact is that even a well trained fashion designer, who is fully confident about her skills get this block many times.

It is a task to get oneself started if the design is slightly complicated or the patterns are unusual.

Then, there is the stress of completing the task on time, which is enough to drive even a professional designer crazy at times.

So, how can you eliminate this task and get yourself to sew, eliminating distractions?

I adopt the following methods, you can try them too :-

  • HAVE A DESIGNATED PLACE FOR ALL YOUR MATERIAL & SEWING SUPPLIES.

When we know what we are going to do and what all things would be needed; it becomes easier to get our task completed.

Leaving those exceptionally bad days, when things do not run as expected; all other days you can stay organized.

Having every thing within reach is relaxing and helps in completing even the craziest sewing projects.

  • SWITCH OFF THE PHONE, T.V., DOORBELL, WI-FI, (Kids, Pets by sending them out to play, if possible).

Phone calls from friends and relatives are something we are tempted to stretch longer. When we are in middle of a project, it’s crucial to complete it before putting our hand on anything else.

It helps if we put our phone on answering or silent mode. Choose a time when nobody is expected on the door.

Television and wi-fi is off so we are not tempted to divide our attention.

  • THE RIGHT BEGINNING / START IS MOST IMPORTANT.

In fact, this is the most important point of the whole project. Well begun is half done. When we start, we catch momentum and then no distraction can really distract us.

Even if we take a break from sewing, we again get to work till we finish. That’s the crux of the story – start in a peaceful, well thought, organized and planned manner.

Take short breaks but calculate the time of completion of the project. Complete the same day.

If that sounds too challenging, don’t push to many days.

Complete within a couple of days.

Reason is – after that time you may lose interest in that particular project. That would be dangerous and demotivating in the long run.

​CHOOSE RIGHT SIZE OF SEWING TABLE FOR YOURSELF.

We already discussed this point earlier that you should choose a right size workstation for cutting and sewing. Here, I suggest the various types of tables that you can choose from :-

  • A basic Domestic Sewing Machine which you can fit on a wooden table or cabinet.

An extension can be added on the front or back side of this table to get more space. This space can be used for cutting small dresses or ironing.

This way, you will save time and energy by not getting up frequently to iron or to cut small pieces.

  • The space under the table can be used for fixing an electric motor, if your machine is not having an in-built electric motor.
  • The sides of the table can be converted into cabinet to store fabric, sewing supplies and related materials.
  • Moreover, you can get your carpenter to make a box kind of thing under your sewing machine (on your table) which can be used for storing the machine, when not in use.

This arrangement will serve two purposes,

First, your machine would be safe from kids and pets and would not gather dust.

Secondly, you can use this sewing table as a make shift study table, if needed.

FIT AN ELECTRIC MOTOR TO YOUR SEWING MACHINE.

And this is an important part, if your sewing machine is not having an electric motor as a companion. Please get one. It’s very economic and simple to buy an electric motor offline or online.

In a nutshell, you can easily increase your sewing speed. But how would you know the percentage of efficiency? 

It all depends where you are right now!

I increased my sewing speed by 400%, let us know your efficiency percentage.

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