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You are here: Home / Updates & Project Progress / 12 Signs You Are Addicted to Sewing

12 Signs You Are Addicted to Sewing

November 10, 2011 by Jodi 72 Comments

1. You are either sewing, or planning out when you will sew next. 

Photo by Miss Sews-it-all

2. You are seriously considering getting a sewing tattoo, or wish you were seriously considering getting a sewing tattoo.

3. You get grumpy if you haven’t sewn for a few days.

4. You are easily influenced by Big Fabric Store marketing techniques, especially when they include the words “clearance” or “50% off”, even more so if used together. Yes, dear, I did go fabric shopping two days ago. But the clearance bin is marked 50% off today. How could I NOT go?

5. After many years of telling your husband how offensive it would be to receive a household appliance as a gift, you put a new iron high on your Christmas wish list.

6. You have more boxes of fabric scraps than a normal person has boxes of fabric.

Photo by Gina Pina

7. You have a Pinterest board dedicated to sewing room decorating ideas.

8. You dislike beautiful weather, because it means you will take your kids outside to play instead of staying inside and sewing. One of these days, my machine is going to come outside with us.

9. You find fabric scraps or wads of string in your baby’s mouth more often than bits of paper or lint.

10. The ladies at the cutting counter know your name, and the names of all your children.

11. You spent considerable effort collecting a quirky group of sewing addiction enabling folks, even tracking them down on the interwebs if you have to. You find yourself referring to these #friendsthatliveinyourphone in daily conversation.

12. You have a sewing blog and you post to it three times in a week. 😛

So, tell me. Are you addicted?

Filed Under: Updates & Project Progress Tagged With: addiction, crafting, list, sewing, sewing addict, signs

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lipstick Jane says

    November 10, 2011 at 10:57 am

    Amen sister!

    I am totally addicted. In fact, I attend two different sewing meetups this week alone.

    Love #2 & #11.

    Reply
  2. thezenofmaking says

    November 10, 2011 at 11:02 am

    Hah, this list made my morning! I am very clearly an addict.

    Reply
  3. Barb-Harmony Art Mom says

    November 10, 2011 at 11:07 am

    Would having three sewing machines and two kinds of irons qualify me for your list? How about stashes of fabric you will NEVER use but they are still taking up a whole shelf in your craft room? I have so many buttons that my daughter and I had to sort them by color and put each pile in a separate plastic bin. I bought my daughter a sewing machine just so we could sew together and call it “home economics” when she was in middle school. She still loves to sew and does amazing things and even makes money at it now so I guess in the long run it wasn’t too selfish of me to teach her to sew.

    Loved reading your list and I could so identify with many of the points. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 10, 2011 at 11:20 am

      I think it does. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Shel Baker says

    November 10, 2011 at 11:10 am

    ha ha ha I love comment 5!! Never would i think that i would actually want an Iron for Xmas (yes the conversation has come up) 🙂 🙂

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 10, 2011 at 12:58 pm

      It’s a sad sad thing. 🙂

      2 words: ironing starch.

      Reply
  5. Nikki says

    November 10, 2011 at 11:11 am

    I resemble this post.

    Reply
  6. abby glassenberg says

    November 10, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    I got an iron for my birthday last year. It was all I wanted. Even though I took many a feminist theory class in college.

    Reply
  7. Jamie says

    November 10, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    That sewing tattoo is serious stuff! 😉

    Reply
  8. Lou says

    November 10, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    Ha! Great & Super List!
    Here’s an idea for your next list ~ Ways To ID The Family Of A Sewing Addict. The other day DH & I were headed to a store near ‘my’ JoAnns. But instead of heading to that store DH drove right to JoAnns without even thinking about it! I couldn’t quit laughing that he just naturally went there! After 42 years he knows………….

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 10, 2011 at 3:03 pm

      *love*!!!

      Reply
  9. Anabel says

    November 10, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    I still don’t have a tatoo…

    Reply
  10. Beadgirl says

    November 10, 2011 at 7:08 pm

    Hi, my name is Beadgirl and I’m a sewaholic. I have sewing projects on every floor of my house, so I never have to be without a needle.

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 12, 2011 at 11:30 am

      Always a good policy.

      Reply
  11. Reenie says

    November 10, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    Haha. Love it!! I’m only 4 out of 12, but could get to a full 12 someday 🙂

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 12, 2011 at 11:32 am

      It is a worthwhile goal to strive for (IMHO).

      Reply
  12. Erika Sews says

    November 11, 2011 at 10:53 am

    Awesome! Yes, I am a sewing addict!

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 12, 2011 at 11:32 am

      It’s why I like you so much, Erika!

      Reply
  13. Angie @ Many Little Blessings says

    November 11, 2011 at 11:27 pm

    LOL – this totally cracked me up! So, are you going to get a sewing tatoo?

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 12, 2011 at 11:32 am

      I think I am in the “Wish I was seriously considering” camp. I would have to get approval from the other person whose opinion about my body matters to me. 🙂 I as I am in the childbearing phase (and weight fluctuating) phase of my life, I’m not sure that it would be wise. 🙂 Nothing is grosser than a stretched or saggy tattoo.

      Reply
  14. Ruth says

    November 12, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    I would have ticked all of these boxes except I don’t have kids.I already have a sewing tattoo and am planning my next one as well! I’m a complete addict!!

    http://www.nicedaydesigns.org/2010/03/crafty-tattoo.html

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      November 12, 2011 at 3:59 pm

      oooh that’s so fun! Someone should make a crafty tattoo pinterest board. 🙂

      Reply
  15. (Helena) (@microbionoar) says

    November 12, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    Oh yes i am a hopeless and very happy addict 🙂

    Reply
  16. Stevie says

    November 15, 2011 at 3:45 am

    I’m well and truly addicted. I completely refer to everyone in the blogisphere like they live next door. my boyfriend raises his eyebrows and I have to explain they are a blogger.
    Fabric is also dangerous but I suppose its not a bad addiction to have!

    Reply
  17. mjb says

    November 21, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    So very addicted. Thankfully, my husband is supportive, but I don’t think he truly understands. My sewing room is our “formal dining room” and I added 3 vintage machines to the collection this year.

    Reply
    • sandy german says

      December 8, 2011 at 2:41 pm

      I like that your formal dining room was put out of its misery. What vintage machines did you add? Are there pix? Tell me more. I’m living vicariously through others while my own sew-called life is on hold. Thanks, Sandy

      Reply
  18. Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy says

    November 21, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    Just dropping in to say I’ve been thinking of you and this post every time I’ve turned on my (crappy) iron since I first read it 10 days ago! (And I’ve been sewing, so I’ve been ironing A LOT.)

    Reply
  19. simplydove says

    November 23, 2011 at 11:50 am

    This is so funny! I must be addicted given the fact that I have a Pinterest board, and I seriously CAN NOT STOP buying fabric! Lol!

    PS – Found your blog through Sewaholic! Love it! 🙂

    Reply
  20. Norma says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:04 am

    ha!ha! i have 7 sewing machines and 3 sergers,and cant stop buying fabric,do i qualify????

    Reply
  21. Sharon Darling says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:04 am

    Is there a 12 Step program for this addiction? 🙂

    Reply
  22. Connie says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:05 am

    Does having 3 sewing machines and 1 embroirdery machine qualify me as addicted?

    Reply
  23. Irene S. says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:10 am

    I am so totally addicted! I love this!

    Reply
  24. Becky M says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Love this list! SO TRUE! And this summer I will totally be taking my sewing machine outside. Lucky for me, my neighbor behind me is also a sewing addict. She used to bring her machine out when her boys were young so I know I won’t get any funny looks! 🙂

    Reply
  25. marla says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:39 am

    i’m addicted and don’t care who knows it!!! well, except for the kid part, because i don’t have kids yet. but i do have a pinterest board for what i’m going to sew once i do have kids!

    Reply
  26. Shirley Clark says

    December 2, 2011 at 9:57 am

    All I can say is “Amen”! LOL

    Reply
  27. Jean Hensley says

    December 2, 2011 at 10:00 am

    I love it. I am a member of a quilt guild and a bee. There are 10 ladies in our bee and we are more than just sewing/quilting buddies. They are my best friends and they are all just as passionate about quilting as I am. Yes, I do have lots of scraps and I do need more fabric, especially when it’s on sale. Thanks for this list. I love it!

    Reply
  28. JUDEE says

    December 2, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Thanks for the list. I thought I was addicted, but I am not after all. Good to know.

    Reply
  29. Kelly Steve says

    December 2, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    Very funny! I am addicted! I no longer have a baby to pull scraps out of their mouth, but my dog eats any batting that is left on the floor. If a drop a bobbin I have to run for it or he will eat that too. And those berina bobbins are too expensive to keep replacing! I am even thinking of getting “inked” sometime soon. can’t decide if I should wait until I’m 80 – another 30 years? Love that tattoo. Thanks for posting, I read your facebook feed all the time and appreciate your sense of humor. Have a great holiday!

    Reply
  30. Marilyn says

    December 2, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    No 5 is definitely something that I told my husband the first 25 years of our marriage.

    Reply
  31. Mary McCrory Valaika says

    December 2, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    I have photos of more than 900 quilts on my Pinterest board, and I want to make them all. That’s not counting the photos of the Designs for Quilting board, ha! Yes to all except the tatoo: but how about, how many sewing machines do you own? I have 4, thinking about getting a 5th. (Bernina, Avante 18″ long arm, the fall back workhorse Kenmore 33 years old, an Elna apple-green Supermatic because it’s cute as can be). Need a serger…… need a featherweight….. Or, how many pairs of scissors do you own? Seriously, ladies, gather them up and count them,you are going to be amazed. Betcha it’s at least 15, and that is the bare minimum. And irons, I have 5: the one I use, and presently 4 back up irons. My husband buys the irons for me at garage sales and auctions if they are clean and the cords are in good shape. He’s an antiques dealer so he lives at the auctions and sales: he calls me when he finds: patterns, thread, fabric, sewing machines, quilt racks, quilting gear, cutting mats, embroidery thread, unfinished tops, etc. God love the man.

    Reply
  32. Linda Towers says

    December 2, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    I guess this means that I am hopelessly addicted. Fortunately, there is no known cure! Nix on the tattoo. Happily back to the sewing room I go.

    Reply
  33. Sandra says

    December 2, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    I would say I’m addicted. I’m pretty sure my husband thinks I’m a sewing/fabric horder. I can relate to everyone of these comments.

    Reply
  34. Karen Nein says

    December 2, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    I am soooo addicted to sewing. My sewing machine is in my living room where I can keep an eye on it!! My hubby refers to himself as a quilting widower.

    Reply
  35. Kathleen says

    December 3, 2011 at 4:03 am

    #7! I love pictures of spotless sewing rooms. Mine will never make a Pinterest board! I read this cute little story online, you may enjoy (and have empathy with) it! http://popser.com/Cleaning.html

    Reply
  36. Bonnie says

    December 3, 2011 at 9:48 am

    LOVE it! #8 made me spit out my coffee.

    Reply
  37. Claudine says

    December 3, 2011 at 9:55 am

    Great post! I have actually met several of the friends who live in my phone. My friends who don’t sew think it’s really strange and daring that I go around meeting people on the Internet.

    Point #1 describes the state of my mind at all times.

    Reply
  38. grapeskystudio says

    December 3, 2011 at 10:51 am

    I have a good one you can add – I’m in aruba for a week -lying on the beach and am so antsy thinking of all the quilting I could be doing with a week off at home!!! How addicted it that!! Plus I brought english paper piecing with me to the beach just to keep the withdrawal down a bit.

    Reply
  39. grapeskystudio says

    December 3, 2011 at 10:53 am

    Oh – also forgot – it was cyber monday while i’m here and I was shopping like crazy on-line on my laptop at the pool!

    Reply
  40. Nancy says

    December 3, 2011 at 10:55 am

    I laughed out loud at #5. I was ironing a tablecloth today to get ready for my quilt group holiday party tonight and I was thinking about asking my husband for a steam generator iron!

    Reply
  41. Melissa, SoChick! says

    December 3, 2011 at 11:31 am

    Sew addicted!!!! :-). Love this!

    Reply
  42. carla ball says

    December 3, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    well it looks as though I am a sewing addict..wonder if there is a rehab for sewing addicts? better not be..I love sewing and have been since I was a little girl.

    Reply
  43. Jodi says

    December 3, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    You, ladies, are really the best enablers ever!!!! 🙂

    Reply
  44. Rachell says

    December 3, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    lol. I am sure addicted. I resemble most of these, including the children ones. I even have a Facebook photo album dedicated to my sewing and quilting.

    Reply
  45. Shirley G says

    December 4, 2011 at 6:25 am

    Ha! I am NOT addicted. I have never started a blog….this leaves me more time to sew.

    Reply
  46. Carol Miller says

    December 4, 2011 at 8:47 am

    I though a tattoo of an open pair of sissors on the side of your neck would be the greatest tat. It would show all those other wanna-be’s that you mean business. the only one the would be better is a rotary cutter one, that if you put a hoop earring in your ear it would look like the blade was actually moving!! Think about it girls, are you ready??!!

    Reply
  47. treadlemusic says

    December 4, 2011 at 9:21 am

    How true!! And love that pincushion/scissor holder (shown on outdoor side table)!!

    Reply
  48. Elizabeth says

    December 5, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    OMG, I think I may be addicted. Loved this post!

    Reply
  49. Pam says

    December 6, 2011 at 10:22 am

    I have a tattoo, with a spool of thread and a needle in it. It was drawn from one of my mother’s old wooden spools.

    Reply
  50. Debra says

    December 14, 2011 at 11:23 am

    Love this post! I Eat, Sleep, Dream,Think Sewing…not much time to blog, though. Busy looking for more machines to buy and organizing sewing projects for 2013. 2012 is already full…somehow derelict projects do infiltrate my schedule and I go off on a different project tangent.
    Sadly gave away one sewing machine…now have to get my arsenal back up to an even dozen. When my DH go shopping together, he just drops me off at the fabric store first so I can get it out of my system for the day…he says my eyes glaze over and I transcend into a different place even before we pull out of the driveway. He wonders how I make it there when I drive myself. Wish I could tolerate a sewing tattoo…in love with sewing needles so much more than tattoo needles…Yikes!

    Reply
  51. Clare Rowley says

    January 6, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    LOL – how profoundly true~

    Reply
  52. Claire from HandmadebyClaireBear.com says

    February 13, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Addiction? It’s possible, you tell me…

    #1 and #3 definitely, especially at the moment,
    I hadn’t even thought of #2.
    #4 surely that’s just sensible
    #5 an iron isn’t a household appliance, it’s a craft tool, and is exempt from the ban on appliances for birthdays.
    #6 define “normal”
    #7 doesn’t everyone?
    no small children, so no to #8 and #9
    #10 I tend not to name and shame my children, but they do know all of my current sewing projects.
    #11 well, there is this monthly meeting I go to…
    #12 usually three times a week, sometimes more

    At least it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble.
    Claire
    read my blog at http:handmadebyclairebear.com

    Reply
  53. Claire from HandmadebyClaireBear.com says

    February 13, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    I love this post, would you mind if I reproduced it on my blog? You’d get full credit, of course.

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      February 13, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      Claire, you are more than welcome to post a link to it on your blog, but please do not copy the blog post itself. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Handmade by Claire Bear says

        February 13, 2012 at 6:35 pm

        :o)

  54. Dakota says

    March 5, 2012 at 2:02 am

    I giggled as I read this and said yes. yes. yes. yes. Sooo true.

    Reply
  55. Alonda says

    February 18, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    Love this site, ran upon the tattoo, just what I been loking for. My aunt passed March 2012, she was a master quilter, & did just about every craft imaginable. She taught me to quilt years ago, I inturn have taught my grandaughters. Yes I do have 3 very expensive machines, 2 irons, a full closet with 9 shelves of fabric, 3 bins marked UFO, scrapes, blocks. My husband knows to walk lightly for fear of pins on floor, & never use or borrow anything from my sewing room.

    Reply
  56. Kathleen says

    February 10, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    I really beginning to think I need help since last weekend I purchased my third featherweight singer sewing machine, I can pass up an estate sales that has sewing items listed, esp VTG patterns and I am always looking for new things to create…..

    Reply
  57. Kyla says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Wow I am a match to this article!!! I am totally addicted – even saying “interwebs” matches! I don’t have a Pinterest board, but have spent a long time looking at other people’s pins for sewing room ideas, same thing right? What a great article, made my day!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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