On the Subject of Perceived Perfectionism in the Sewing Community

I’ve been watching conversations in and around the online sewing community about the perceived practice of posting overly perfect photographs that look staged or fake. Some folks feel pressure from seeing perfect pictures (finished projects, sewing spaces, etc) as they can never live up to this ideal. Others have commented that seeing only pictures that look too perfect is very off-putting, not showing the reality of being creative.

My current sewing space includes a "lounge area" by the design wall.

I can understand that point of view, I mean, I wish I was a better cook. Bloggers make it look so easy; the recipe comes together and the food looks delish. When I try a new recipe, my kitchen is destroyed and the food never looks as good as it does in the online pics.

View of my current sewing studio from about 2017.

So, it must be frustrating when someone eager to learn about sewing, quilting, or crafting sees a project, technique, or tutorial online and has a similar experience about things not turning out. That sucks, and from this vantage point, I can see how this may lead to feeling pressure to “perform” or be perfect when sharing your sewing makes online.

View of my current sewing studio from about 2018.

But I’ve also experienced being on the other side of this issue. I’ve been sharing photos of my sewing space online for 10+ years, and right away began getting a small number of negative comments ranging from slight sarcasm to personal attacks around the idea that a real creative person could never work in the neat, tidy, organized sewing space. I've been accused of setting up a fake space, staging these photos on purpose to make it look nicer than it is, and I've had my creativity challenged because it seems obvious that nobody creative could make something in these spaces (as in otherwise it would be a mess because the more creative a person is, the more mess they make).

My current sewing space in February, 2024.

I do share in-process pictures too, I’m not only posting perfect pictures of a sparkling clean room. I’ve been sewing for over 40 years, have earned a Fine Arts degree majoring in Fiber Arts, and have worked to teach others to sew for over 20 years. All of this experience has let me discover that I like to work in an organized space with tools exactly where I can find them, and I like to keep things tidy. So, the pictures of my work in a well-organized, neat, and tidy sewing studio are authentic to me and my creative process. My studio reflects the years of my hard work and experience. They are not staged, fake, or posted with any intent other than to share my process.

My sewing space 2007-2011.

Although I am no longer hurt by negative comments on the subject of my neat and tidy workspace, I’m still ticked off about random people taking time to post hurtful and negative comments on creative stuff I’m posting; I’m probably taking it more seriously than I should.

My sewing space 2012-2017.

But that’s where I come back to the conversations mentioned at the top of the post. I’m posting pictures to social media as a professional artist with years of experience – is there a way I could approach posting to make beginners or folks who may be trying to break into the industry feel included? What is the difference between posting photos of working as a professional with a high skill level and posting too-perfect photos that leave people with feelings of unattainability and frustration?

My current sewing studio.

I'm not sure I know what's next, but I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on the subject!

And I'll leave you with this gem...

I recently ran across this meme, on top is an organized sewing room tagged "Expectation" and below is an unorganized sewing room tagged "Reality". I contacted the poster of the meme to ask where it came from because - that "Expectation" picture is one of my sewing spaces! She messaged me that this meme was a popular one in South America for the past few years.

So yes, my organized sewing space is now a hilarious sewing meme!