Casey's Elegant Musings

Note: I had a finished project to show off today, but the photos weren’t turning out right (my fault for waiting until the evening to take them!), so that will come later in the week. Instead I decided to share a post on sewing failures that I had in my draft queue and had been tinkering on the past few weeks…

You all know I’m not a magical seamstress who has every project turn out perfectly, right? Good!

I, like everyone else, have had more than a fair share of projects that hit major snags or just bombed completely and were discarded in frustration. Just in the past year my two biggest sewing-disappointments were a 1940s swimsuit (above) I tried to make, which turned into a nightmare scenario of of fiddly fit and deciding I really wasn’t sure I like how the high-waist bottoms look on me with swimwear. The other was my version of Colette Pattern’s Lady Grey pattern. The latter has been a big frustration for me, and yet I can’t motivate myself to finish it. My first version used a wool I had bought online that was just too thin for tailoring, so I ripped all the horsehair canvas pieces I had handbasted and padstitched to the coat, and cut out another jacket from a boucle suiting I had in the stash. Problem is, I’m not crazy about the fabric or the style of the coat (on me–I love it on everyone else. I think I tend to gravitate towards more loose, trapeze style coats). So I’ve just kind of been dragging my heels for over a year on this one. Every time I look in my drawer of “unfinished projects”, the half-tailored pieces mock me. Maybe one day I’ll finish it, but I’m too ambivalent on the project right now to work on it. (I’d much rather sew a pretty dress, frankly.)

But even in the midst of some of these projects that have ended up in the scrap bin (which is highly frustrating!), I have learned quite a few lessons about sewing and myself:

• What I dream up and am super excited about, no matter how much planning I put into it, won’t always live up to my expectations. I don’t have to feel bad about it–that’s just the reality of translation from an idea to an actual garment.
• Putting a project aside–even for a year–gives clarity as to why it’s not working or I’m not as enthusiastic about it. Sometimes this means the project ends up in the scrap pile, other times it just needs to be reworked and seen with fresh eyes.
• In relation to the above, it is sometimes quite helpful to have a few close sewing friends who can give you honest opinions about what is going wrong, offer troubleshooting on things that have you stumped, or be the ones to agree that it’s a hopeless case.
• No project is ever a complete “failure”. Rather, they’re learning experiences! Through the Lady Grey jacket, I learned about tailoring and discovered my love of padstitching. Sewing the failed swimsuit meant I gathered a lot of information on sewing swimwear knits and how to properly line everything. Which I’m sure will come in handy in the future!
• The most important thing is: no matter how long you’ve been sewing, you’re constantly learning something new! I think the “failures” are a great way to keep one on their toes and searching for new techniques and stretching their skill set. Without mistakes, how would we grow?

So what is your biggest sewing disappointment? Is there a project that just frustrates you every time you look at it? What lessons have you found helpful when dealing with these “tough” projects?

January 23, 2012 · 42 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing · tags: sewing workshop