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?
I totally agree that we learn something with every new project, including the failed ones. I guess the frustration is that we all have so little time to juggle this hobby that when we fail it’s not just about the finished or half-finished product but all the time that went into creating it, that could have been used for something else. I guess the only remedy is to really think about what you learned from the experience, like you did Casey with learning to sew with swimwear knits and padstitching.
Oh this is so helpful! Just to know even someone with loads of experience has bought times!
What a great post! I still consider a newbie seamstress – every project is very much a learning experience for me. I’m just embarking on a dress in wool crepe – in fact as I type I’m sitting here in a bodice muslin, trying to address the fitting issues and figure out if the slight ‘give’ of wool crepe fabric will fix the problem.
I also have an “unfinished” of my own – the cherry pie dress I sewed back in January last year, it never really fit right (the waistline was too high in the front, too low in the back, the bust darts have issues, and the zip was a mess) with the result that I wore it only a couple of times. So I’ve partly taken it apart in the hope of being able to re-make it so I can get more use out of it.
xx Charlotte
Tuppence Ha’penny
This is such a nice post. I think it’s going to make a whole lot of people feel a lot better about their sewing frustrations!
I’d love to read a post about sewing swimwear at some point, if you felt like sharing what you’ve learned so far… I can’t even begin to work out where to buy suitable fabric.
These are some good thoughts! I know I have been frustrated from time to time about a project not turning out the way I expected or hoped – and yes there are a few muslins just sitting in my closet as I can’t even figure out how to change them into something I would wear. Live and learn!
Pre-Washing Your Silk Fabric
Oh, my two biggest sewing disappointments are a super stretchy knit dress that I’ve been attempting to sew for a couple of years now. I’m still waiting to magically figure out how to sew knits (maybe not such a stretchy knit??) for that one to to work out as I love the pattern and fabric. Such a disappointment. The other is my 1940s jeans, but after reading about pants fitting, I put them on and now know how to fix them (hallelujah!) and will do so soon!!
It’s so true, one learns much more from one’s failures than one’s successes.
just had one of these!! here’s my link: http://lmshunk.blogspot.com/2012/01/epic-sewing-fail.html
I don’t let failed projects bother me too much. Over many years I’ve bought enough clothes that have ended up being a disappointment because they either don’t wash well, or don’t look the same at home as they did in the shop, etc. I have no idea how many bought clothes I have given to charity shops with their tags still attached, but it’s a lot! At least with sewing, as you say, every project is a learning opportunity and not just a wasted money opportunity.
I agree completely! And the percentage of bought clothes that, even if they don’t fail too much, are annoying because of some little obnoxious thing (in fit, embellishment, material, etc) that you could have fixed if you’d sewn it yourself–I mean, the number of bought clothes I have that I genuinely love and that genuinely fit me as much/as well as if I’d been able to control their production…
Now this makes me feel so much better about my UFO’s
Thank you!
I have part of a purple corduroy coat cut out and marked hidden somewhere in my sewing area. I really wanted (still do) a purple coat because of Penelope, one of my favorite films. I stopped working on it because I was going to quilt a printed cotton for the lining, and I got intimidated. Plus, I didn’t make a muslin and I’m not sure how the fit will turn out (I completely forgot to lengthen the sleeves like I meant to).
I had a quilt that had set unfinished for years. I had abandoned it because it was too complicated and had taken on a few less complicated quilts. So after building up my skills on 3 other baby quilts, I decided to tackle my original larger more complicated quilt I had abandoned, only to find that 1: I found it way less complicated because of my improved skills, and 2: I no longer really liked it! I voiced this to my mother as I hated to waste the fabric and work that had gone into all those squares, and she said ” your sister would just love this” and she was right, it was totally her style! So I whipped it up in time for Christmas and she absolutely loved it! The project was much easier for me to finish once it became a gift!
Perhaps you can extend the middle portion of the front jacket into a triangular shape to lengthen the sillhuette on top? I dig that jacket on you (and everyone else).
erm.
your fails are freaking gorgeous.
i like to work a failing piece to death in hopes of saving it. and since i like to win, i always save it. however, that does NOT mean it’s wearable. it goes in the closet to be judged later. sort of like prison.
Oh yes – sewing failures. I agree with Oona – your sewing failures are quite beautiful!
I’ve been fiddling with a pants pattern for awhile now trying to get the crotch to fit better. I think I’m at the point where I might just have to give up and try a new pattern. I’m so sick of crazy crotch!
I usually plow through my projects – even if I know something may not be working out (depending on how easy/hard it is to fix in process). Sometimes I’ve been surprised when I actually end up wearing an item quite a lot that I thought was a sewing failure. The little fit issues or whatever actually bother me less when I’m away from my sewing table.
This post is great.
My first dress project, of which I sadly have no pictures, although it was Simplicity 2275 (1948) in butter-yellow print with brown piping trim, was a semi-disaster. My own fault: My very first three-dimensional sewing project included curved seams, and I used a unidirectional print and added piping. I had only ever sewn straight, flat, short, seams before (geometric quilt blocks, specifically. Squares and a few triangles). So, I was totally asking for it. It’s a sugar-coated miracle that the thing was only a semi-disaster and not a total disaster. It actually would not have been a disaster at all except I was completely unaware of the concept of seam allowance. I think I did 1/4-inch seams on everything and couldn’t figure out why I had so many gaps. *Facepalm*
I now wish I hadn’t wasted the adorable fabric on a clueless project, but, well, live and learn.
My biggest actual disaster is Pattern Bureau 2224 (ca. 1951). Partly my fault because I tried to make it in homespun, which is far too soft and floppy for those arm ruffles, but partly not my fault because the bodice is enormous. I know I’m pear-shaped, but nobody is that pear-shaped! I couldn’t zip the skirt over my hips but I was basically falling out of the top. I was going to sell it but I still like the idea of it so I may do a major re-draft and see if I can turn it into something wearable.
Also, I know it’s none of my business, but I really don’t care for the lapels on that coat. Normally, I like big, dramatic, coat lapels, and it might just be that stuff always looks weird in test-muslin form, but they look either too big or too low-set. Or something. It’s sort of a busy pattern: Huge lapels, front pleat things, flared skirt. Very difficult for most of us to wear.
this is a great post. personally, i think your muslin looks like it has potential, but maybe you find it too different, stylistically speaking, from what you usually prefer to wear…
i definitely have many months-old UFOs. i try to come back and finish them eventually, as you say, with fresh eyes and maybe some new skills. it’s so important to recognize that no project is a failure.
I wish my perfectly finished garments were as beautifully put together as your failures!
I have been sewing for a very long time. UFO’s are part of the process, but as you stated, it is indeed a learning process. My mantra is…sew to your skill level, at least for a while, then add more complicated techniques. For many, the flops are what defines them and they quit. So sad. Skill building will promote confidence. I don’t keep my UFO’s around too long. if I don’t correct them within a season, out they go and onto the next project. My life has changed so dramatically in the last few months that I have adopted a new philosophy, sew only what I like and forget the rest.
The nice thing about sewing, I find, is that just as often as some projects fail to live up to my hopes, others wildly exceed them. I guess that’s why I keep at it.
I sometimes feel a bit out of step with the sewing blogosphere on UFO’s. I don’t have any. Maybe I have a ruthless streak that others lack, but if I dislike how something is turning out or am not excited enough about a project to keep working at it, it gets scrapped. Permanently. If I can repurpose the fabric, it goes to the remnant bin, otherwise it gets used as a rag. This isn’t some sort of rule I’ve made for myself; I’ve just always kinda done it.
That said, the pile of RTW clothing in the “to be altered” pile more than makes up for any space I might save by not having UFO’s. LOL
Phew that post makes me feel a whole lot better about a half finished skirt I’ve got that stares at me every time I get my sewing out! I think I made a bad fabric choice but I reckon I can save it by going a few steps back and making some changes. It’s just the ‘few steps back’ bit that really puts me off picking it up again, plus the fact that I’m scared of attempting to put in the zip!!
Thanks for sharing Casey. Over the weekend I threw out about 10 projects, they were mostly from vintage patterns that I couldn’t figure out that one step to make them right and I was just tried of seeing them in my inbox. My iron has taken out a few projects by me bumping the temp. dial. I still remember a beautiful, navy wool skirt I made a few months back only to get burnt on the final ironing. It got a shiny spot on the front that I couldn’t over look.
I’m don’t want to sound spiteful, but I’m so relieved! To know that you still mess up makes me feel much better because I constantly do it and find it really difficult to not let it discourage me.. So, thank you!
Thank you for sharing, Casey!
It has taken me a while but now I like to embrace the epic fails of my sewing life (often with possibly inappropriate self-deprecating humour). Through this I’ve learnt what fits and flatters and what techniques I really need to work on (I’m looking at you four step buttonhole foot). Besides, I think it would scare everyone off if I were perfect all the time
You’re so right! Every sewing project is a huge learning experience. Every time I make something I learn something new, whether it’s about my body (and its asymmetries that need adjusting for), fitting, or new techniques like sewing a lapped zipper. My biggest revelation has been my need for pockets. I’ve realized that I pretty much MUST put pockets on things, otherwise I will almost never wear them. And when you’re spending that much time and cash sewing things from scratch, it’s kind of sad when they only get worn once.
My biggest disappointments are always for sewing projects for ME. The styles I would want to spend a few days to make are not the styles that look good on me. I always hope that “this one will look good” and it never does. (Of course I have the same problem when shopping.) On the rare occasion I pull something off, the fit is never quite right … fitting is so hard to do on yourself.
It’s not a mistake, it’s a learning experience!
Honestly? I don’t think that jacket is quite right for you either. It seems like it needs to be longer and have a lower waist. Good thing you made a muslin!
My Lady Grey didn’t make it past the muslin stage, and my recent self-drafted project (a 20s style dress with a dropped waist) made me realize that baggy, short, dropped waists were not flattering on me. But then again when I started sewing I spent 6 months making things that didn’t fit.
Love the reality check you give with this post. Very refreshing. Thank you!
My biggest sewing frustration over the past year had to be dealt with at the time because of a pretty important deadline – my wedding! I went all-out on my wedding dress, just because I could (12 yds of 54″ ivory silk taffeta and I used almost every last bit of it) and decided to do this neat one-shoulder bodice from a Vera Wang dress I tried on (just for fun/inspiration). I’d had the bodice from a Charles James dress in my head originally. Well, the Vera Wang bodice just would. not. work. And it ate up a fair bit of fabric since it was all ruched/pleated, which of course was bias-cut. I spent several months on that bodice, and about 2 months before the wedding made the very difficult decision to simply scrap it and go back to my original idea. In comparison the new bodice was a dream to do! It came together so much easilier (is that a word?), looked much better on me and the dress as a whole, and used up so much less fabric I was able to do it and salvage some from bodice #1 to make an adorable bolero.
What did I learn from this? Go with your gut!! lol
If you do end up finishing the bathing suit and still decided highwaisted isn’t for you…..let me know as i will buy it.
Ah, so happy to see this post! It seems like people mainly post about their lovely successes and never mention problems they had along the way. When I hit a snag and google it I rarely find anything helpful. I feel like my blog is becoming the Failblog of sewing but I like to be honest, and maybe someone will stumble across it and find it helpful. I do learn something from everything I make, I have a few other things I have become skilled at and so I know that the only way to become skilled at something new is to just keep sucking at it for a while.
I like your point of view on the translation from an idea to an actual garment. I think it’s a very interesting idea and our brain probably plays some tricks! I will be thinking about all these aspects because, probably as many other persons here, I’ve recently encountered some sewing failures that can be hard to acknowledge. Thanks!
My most recent UFO was a pair of slippers that came out shaped ALL WRONG. I need to take them apart and reshape a couple of pattern pieces but it’s so much more fun to start a new project than think too hard about one gone badly. I think I have a short attention span
I didn’t see any sewing failure though. You did a splendid job. How many days did it take you to finish that blue shorts?
You’re very creative! I adore you!
-Pau
http://deadlyseduction.com/blog
I started Butterick 5218 (a gorgeous 1940s reissue) in a piece of red print silk crepe I’d been hoarding forever. I cut the (slightly difficult) bodice and made it up; everything was looking lovely. Then I realised I didn’t have enough to cut the back skirt piece. Devastating. I know I could put some contrast panel in or something, but I’m so disappointed and so annoyed at myself for not double checking the yardage, I just can’t bring myself to come back to the project. Maybe one day I’ll get over it.
I have wanted to sew my own dress but I don’t know where to start. I find it amusing. I like to try it sometime. Can you help me start this project?
Thanks for inspiring me.
Jade Tan
Online Dating Tips and Advice
I am so glad I am not the only one with a small pile of clothes that haven’t been finished. I am literally fighting a jacket which has glared at me for a whole year- I have had such trouble with the collar I ignored it. Well… onwards and upwards with the fight. I just hope it will be worth it… but as you point out it is a learning cruve! Get the instructions in English would be my first lesson… gah!
Thanks for your honesty….
That would be what I’m currently working on…I’m doing the jacket(skirt’s done) to vintage-reissue Vogue 2885.Everything(including the waist) but the upper arms fit.Luckily I made a muslin first. But it calls for pad stitching,bound buttonholes-AHHHH
Shelly-
BTW-I really like your blog
I get discouraged at the end of every sewing progect because there are always mistakes. I’ve come close to giving up many times. Your stuff c omes out great though so I know your oh so few mistakes are quickly a thing of the past. Love seeing your lovely work…
Laurie
My biggest bomb, and also my very first “big” sewing project, was a 1950′s style diner dress. It was a Simplicity pattern that I just adored! I took my measurements, cut, pieced, and sewed all of the pieces. Despite having trouble with the button holes, everything seemed to go smoothly. At first. Then I tried it on and saw how Ginormous it was on me! So, I tried to adjust it by taking off the back panel on the top and brought it down to size (I’m large busted, but small everywhere else). Again, I put it back together. It still didn’t fit. Not only that, but the fabric wrinkles horrifically. Now, it sits where it has been for the last two years, in a drawer in my room.
I’ve learned a VERY valuable lesson on doing a muslin first and also not EVER using straight cotton (as in quilting) for a dress you will not want to press out every time you would wish to use it…
I once bought some super expensive jersey with a fantastic pattern, which I wanted to turn into a beach dress, but as I’d never sewn jersey before and didn’t have a serger, it ended up as a big mess.
I don’t have very much to add, but I’d think you’re smart enough to adjust it to a style that best suits you. I know you’re a Edwardian buff, like myself, and to me I’m getting much of an 1918 coat feel from it. Maybe enough to give you a spark to finish it?
i absolutely agree with your thoughts that “Putting a project aside–even for a year–gives clarity”. I recently found an unfinished curtain for my daughter’s room that I had put aside out of disgust. at my measuring mistake. I was struck by inspiration-add a huge ruffle to the bottom; it worked and they look great! Plus my kid was impressed when she woke up and had two beautiful curtains to draw back the next morning. An invigorating sewing WIN!