Last week, a friend told me that disappointing projects is the reason she doesn't sew anymore. I knew she'd given up crafts a few years ago. I didn't realize that she used to sew all her own clothing at some point. Her reasoning is true for a lot of people - disappointment and lack of fit - BUT...
I have the same issue with ready to wear. I can buy a garment thinking it's going to be wonderful only to later discover it is of poorer quality than I thought or doesn't fit as well as it seemed or hangs funny or fades quickly or shrinks or falls apart before its price tag says it should or any number of other reasons. Ready to wear is no magic bullet. At least with sewing, I have fun and I'm entertained - most of the time.
It's my own fault that I struggled with this jacket. My intuition was said to do one thing and I did something else. If I'd used buttons, the jacket would have ended up looking pin-stripe-suit-ish-with-a-twist and would be finished and wearable. For some reason, I wanted athletic looking with a zipper which in retrospect is unbelievable as I've never liked the way the zipper is stronger than the fabric and pushes it around at the front. It's ripply, bumpy, ugly to me only I thought I could eliminate that with an interfaced facing and zipper edge. Me. SuperSewer to the rescue. Not.
The pushy zipper look typically gets worse with washing which makes me want to be finished with this piece. I don't like it enough to finish it. That doesn't stop me from feeling like I should. Isn't that weird? It's not like the fabric was expensive. It's not like I haven't already answered my sleeve question. It's not like I don't have more fabric and could do it over incorporating a few other aspects I thought about along the way. What is it? Is it waste? Is it failure? Is it pride? I get a giggle when I do this. It's silly. I know we all go through it.
The jacket is not a complete wadder. I like everything but the zipper so I'm debating cutting that off and adding a button band. I'll think it over while I sew something else. When I'm done, I'll decide. Otherwise, it's moving along and someone else can have the fun of finishing it.
What do you do with your wadders? How often do you give up on a project? How often do you refashion a project?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - for HUGS
Tuesday 10 August 2010
Pin-Stripe-Suit-Ish-With-A-Twist
After more than one attempt, the zipper is finally in and looking only okay. The blue matches exactly. The fabric hangs beautifully. The parts are wonderful. The whole? I don't like it!
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I hate giving up on a project. I've never really thought about why. I will try to refashion something thing that didn't work out. I have packed wadders away only to come upon them at some later date and then try to rework them. I've let projects that didn't suit me languish much too long in my closet. Part of my stash problem is fabric that I bought for some good reason that just didn't come to fruition - and I can't seem to part with it.
ReplyDeleteBut, taking this in a different direction - you learned a new lesson about zippers down the front of a jacket, that interfacing doesn't fix this problem. Often, I've learned wonderful lessons from my efforts to rework a project, and sometimes I've ended up with a better result than originally envisoned.
Lois K
I don't know a lot about sewing, so I can't give any advice on the item specifically. I usually try a few different ways to make a crafting item work, if in the end, it just doesn't work . . . it's time to either discard it and accept that lessons were learned and that was the sole purpose of that item . . . or take it apart and use the items for a different craft/purpose.
ReplyDeleteI rarely refashion a wadder, I'm more prone to donate it, cut my losses and move on. I agree with you about RTW I've had many disappointments, I think you really should try to enjoy the journey and I always learn something from a wadder, like what not to do lol.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I toss them away completely because they are just WRONG. Other times I put them in the cupboard and come back to them at a later date. Often a solution will come from somewhere. You just need to trust your instincts
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about RTW. As to the wadders, I'm still working on that. Sometimes I let them sit and then some new idea eventually comes along, or I let them sit until I have to many wadders and I go through a cleaning frenzy and discard them all.
ReplyDeleteIf I completed the wadder, I'll donate it. It's rare that I complete them though, so I usually rip them apart and use the fabric for something. Sometimes, I HATE it so much that I will just throw the fabric, pattern and all in the trash just to get the horror of it gone.
ReplyDeleteDitto on RTW. I've bought wonderful RTW that lasted 1 or 2 wearings. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteWhen I complete a garment and find I don't really care for it, I donate, sometimes immediately.
As for wadders. They do happen. I've had 2 this month which is really high. If the fabric is usable for something else, like pocket linings or quilts, I may cut it up and save it, otherwise it goes into the trash and onto the landfill. Sorry to the greenies out there, but I don't believe in holding onto the mistake.