Posted by Colleen September 12, 2008
Sew it Goes Day One
What have I gotten myself into?
I’ve set out to try and sew something. I don’t mean just a few stitches and some hot glue. I’m talking about really making something substantial.
I grew up watching my mom sew all the time. In fact, for the first eight or nine years of my life she made almost every piece of clothing that I wore. Then I got old enough that wearing “homemade” clothes wasn’t “cool”. I wanted to look like all the other kids who shopped at the mall.
She tried to teach me how to sew a few times when I was in junior high. Thirteen is not a good age for a mother to try and teach a daughter anything. It usually ended in some kind of argument after I got bored and frustrated.
See, I utterly lack patience when it comes to learning new things. A lot of things come easily to me, but when they doesn’t, I can’t handle it. And sewing does not come easily. Mostly because a side effect of lack of patience is lack of attention to detail. Attention to detail is kind of important when you’re sewing.
But I really do want learn how to sew. I have piles of fabric I’ve been buying up for years.
Then the other day I actually bought a pattern.
Tonight I started.
I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I was afraid to even cut the pattern pieces apart. I did end up cutting a piece in half that I had to tape back together.
The Aftermath of Sewing Day One
I got the pattern pinned on and most of the pieces cut out before I’d had enough for the evening. I think I did O.K. Just how closely do you have to follow that cutting line?
The whole time I kept asking myself why I didn’t pay more attention to my mother during those sewing lessons years ago?
I need to finish cutting out the pieces tomorrow, then I’ll be breaking out the sewing machine. That’s usually where it starts to get hairy for me.
I’ll have my seam ripper close at hand.
What am I making? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll keep you posted.
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My mom sews. And my grandma did – and my great-grandma. A daunting standard.
A few years back, I set out to make matching Christmas outfit for the 4 of us. I started in September and barely finished in time for Christmas! It’s just not something I enjoy.
My mom is teaching my kids to sew. Megan, my 7yo, says she is going to learn to sew so I don’t have to!
[...] A little update on the sewing project… [...]
Your lack of confidence in is compared to my lack of confidence in baking pies. Grandma’s crusts with the pretty fluting were so remarkle I didn’t think I could makethem and my pie crusts still aren’t a work of art like Grandma’s.
Remeber how for your 5th birthday all you wanted was a store bought dress. Grandma gave you 5 dollars, so you went to J.C. Penneys and brought a plaid,red and blue sundress. Yes, back in 1980, you could still buy a good little girl’s dress for five dollars at Penneys.
My sewing tip for you: is sew the seams the 1st time with the largest stitch on your machine. Then if you haven’t made a mistake you can sew over the seam with the smaller stitch. That way your seams will be stronger and less likely to ravel or if you make a mistake the thread comes out easier and you don’t risk tearing the fabric. I learned that trick from years of tearing out lots of mistakes during my years of 4-H. Which remember I tried to get you to join 4-H, but you weren’t interested and I didn’t force you. I know you can sew if you put your mind to it, you could always succeed when you wanted to. Your have the stubborn detemination from the
strong women onf both sides of the family tree.
Yeah, your mother will say that it was a small miracle that you made it through middle school without any injuries from your parents.
But that cute lttle rat is getting even for us now. My
prayers are being answered.
Looks like fun! Wish I could join you. I have been sewing lots, too! Check out my new posts at Comfort Joy Designs.
P.S.
I’m still interested in a cute snowflake button for my blog!