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My First Sewing Failure

September 13, 2018                                               Total Comment 3

It’s only the “first” of many sewing mistakes
I’ve made in my life.

This sewing failure begins with the first sewing machine project I can recall. The goal was to make a poodle skirt for my 5th grade class. We were to dress up like the 1950s-60s and I wanted to wear a poodle skirt.

Since I didn’t have one, my Mom said we could sew one. We went to the fabric store and I selected a light pink felt that would be just what I had in mind.

I’ve never been one to have a lot of patience, so when I wanted to begin the project, I laid another skirt on top of the fabric and began cutting it. My Mom came home from work and she was not so happy because I had cut the skirt like a typical A-line skirt. Not like a circle poodle skirt.

I used the entire width and I thought that would be big enough, but it certainly wasn’t. I was clueless about how much a pattern shape could change the entire silhouette!

I remember asking my Mom, “What can I do now?”

She said, “When it’s cut, there’s no going back.”

She helped me sew with the machine and I sewed the side seams. She sewed the zipper for me and helped me with the waistband area.

It was my first huge disappointment in sewing. The skirt looked nothing like I had imagined it! I didn’t realize there were sewing patterns I could have followed or that the drape could be so different based on the pattern shapes.

Poodle skirt sketch

My first sewing failure: a poodle skirt which turned out to be nothing like I imagined.

So, I went to my 5th grade class and was one of the only girls with a non-poodle skirt. At the end, I don’t remember feeling embarrassed by the mistake, but I do remember feeling disappointed.

It was a moment of learning for me. As with all mistakes, we learn from them.

Creating patterns, placing patterns correctly on fabrics and sewing can all have huge learning curves. Sometimes it’s a huge test of patience. We all make mistakes and learn from them.

If you’ve ever made a mistake with cutting fabric incorrectly or not following patterns, you’re not alone! I think every sewist has made a mistake here and there with cutting!

It’s a part of life and we gain knowledge, so we don’t make those mistakes again. Our failures will lead to many more successes in the future.

What sewing mistake(s) have you learned from? Please share in the comments below! Maybe your mistakes can help someone else learn something!

Gina Renee

Helping You Create Clothes that make You Feel Great
by providing Fashionable Sewing Patterns that Fit.

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3 Comments

  • Christina Thomas says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:57 pm

    Where do I begin? Recently, I sewed a floral dress only to realize that after I was done the flowers were upside down.

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    • Gina Renee says:
      October 6, 2018 at 10:09 am

      I can totally relate to that one! Cutting one-way prints wrong has for sure happened to me before.
      Once, I accidentally cut out pajama pants in the wrong direction…my sister got upside-down M&M faces on her pants 🙂

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  • SannyEneve says:
    December 10, 2018 at 12:23 am

    Make a more new posts please 🙂
    ___
    Sanny

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It’s a feeling of happiness to create and sew. Sewing allows the imagination to flourish which brings fulfillment and gives a sense of accomplishment. For so many people, sewing is that happy place. It’s getting into that creative flow where time doesn’t exist and problems seem to disappear. The result is amazing. When you try that item on after you’ve finished it, there is nothing better than feeling 100% YOU. You’ve designed it with your fabric combinations and it fits you. View All Sewing Patterns

Meet Gina

It’s a feeling of happiness to create and sew. Sewing allows the
imagination to flourish which brings fulfillment and gives a sense of accomplishment. For so many people, sewing is that happy place. It’s getting into that creative flow where time doesn’t exist and problems seem to disappear. The result is amazing. When you try that item on
after you’ve finished it, there is nothing better than feeling 100%
YOU. You’ve designed it with your fabric combinations and it fits you.
View All Sewing Patterns

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