Confined Crafting

Today I thought I would share some of the very basic mistakes I've realised I'm making when I sew clothes... I'm entirely self-taught and working things out as I go along, so there are lots of 'oops' moments. That's fine - learning to sew is helping me to confront my perfectionism and understand how valuable errors can be. Mishap Number 1 : This is so obvious that I'm cringing to think about it!! I'm not the most 3D thinker which means sometimes it's hard to visualise how patterns go together. I understand that sewing patterns are all about getting a flat cut out piece of fabric to shape and mould around a lumpy curvy human figure, but that theoretical understanding doesn't always translate to understanding why a pattern is doing something specific.  So I was making an Assembly Line Cuff Dress and trying to sew up the bodice and I was struggling to get the pattern pieces to match up in a way that felt 'right' to me, that is, I had the id...

 Choosing to ignore the many arguments about whether Samuel Beckett's 'Fail Better' quote is less motivational and more despairing when actually read in it's original context I'm here today to blog about why I find #sewingfails a useful (if still a dispiriting) experience. And why I think making a toile or muslin is a must in dressmaking, especially when trying a new pattern for the first time! This started with an experiment (SCIENCE!) - In the Year That Shall Not Be Named I had planned to get back into sewing more than I have in recent years. I started the year with a brand new sewing machine (my trusty vintage New Home having finally died a death), a plan to take a class a month on something  craft or sewing related and a vague internal promise to actually use up some of my ridiculous sewing fabric stash. I...failed. Classes were cancelled after I only managed the first 3 (Jan-Mar), WFH did not bring bags of time & energy for sewing and from Monday to Friday ...