Up for grabs today: SEW U, The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe.
Topic for today's comment: What was your biggest sewing/knitting/crocheting disaster/challenge? Mine was deciding to make a lined, wool fitted jacket with about 20 buttons when I was a junior in highschool. Without a buttonholer, mind you. I basically sewed the entire thing by hand, including the buttonholes. Those were the days when I could actually focus!
(Comment by midnight tonight to be eligible for the drawing. Sorry, shipment of the book is limited to the US.)
Congratulations to the winner of Dream Day #3 - Tombstone Livestock! Please send your mailing info to swomersley at gmail dot com.
22 comments:
I am commenting, not entering the giveaway....when I was in the required Home Ec class, we had to make something with a pattern, etc. and I decided on a bathing suit. I cut it out and sewed it and my mother saw it and was horrified, made me take all the stitching out and start over. I have never made, nor desired to make, anything since, save a pair of cafe curtains.
Still holding out, so hold out my name on this one.
My sewing skills are quite paltry compared to some......especially those that can make an apron out of frekking duct tape and electrical tape.
I'd say that my worse sewing nightmare was a certain ruffled apron, but that comes in only as a close second to my first quilting effort. I. HATED. That. Quilt.
Don't laugh, when I was in high school back many years ago (I won't tell you how long ago this was because I don't want to age myself....lol), I enrolled in a home economics class. The first week we had to sew something. We had a choice to make a top, pants or blazer. I choose to make a top with long sleeves and a "v" neck. When I was finished, the top had two different length sleeves and I ended up sewing one arm smaller in width than the other. It was so bad until you were required to model your homemade piece of clothing in front of the entire class. At which point, I looked like an ass, lol.....
Please consider this post my entry.
I made a sundress one time :/ It was wonky, wonky, wonky and went straight to the scrap fabric pile! I like to sew doll clothes for my daughters dolls. They aren't very picky ☺
My biggest challenge was definitely deciding to make Halloween costumes for my kids... as a non-sewer LOL! It was a disaster and I cried and threw a tantrum, no kidding. Fast forward 3 months and I decided to tackle a quilt... I was more surprised than anyone to find that I LOVED it! I had no idea that it was so full of math and well, obsessive-compulsive just like my personality LOL! Although I now quilt and love it, sewing garments still remains somewhat a mystery and I still don't understand patterns at all, but I am committed to learning. Until then, it's only quilts :)
When I was in High School I entered the "Make It With Wool" contest...we didn't have much money, but I talked my mom into spending big bucks on some awesome wool for a jumper. I waited until just before the deadline to mark my hem...in my rush I CUT OFF THE FABRIC WHERE THE PINS WERE HOLDING THE EXCESS FABRIC! Needless to say, my "jumper" was a very expensive top! I did not win the contest and my mom was not pleased.
Sylvia - So THAT is the story behind your refusal to learn the cursed craft! And a bathing suit! You sure didn't choose something easy for the first time around.
CR - I would hold that making an apron out of duct tape is more under the heading of 'construction'. Are you STILL holding that damn ruffled apron against me?
Sandy - That is so not fair - making you model it as well. At least we were spared that.
Kelly - I think doll clothes are tough to make - everything is so small! My mom made our doll clothes and we loved them. I sure wish we still had them.
Erin - You seem to thrive on challenge! I struggle with patterns, too, and tend to 'wing it', for better or worse. Mostly worse. I love quilts, but wonder if I have the stick-to-it-ness that is necessary.
Lynda - Whenever there is competiton involved, the stakes get too high, if you ask me. Not that you did, but there you go. You could have just claimed that you were British, where 'jumper' means sweater! I had the same fear with my jacket - the material was expensive. That's why I made the entire thing by hand, I thought I would have more control over the outcome.
I helped my daughter sew her 4-H fashion Revue outfit in Jan when we had time when contest was in April she turned 12 and puberty hit her hard. She jumped 3 sizes and couldn't compete and was so mad. Now we wait w youngest daughter to sew her 4-H & MIYWW outfits till later.
Lisa - OMG! Who would have guessed? I vaguely remember puberty and it wasn't pretty. It's a bumpy road to say the least! (Love the name of your blog!!!)
I learned to sew when I was still pretty young - 8 or 9 maybe. I sewed alot of my own clothes a few for my mother (sewing was the ONLY domestic type thing that I did better than her....lol). I went for years and didn't touch a machine but dragged it out when my daughter needed a dress for a wedding she was attending. What was so easy when I was a teenager suddenly became impossible in my (mumble,mumble,mumble...would you buy 40's?)later years. It took me three tries to get it to look anything close to what she was after and her patience ran out. I used the fabric to make some great throw pillows for the couch. Pillows are still the same as they were when I was a teenager! :)
Oh, where to start!! Probably the biggest sewing challenge I had was to sew 30 blue wool cavalry shirts in 3 weeks for a movie (The Rough Riders if you've seen it!) A friend of ours had a business making custom uniforms and got the contract. When he realized he couldn't meet the deadline he subcontracted me. I remember sitting with Justine on my lap sewing for hours (she was about 3 at the time). Every time I would stop sewing she would say "Stitch Mommy, stitch!" It was cute but frustrating. I had blue fuzz everywhere in my house for months and still can barely stand to work with blue wool!
As for other challenges... knitting eludes me. I can quilt, sew, crochet and do many other things but I think I will admit defeat. Yes, a ball of yarn and two sticks have bested me many times.
Judy
My first sewing project ever 23 years ago was a disaster! It was an elf costume for my then 2 year old son. The hat was so tight that it made his little face all scrunched up! My sister still laughs about that today even when she sees how far I've come in the sewing department LOL But... don't ask me to knit... ever! These hands are just NOT capable! No way, no how!
Ha! I STILL don't baste, you are right, what's the point of doing it twice?!? ;-)
I'm going to pass on being entered to win the book but had to comment on your "question of the day." Way back in the dark ages when I was first married, I decided I was going to make all of my hubby's dress shirts. I did successfully make quite a few of them but one particular one (I can even remember the yellow fabric with tiny blue and red pinstripes) about drove me to drink. I put the placket (you know, down by the cuff) on one sleeve in backwards and didn't even notice it until he tried to wear it the first time. So I ripped it out and put it in again. Backwards again. Ripped it out and (I'm not making this up) did it backwards for the THIRD time. I think that was when I learned how to make a martini.
mama pea - you crack me up! I've made two dress shirts for my husband and I think I remember staring and staring and staring at those darn plackets - pinning and repinning in an effort to get it right the first time. Just about broke my brain. =)
Just got home from rehearsal dinner.My biggest challenge was making a wedding dress for my daughter-in-law. I hadn't sewn anything but a circle skirt since my 4-H days. Turned out fine, though.
Love your post.
The tote bag is very practical and inspirational.
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