I think some people think to sew -- especially to sew well, or at least to sew well enough to make things you love -- that you need to be near perfect. Every seam must be straight, you must follow every rule.
Not so.
I break 'em all the time. And half the time, I don't even realize I'm breaking them. And the results turn out fine. Maybe not perfect. Maybe I won't open my Etsy shop tomorrow. But I enjoy myself and make things cute enough to at least use myself with some degree of pride.
Here are two I have broken recently.
I sewed about five minutes the other night with the wrong needle. I forgot I'd been using a ballpoint needle. My seams were looking a little wonky and then finally my needle just broke. And that's when it dawned on me -- wrong needle.
The second is a really bad one. Tension. I forget to adjust it all. the time. Actually, I think I've made my last 2-3 projects without giving it a second thought. I'm sure that was stupid of me. But you know, both things turned out fine. Shrug!
So, what's your sewing confessional? What mistake do you make, even if you know better? And how did it affect your finished project?
I don't think I change my needle enough! I tend to use the same needle (same kind and same one) for a long time! I haven't noticed a huge difference in the end product but it does make a slightly different sound when I sew if the needle isn't sharp enough.
ReplyDeleteAlso, not sure that this is really breaking any rules per se, but I hate pinning, so if I don't absolutely need to then I skip it. So far it hasn't been too terrible for my projects. :)
I hardly ever change my needle, and I never mess with my tension (I think I have auto-tension?), so I guess those are two things I'm doing wrong! But I always make silly mistakes while sewing because I'm not paying attention or I'm trying to go too fast. I'm bad at following the "measure twice, cut once" rule, and it's costed me quite a few cuts of fabric!
ReplyDeleteI never use the right needle or change my tension and I don't really enjoy pinning either (but do when it's necessary). It's always hard when I'm nearing the end of a project to do entirely right too...but sometimes following the rules is a must (I suppose).
ReplyDeleteI forget to change the needle all the time, and take a wild guess at the size at the best of times. I don't always remember to check tension either
ReplyDeleteMy pants are hemmed with staples, safety pins, or tape.
ReplyDeleteHow's that for a sewing confession!