When I started this mash-up between the Chandler Trouser and the Amelie Dress, I was SO EXCITED! I got those super tingly sensations fluttering through my chest- you know, the kind that makes your heart feel like it's fluttering around and you are so excited you just want to jump in and start your project as soon as possible and not stop till it's done.
I mean, look at how cute this looks! It's like they were meant to be together.
That's how I felt when I started this project!
I went through and created a sample of my mash-up because I had a feeling I would run into a few fit issues mashing up two patterns to create a jumpsuit, which I always personally find difficult to fit for my body type (Long torso, waist to hip ratio, broad shoulders, etc...)
The first sample came out super promising and I was still really excited to move forward with a few tweaks, namely lengthening the top's torso a few inches. The jumpsuit didn't look bad on me, it was just on the verge of riding up a bit too high and I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it all day long without fidgeting around and adjusting my clothes every few minutes.
So I made my adjustments to my pattern pieces and took some mental notes on how I had constructed my sample. Then, I turned to my beautiful, sand washed silk lemon print that I had been hoarding for so long from Stone Mountain & Daughter Fabrics and I felt a knot in my stomach and an uneasy fluttering in my chest.
All of a sudden, I wasn't sure that this project was a good idea.
I quickly brushed off that feeling and proceeded to work on my new jumpsuit anyway- I was just too excited to sew it up and share it with the world! I wasn't going to let a bit of uneasiness deter me from sewing up this dreamy fabric.
After a full day of sewing yesterday, and the uneasiness continuing to grow with each seam I made, I finally had my jumpsuit at a place where I could try it on and I was so excited because it also meant I was nearly finished- nothing but a few finishing details to go!
Alas, I tried it on and..... *whomp whomp whomp* I literally heard that "tune" as I turned to check out my new jumpsuit in the mirror.
Everything just felt incorrect.
I felt squeezed in to the top of my garment at my shoulders, the back seemed more open than I would have liked, and the torso proportions seemed really off for me. The front of my pants also felt strangely tight even though there was pleating and I made the same size I always make.
I immediately felt deflated.
My smiling through the frustration face, haha.
My smiling through the frustration face, haha.
But why am I sharing this sewing fail with you all? It's not a common sight, at least in my feed, to see sewists talking about their troubles when sewing, unless it is in the muslining stage. There are very few instances where I have seen someone proclaim to the world, "I messed up my real, beautiful fabric and garment- take a look!"
And that's totally ok- it's not always fun to share those parts of our lives with the world. Those parts that feel like utter fails. The reason I wanted to share my failure with you all is because:
+ Someone recently reached out to me asking a question about her own garment and how her projects seams always seemed to pop over time, but she never saw anyone else's popping. She felt as if she was doing something wrong with her projects and her sewing, but that couldn't be more inaccurate. My seams pop often! Generally at points of high stress & movement (under the arms, under the crotch, near the thighs, along the waist, etc etc.)
That's when I realized we as a sewing community don't typically share our sewing woes with each other, but we should. It helps to know that we aren't experiencing these issues alone and that we are all still learning as we go!
+ I work with a lot of new sewists and I have heard and seen time and again how discouraged they feel when working on a new project that doesn't fit quite right. Or the fear of starting a project because they might ruin their coveted fabric or fail at finishing it properly.These fears are totally valid. I don't like knowing that I failed at sewing an expensive piece of fabric. I don't like the feeling of failing at a craft I have been doing for 14+ years. I don't like having an ill fitting garment and having to rip it all apart after hours of work to start all over.
Those feelings suck. And it's 100% ok to have those feelings. Sit with those feelings for a few minutes, hours, days... whatever you need. Let them wash over you. But then you have to get back up and try again. You may not want to, but after sitting with your feelings, you have got to find a time to shake them off and move on.
It doesn't make the "fail" any less sucky, but the truth is that we all fail at projects sometimes. Whether you are super new to sewing (or any craft/ hobby/ etc) or a major pro with years and years of experience, you are going to lose your mojo and fall off your horse and have to get back up and try again.
That's what inevitably makes you better. When you fall down and get back up, you have said to the world "I don't accept this as a failed project. I view this as a learning opportunity and I am going to use it to improve and be even cooler and more skilled at what I do in the future!"
+ I don't plan to give up on this project entirely. I don't plan to start working on it again any time soon, but it's not going into my scrap pile just yet. I plan to let this project sit with me, in the back of my mind, for a while.
I know I should have listened to my uneasy gut when I first started cutting things out because my gut is rarely wrong. I knew something wasn't right when I was starting out and I should have headed it's wise advice. I won't make that mistake again, and I will allow my gut and subconscious to come up with a solution to this project. I have done this sort of thing in the past and it's generally turned out in my favor, even if it's taken months, or even years, to find a solution.
I'm not worried- I've got time and when I come back around to my jumpsuit, I know I will be in a better place to tackle it! For now, I'm going to clean my sewing room (that definitely didn't help my sewing troubles with all its chaos!) and work on a few pallet cleansers before tackling my next big idea.
Have you ever had a project that didn't turn out so great but you felt you learned something and were able to improve the project itself or just your own skills?