I feel your pain. Sometimes things just go wrong and wrong and ...... :)

Some days, do you feel everything just goes wrong?  You're not alone!  I often get comments from customers and friends saying "it must be nice to know how to do all of this stuff."

Well, just because I know how to do it, doesnt mean it still can't go all wrong.  It happens to all of us, you are not alone.  I'm right there with you!  (This is the same for quilting as it is for clothing sewing).

So here's my sewing story.  During the week I decided that I was going to sew a piece of clothing over the weekend.  We've been busy and I haven't taken the time to actually sew something in too long.  I picked a pattern and thought about my fabric choice all week.  

Come Sunday afternoon.  I'm going to sew my top (Butterick 6248).  I had my fabric picked out.  It was a poly so I didn't need to pre wash (which I always do with clothing so it doesn't shrink after all my work).  I pulled the fabric a lovely velvet feeling fabric with nap (smooth when you rub your hand on it one way and rougher when you run you hand the other way - like velvet or corguroy).  It was double sided so I planned the sides of the princess seamed top would be the small print and the front and back the larger print.  I'm excited, this is going to be cute. I'm going to make view D, a little shorter, but with the collar from view B.  This is why I like to sew, I can mix and match whatever I want.  Yippee.

I cut out my pattern pieces and go to lay them out, following the with nap layout of course.  I realize the fabric is printed in the wrong direction!  When the flowers are upside right the nap is runnning up!  The nap should always be running from top to bottom, so it feels smooth when you run your hand down it.  I've never had this happen before!  Guess what bolt is going in the sale bin with a note.  It'll work for other things, but not clothing.  Bummer.

Shoot.  Now I have to start over.  I'm at the shop and want to sew something.  So I picked a different fabric, a french terry, kind of like sweatshirt material.  It'll work.  It'll be soft and cozy.  And I can start sewing!  So, I cut it out and head home to sew. 

I am ready to sew it on my serger.  Hmmm.  Can't get my needle theaded!  The machine has a double needle threader that works really slick,  After a few trys it still won't thread.  After a bit of frustration, I realize I didn't move the lever over to tell it to thread the left needle.  No wonder it kept threading the right needle.  Total operator error  Duh.  We call this a PICNIC error -Problem In Chair, Not In Computer!  

Ok, now I've got my side seams sewn, shoulders done, sleeve curve sewn in and side seams done (30 minutes total sewing time).  Add the collar in about another 10 minutes.  Now I am ready for my hem.  I grab a Stretch needle and put it in my machine.  Thread the machine, push my needle threader, the thread gets caught on the bottom of the spool and won't feed,  The needle breaks and it bends the wire in my needle threader so now that doesn't work.   ARGH!!!!  Yes, sometimes this just happens and yes, it happens to me too.

Ok.  I'm going to finish this shirt.  It's looking good so far.  

I pull it over my head to try it on and realize there is a sunfade line right up the middle of the front and back, top to bottom!  This is very rare.  We have special lights at the shop so this doesn't happen.  It must have come in this way,  When I layed out the pattern, the front and back pieces were on the fold so I never noticed the fade line, because it runs right along the fabric fold.

Now I have an almost finished shirt that looks crummy.  I'm bummed.  Time to call it a night.

Monday I decide that there are options.  I could sew a ribbon or trim over the sunfade, do a decorative stitch over it or maybe something else.  After trying a variety of stitches, remembering I need stabilizer under the stitches so they don't pucker, I pick one I like.  I start sewing right over the sunfade (it was easy to sew a straight line, just follow the fade!)

I've got about 6" to go and it's looking good.  As I keep going the shirt has to keep feeding freely so the stitches form properly.  Well, it was getting tighter as I moved towards the neckline and won't feed evenly.  Looks terrible!!!!  Scrap that plan.  This is a stitch that would be really hard to tear out and on this fabric it would probably leave holes.

About this time I'm ready to trash it!  But it's not going to get the best of me!!!  This was going to be fun and rewarding and I was going to have a nice new top to take on vacation.

So, I decided that I could fold the front in half, right sides together and sew a seam about 1/8" inch in.  Good idea!  It will look like it was supposed to have a center seam.  And, I can see right where the line is because that bad decorative stitching is right up the center front.  This will work - yes it will be a little bit smaller, but that should be ok.  It worked!  

Now, to repeat that on the back.  Hmm, I can't see the sunfade on the inside of the garment.  This shouldn't be so hard!  Ah, sew a straight stitch on the outside, right over the sunfade line and then I can see where the seam should go up the back.  That worked! 

I have a cute top.  Just have to hem the bottom and sleeves.  I'm on a roll, no problems.  Yeah.  It fits ok too.  

Last step, wash it so it's nice and soft and ready to wear.  I was laughing to myself, and a friend who called that the washing machine will probably eat it and it'll come out in pieces!

Nope, it came out fine........

Well almost.  Remember the first fabric that I said I wouldn't need to prewash because it was poly?  This was cotton.  Took it out of they dryer, tried it on.  Too tight and sleeves are too short!

Anyone want a cute top??????

Normally, this top would have been done in about 3 hours or so.  It was just one of those days.

Take aways:

• I am not alone!!!  At least one of you out there is having a day like me!
• Not everyday or project is like this one.  Keep trying, testing, creating.  It's worth it.
• If you ask me about pre washing, I say "I'm a prewasher.  Unless, I start something at the shop so it doesn't get pre washed."  I will not start clothing at the shop!  I know it needs to be washed so the final project fits the way you want.  I know this, I know this, I know this!
• I have a pattern that I know fits me (when the fabric is prewashed).  So, I'm ready to make another one and it'll be fast because I already know how to make it.
• If the top didn't fit exactly like I want, I can easily adjust the next one to be a really good fit.
• Next time it will be done in about 3 hours, it'll fit and be cute.
• Machines can have problems - but often, it's user error.  I'll try not to be the problem in the chair next time!
•  Sewing and quilting is fun, it is fun, it is fun, it is fun, it is fun.  Most days! 
• Sometimes you just need to walk away.  Kay ( my mom) would have suggested a nice glass of wine!

Have a great sew day, Elayne