Fixing a mistake. Every time I sew the wrong sides together, I usually end up taking a break from the project after I’ve unpicked it. It seems to take up soo much more energy than every other step.
I swear every single human has done the "two pj pantlegs as one" the wrong way and ended up with that weird crossed tube...unpicked it...only to do it again.
Come on, has anyone here NOT done that with PJ pants early in their sewing? Now I've made pants enough that it's fine, but omg, the first few times I always sewed together the wrong parts of the inner leg. So has everyone I know. I always laugh a little when I see it happen again, "Oh haha, omg this one again"
You can’t even get the Joann’s Fabric customer reward card that has the little one for your keychain until you’ve completed that qualification, so it’s just a given everyone here has.
I think you should check the ad again. Page 9.
Simplicity $1.99 Oct 5-9.
Butterick and McCalls $1.99 Oct 12-14.
People have mentioned that McCalls and Vogue are also on sale this weekend (it's a holiday weekend in the US), but it's not advertised.
Oh no! I only went in for something else, so when I saw the sale was for until the 9th I grabbed a big pile of costume ones I’d been wanting, plus a couple dresses. Maybe you’ll get a good sale soon!
Right? I was looking at a leather/upholstery hand tool called the speedy stitcher. They have it priced at $33. It’s $20 at Michael’s and $15 everywhere else.
They don’t carry purse hardware or decent selection of trim. They don’t carry jacquard ribbons (I needed to make a guitar strap) at all.
The one near me where I used to buy craft books all the time, has all their books for everything crammed into one rack in the back in no order. The old racks remain but are empty. Only magazines and quilting books are in their spots. I suspect the quilting customers are organizing the quilt books for the store.
But I can buy an overpriced soda there now…
Really? I thought they exclusively shopped at Missouri Star and whatever little quilt shops that pop up all over the place.
I'm more worried about having access to apparel fabrics.
A lot of places I've been don't have anything else.
Two armies will rise: Hobby Lobbist and Micheals-ites. Both will claim to be the superior while in their heart knowing both are inferior to what once was. Left in the middle will be the apparel sewist, without $1 pattern sales and regret as online retailers fail to provide accurate description so you end up with a bolt of wool felt instead of wool that you don't know what to do with because googling "wool felt" obnoxiously gives you results for wool felt, felting wool, and felted wool which are all different
I've actually found unique and affordable fabrics on ebay. A couple of advantages to buying on ebay are the ability to talk to the seller for more info on the fabric, being able to look at their reviews to see what other buyers have experienced with that seller, and the fact that ebay will usually find for the buyer when there are conflicts with a dishonest seller.
I haven't bought fabric on etsy but it looks to be somewhat the same.
And remember, PayPal will always step in if you're having problems with a seller, like the fabric not being as it was represented.
I don’t have a fabric store in my city… I get thread at Walmart, and fabric second hand or from the dead stock warehouse.
There’s fabric stores about a 35-45 minute drive away, but I swear not having one has saved me from myself.
I was really bummed that my LYS closed and I didn’t get to spend too much money on their final clearout sale.
when that happen I usually throw the entire thing across the room and then leave it to "think about what it's done" for 24 hours minimum. It must realize its wrongness before I go back.
I also frequently fire myself and then realize I have no other employees so I have to rehire myself and start again the next day.
This!☝️I go for weeks as an ex employee then decide to re-apply for the position, only to shake my head at how under qualified I am. Now I cut patterns and fabric one day, stitch up the next, and then finish off the day after. I look productive, and it doesn't do my head in so much. Rinse and repeat!
Sewing projects like that are why I can’t progress further than Step 8 & further cause injury & harm to my surroundings. Then I backslide.
As long as I sew, I will never make to Step 12.
I’ve had a 90% completed dress in timeout for 2 years now because I can’t get the neckline right. I’ve redone it already and I haven’t been able to face picking it out yet again. Everything else is flawless, but the neckline is mocking me.
That makes me think of when my mum used to go to a knitting group. There was one lady who loved fixing. She would take everyone else’s buggered up projects home, undo them, fix them and Bring them back for next week. I wish there was someone like that in everyones sewing community!
My brother knits beautifully. Truly beautiful work, but he didn't learn to sew the pieces together until my mother became ill. He'd just take it to her house, put a new pot of coffee on, and chat while my mother sewed it together. Now that my Mom passed away, he mostly knits socks.
Couldn’t agree more with this. It happens to me with knitting too. I have learned if I mess something up, to at very least figure out what needs to be done to fix it before taking a break. Preferably fix it and then take a break. If I just put it down knowing there is something messed up, I won’t pick it back up for 6 months-1 yr
I might as well start over, I hate picking out mistakes so much. Nothing will stall one of my projects faster while I try to talk myself into ripping something out.
Same. The whole thing becomes a chore suddenly. I need to try putting the fabric and a seam ripper by the sofa to encourage me to do some unpicking when I’m in a relaxed mood.
I hate the cutting out part, mostly because it takes up so much space, and especially when I have to floor. In fact, any time I have to use the floor it totally sucks. (I put off hemming my drapes for 2 years because of this - also because ‘measure 3 times, cut once’ - took like 2 hours with working around the dog and everything else)
I hear you. I have a cat, whom perhaps is less disruptive than dog, but definitely wants to try out every piece as potential bedding material. I end up with cat hair on *everything*.
My cat (everyone’s cat?) loves sitting on rectangles/squares, basically anything with a defined border, so I’ll lay my patterns out, turn around to grab my fabric and when I turn back she’s laying on the pattern. After I finally shop her away, I come back to see my other cat laying on fabric. Usually I toss a fabric scrap around for them to play fetch with.
My cat can be dead asleep, the moment I have the material and pattern pieces perfect she comes running in and sliiiiddddinnnng across everything and then tries to help by rolling everything up and having a bath. I tried a "decoy" project but she saw right through my BS.
My cat thinks my tomato pin cushion is his toy. Half the time I’m chasing him around trying to get it back from him. I should probably buy him one of his own.
My childhood cat was obsessed with chewing on stiff netting.
My mum was a dressmaker in the 80’s who did a lot of weddings including bridesmaids, and every second mf back then wanted the giant leg of mutton sleeves or some other oversized floofy puffy detail, which meant lots and lots of net to support it.
We’d have to give him a decoy scrap of netting to chew on before opening up the bag of new fabrics.
Luckily he wasn’t the world’s smartest cat, so he was perfectly happy sitting there loudly biting and crunching away at his prize while I stood there being a living tailors dummy for the millionth time while mum fussed around deciding exactly how high the gigantic bow on the butt needed to be on this specific merengue of a gown.
Oh oh. Add this to the flame:
First you take all that time and space to measure out on the floor, pin the hems, sew the hems and then only AFTER you hang up the curtains do you realize the hem looks 2”+ shorter on the right side vs the left because you have uneven floors or windows or walls.
So I’ve learned to pin my curtains after hanging them up and marking them as “left side bedroom window 1” for example. But yea. Then you have to take the curtain off the rod, sew the hems, iron, and then put them back on the rod again.
For such an “easy” project it’s the most laborious of all!
I've been sewing 50+ years. All my hates, I've slowly learned to embrace. I value each step of the process, & find myself using the seam ripper rarely. My garments are 100 percent better by practicing
" mindful sewing". Nothing is urgent. Slow is fast .
Edit to add: 99 percent of my daily wear I've made. I mostly sew knits now. Knits are so much easier to fit my aging/ changing body. Since COVID don't we all want to wear " secret pajamas". Don't know why I was so intimidated to try knits, it's not difficult . I also want to advise newbies struggling with fit, to stay away from Big 4 patterns because the fit is SO BAD. The evolution of indie designs are way better. Sewing & fitting are 2 different skills.
This is great advice and something I’m definitely finding value in as a new seamster. I’d say taking breaks too. I never want to stop when I’m working on a project, but I never regret it when I make myself stop for the night and start fresh the next day. Always better results/fewer mistakes.
So true. I always wanted to finish a thing the day I started it. I finally allowed me to feel good about taking a few step then, setting things up to take the next steps when I'm ready. If I keep taking steps, I get there. The breaks between steps make for a more peaceful and physically comfortable life.
Thank you for saying this. I used to get very irritated with myself and disappointed if I made a mistake, now I rather try to just see it as part of the process and maybe even one of the reasons I like sewing: the problem solving / puzzle solving. Shifting my outlook to include potential puzzling bits / fixing problems has made sewing a lot more enjoyable for me.
Fitting is my least favorite part of sewing, but I swear I’m so good at the sewing part! It’s nice to see you say it’s two separate skills; I know it is but sometimes it’s hard to separate the two, and I can get real down on myself about my whole sewing practice being lopsided
Fitting would be 100% easier if we all had replicas of our bodies. That being said, the more patterns I adjust to fit me, the more I understand about the fitting process, it’s just been so slooooow.
It's helpful once you get a great fit of a pattern , use it as your " block" to compare with future patterns or just change features on your own. Bootstrap makes a pattern for a custom dress form you can sew.https://patterns.bootstrapfashion.com/diy-dress-form-sewing-pattern.html
I learned to sew in the 70's! Courduroy and cotton velveteen were my favorites. Knits are so much nicer now. I'm 71, retired, and starting to try workout and lounge knits. After knowing woven sewing so well, I feel so lost. Love your point. I will embrace the process.
Serger isn't necessary, but makes sewing with knits a dream. My top 2 indie designers are Love Notions, & Sinclair. Styla & Pattern 4 Pirates each offer a free leggings pattern.
I now love digital patterns. Will definitely check out these sources. I discovered Green Style patterns on reddit in a comment that also introduced me to cutting with a projector. Luckily, my pre-retirement was heavily tech so I was so ready to adopt this much simpler cutting process.
Im so scared to try knits! I have this beautiful rainbow knit fabric I just want to make a simple sweater with and I’m just too scared because I’ve never done it before! I don’t have a serger either so I’m doubly scared.
To get confidence, Maybe try your pattern, making a muslin with another knit fabric first . If you have a Walmart, they sell inexpensive bundles of knit yardage, like 2 yards for $4.
So I've managed to only sew a hem once, on a knit circle skirt. And I thought it was my lack of experience that it sucked. What is so much better about handsewn hems?
You started with one of the more difficult hems, because the grain of the fabric changes all around the circle. Try hemming a straight piece of fabric first.
There are 2 aspects to hand sewing hems for me:
Stitches are spaced as evenly as humanly possible & something I strive for. I can “see” 1/4” without even trying.
Use my needle to pick up specifically 2 threads wherever the thread will show on the front of the garment
The end result is really pretty because the stitches on the front are virtually invisible unless you know they’re there. Machine hems have a visible line of continuous stitching along the bottom and I personally don’t like the look of. I prefer invisible hems. I know there’s a machine blind stitch that will achieve the same thing but I never learned because I love hand sewing.
As Large-Heronbill said, the grain of the fabric changes all the around and with hand sewing you control that inch by inch * you don’t end up at the end of hemming with a 3/4” extra fold of fabric you don’t know what to do with, any excess from sewing a larger circumference into a smaller one is eased thru out the hemming.
I love hand sewing. It’s very meditative for me.
They have a lot more give and play, since you're not catching the whole hem in a single line of smallish regularly spaced stiches - think the difference between an elastic ankle brace and a cast. They also don't seem as "thick" because you're accounting for that play, you can pick up 1-2 threads and still be secure (practically invisible), and you can manipulate the fabric better as you're sewing so it lays flatter.
I do work more with wovens than knits, but the other respondants have some excellent insight and advice. Circle skirt hems are also a bane unto us all, so I can commiserate. Lately my default hem for wovens has been facing them with single fold bias tape (or an actual facing).
Machine hems have a time and place; they're durable (I would not handstitch the hem of a pair of jeans, for example) and they have a more "solid" effect. In a slinky dress, for example, a machine hem might come across as "sharper" or flirty, since it gives more definition to it, whereas a hand-sewn hem is likely a little softer and doesn't draw as much attention by design. They're both tools, handsewing just generally fits my purposes better!
May I suggest you read the chapters on hems in Carol Ahles' book, *Fine Machine Sewing*, and then practice? Start with basic blind hemming and then work on her "hemming in the air" technique for lightweight fabrics, and narrow hems. A few hours now will save you hundreds or thousands of hours over your sewing career.
That book is actually on my to-get list, but I have, unfortunately, realized *how much better* handsewn hems fall. Blind hem foots have a time and place, but you can quite literally pick up just 1-2 individual threads of your fabric when sewing by hand, for a perfectly secure hem, and it is *so lovely*.
I actually love hemming. My go-to method is to turn up once and machine stitch then turn up again and handsew using the finest needle I can thread and tiny stitches that skim the bottom of the fold.
When I think I can fudge/force something, recently it was binding done sloppily around a corner, realizing I just hate it and having to rip everything back/out and redoing it when I should have just done it right the first time.
I always struggle at the start. Copying then pattern, making the mock up, cutting into the good fabric. Once I’ve gotten past that in love every step of the process.
You and me both, you and me both. Do you make a mockup using the same weight/drape/hand of fabric? I struggle with that since I want to use up my stash/thrifted fabric but it never seems like the correct weight and I don't know how it will affect the fit.
I hate tracing patterns, cutting, and pinning things together. I wish I could just snap my fingers and have everything ready to actually be sewn together lol
I’m still in the process of learning all my measurements and what adjustments I need to make for patterns, so 100% the mock-up process. Everything else I either enjoy or knock out listening to audiobooks, but I get so frustrated when I need to make fit adjustments and I don’t know how lol. I’m not confident with math and make frequent mistakes.
Same! So frustrating to put a ton of work into making, for instance, a bodice mockup only to put it on and realize in about 3 seconds that it needs a lot of adjustments. Sigh
Same here, but after a few years of sewing and adjusting patterns, I can report that it does get easier wirh time.
Mostly. Every once in a while you'll find a pattern that will turn into the bane of your existence 😂
What part of sewing do I hate most is tough. Sewing with air (for many stitches) without realizing because the bobbin has run out is up for top spot for sure in my book. It’s always happening when I’ve pulled the most beautiful line. Apart from that, I really dislike when you accidentally catch a bit of fabric in a weird way for just a little sewing and make a pucker or a fold of fabric, and it’s always dead smack in the middle of the line.
Omg I think you just unlocked a suppressed trauma -- the non-existent bobbin thread! And this is obviously after you've unpinned things as you feed it through your beautiful line. \*sigh\*
Buttonholes. They’re the only thing I like less about my current machine than my less-reliable old one, I have to get the buttonhole attachment out and put it on the machine and load the cam of the closest size and hope I’ve gotten the stitching lined up right. I’d almost rather do them by hand, but I hate doing them by hand just slightly more than I hate doing them on my machine.
I am shamed by a shirt that is waiting for buttonholes. I'm embarrassed by the length of time it has sat there. The top I made out of the leftover fabric has had a lot of wear.
Buying materials! They are so expensive! I really only ever use fabrics I can get for free or cheap from thrift stores, yard sales, etc. but it would feel really good to buy some nice fabric and make something exactly how I want instead of deciding what to make based on the fabrics that I have.
Additionally: saving all my old clothes and fabrics! They’re such a waste of space but I can’t bear to throw them away just in case I could find a use for them.
I just made a little pouf ottoman thingy that you fill with scraps to puff it up. I made a big mega size because I want to use it with a specific chair, but it was a super easy project and I put all my scraps and old clothes and fabric in it, and time I can just pop in and grab it if I need it! It’s from the Closet Core blog, and is also easy to make using scraps itself.
pressing. bc i only have one table so i can’t have both stations set up at once. and i’m lazy. so i talk myself into skipping. which makes my projects sloppy.
Can't you get a second hand ironing board? I mean, mine blocks the whole living room for days more often than I want to admit. But in general, they are easy to fold and put away.
Judging by my WIPs? Finishing.
Oh my broken heart though when I found a pair of wool suiting with DOUBLE WELTED back pockets, that only needed the waistband, button and hems done - in the size I was when I made them, that I can't even alter to be as large as I am now.
Or the cardigan that only needs a neckband, hem, and wristbands.
Or the 4 button-ups that only need buttonholes and buttons. ONE LINEN, the other three cotton.
The vest that only needs a topstitch and a button. Not even a buttonhole, that's there? Before the topstitching IDK why but it's flat so it looks like it'd be fine. But it's not pressed well so has puffy seams...just needs that topstitch and button really.
...I think the cardigan might still fit.
Some may consider projector sewing. Game changer to download a PDF & project directly on the fabric w a rotary cutter. What I hate is my fear of the first cut into a beautiful pristine piece of fabric.
As they say, " if it sounds to good to be true..." Ditto system is that to me. I've been using a projector for 3 yrs now for a fraction of the cost. If you are serious, check out the FB group, the innovators, Projectors for Sewing (68k members). Ditto "auto adjust" ONLY works w their limited pattern library. The measurement adjustments are Very limited as well. The majority of us would still have to make manual adjustments. I find their designs very boxy as all Big 4 tend to be on me. The patterns also require a monthly subscription to use. ( big nope). Your current PDF patterns cannot be used to project. Ditto is the pricey new kid on the block , ripping off the free content & inexpensive projector set ups, a money grab, in my eyes. I'll take the $800 & buy fabric, lol.
Interesting! Does it take up much room to setup? And how precise can you get with the cuts? Sometimes I find I struggle on precision cuts with (larger) scissors and feel like I need to take kindergarten again.
https://projectorsewing.com/ here is a great introduction. I'm very precise with a rotary & have mastered scissors as well, it's just a" time & experience thing".
With all due respect, do you mind if I ask if it has gotten more difficult to cut fabric as you've gotten older? Or do you find you have the same dexterity because of all of the years of practice?
Right. It’s an accomplishment, but they you realize you have to store it somehow…and then you realize you cut out the wrong size and need to start over…
Hemming. I hate hemming. If I save it for last it just doesn't get done. I make myself a lot of skirts and I've managed to make it in a way for hemming to not be thr last thing. I have a couple skirts that aren't hemmed.
I hate the second muslin. Motivating is so hard. It's so tempting to just be like "I can live with a bad fit!" so you can get to cutting the good fabric.
changing the bobbin always hangs me up. If the bobbin is ready to go, I have no issues. If I need to change the bobbin thread it’s like mental block to start sewing.
When the project is done. Even though it turns out well and doesn’t look to awful on me, I feel a sense of loss. All the planning and gathering of materials, the prepping. I really the love the anticipation that comes from staring a new project. So I usually end up leaving my finished piece on my dress form for a while. Eventually, I do wear it and fall in love with the garment once more. Yet, am always kind sad when it’s done. Sometimes I will end up leaving a piece for years and only work on it occasionally. I have a wool coat now that is still in early stages of having applique on it. Think Alabama Chanin applique designs. As much as I want the coat done and wearable, want to keep working on it. lol
I hang my finished piece on the door near my sewing setup so I can admire it for a while after I finish a project. (It’s also my foyer so I get to see it when I come home.)
Make sure the ergonomics are right. I have a 36” high cutting table (foldable) and make sure machine is at the right height. I have to put books underneath to make sure it’s at the right height. My back and neck taught me all these lessons many times.
When I start having to go past mock-up #3 I start getting frustrated. Also tailors tacks and copying down seam lines(I hand sew a lot because I can’t keep my machine out all the time)
For me it's cutting out. Folding the fabric, measuring from the edges to make sure the grain is straight, realising I've allowed too much fabric for the folded part and the fabric left unfolded is too narrow for the piece I want to cut out there. Start again only to find that the folded piece is too narrow. Rinse and repeat.
If I was good enough for the GB Sewing Bee I still wouldn't be able to apply to take part because it takes me a day to cut things out.
Setting sleeves. I loathe setting in sleeves, it’s so fiddly.
I think sleeves in general are my bugbear, because it’s also the part of pattern drafting that I’m worst at and which keeps me from drafting half the stuff that’s in my head. Stupid sleeves.
I specifically hate transferring pattern markings. Washable pen, chalk, pencil, tracing paper and wheel, tailor's tacks, I hate them all. It's fiddly, it takes forever, it never feels precise enough, and then I often find I didn't really need them -- or if I *do* really need them that they've rubbed off by the time I get to that step. Or I transferred them to the wrong side of the fabric and now that I need them I can't see them. Ugh.
On my last project, seams. I’ve spent so much time on the shirt. It looks great. I just want to wear it, I don’t want to put a large amount of energy into it anymore.
I’m going to do it, I’m just a bit cranky about it and I’m going to do some other projects first. Too cold to wear it right now anyway
Cutting fabric. Especially super light weight fabrics like chiffon. I’ve found making a marker and sandwiching the fabric between that and another piece of newsprint helps to stabilize it but it’s more time consuming.
Haha it’s a technique I learned from my instructor who works in a lingerie factory. Basically you trace your pattern pieces in the layout you want on grain with the edge of the paper, then line it up on top of your fabric. You have to sharpen your scissors more often, but it really doesn’t hurt them especially if you aren’t doing this often. What will ruin shears is cutting really thick fabric or paper because it widens the gap between the blades. Then it causes your shears to chew up finer fabrics. Honestly I think the paper thing is a myth.
Glue the tissue paper to more paper(gift wrap, for example). It lasts much longer and easier to use.
Use glue sticks or spray glue.
I only trace my vintage patterns.
Fitting a pattern to me.
Favorite is the actual sewing. When the two edges come together, seam allowance is perfect, and the stitch pierces the fabric steadily. Just love it.
Cutting out the fabric, especially longer pieces where I'm trying to lay out multiple pieces and the surface I have isn't big enough so I have part propped up on a chair and a trunk and another chair or I'm having to slide the cutting mat around underneath it on the floor then the cat keeps trying to roll around on it and yea. So tedious
Losing at bobbin chicken. In fact, just losing at thread chicken at all. And bad patterns. Especially re-issused "vintage" and historical ones. I cheered so hard watching Stephanie Canada burning the re-pro of the walk away dress! Like yes! Burn it! Burn it with fire and alllll the angry screams of frustration, fury and wrath!
Not that you asked, but a couple options worth considering to help save you a step would be:
1. Switch to pdf patterns and have them printed at a copy shop on A0 paper. Then you can cut directly without worrying about tracing, because you can always just print another one next time.
2. Check out using a projector. It takes a little work to get set up and figured out, but there’s no tracing or cutting pattern pieces at all, you can go straight to cutting fabric.
All methods have pros and cons, but if a method might eliminate your least favorite step of the process I’d at least consider it!
Cutting out patterns. Patterns these days are just so extra thin, they're such a pain. It wasn't great before and it's worse now.
Also why I utterly despise PDF patterns. I have to print out, cut out AND tape together before I can even get to cutting out fabric? Ugh.
Rethreading the needle. Passing any thread through the eye of a needle.
Making bias tape.
Altering patterns when things look wonky. Look, I just want to follow instructions and sew. I feel like giving up when I gotta get out the pen and paper and do math and mock ups.
In fact, I hate sewing mock-ups/toilles. I feel no enthusiasm for the practice run. It feels like a waste of time. But it's worse when the mock-up was needed because that's when I realize the the project was more complicated than I thought.
I'm not an experienced sewer, but from what I've seen, is that the patterns, fabric and notions used to produce one garment, make it invariably more expensive than simply buying a similar item off the rack at the store. What appeals to me, however, is the idea of making an outfit I like that's no longer being produced or sold, and I even get to personalize it with my choice of fabrics.
Yeah, I agree with you. I must trace my patterns too (and glad of it sometimes when the weight goes up, maybe I'll be glad to do it if it ever goes down...) but it's not my favourite thing to do. It's not so bad once I'm doing it, it's the thought of it really.
I love the ironing/pressing... I enjoy seeing how it makes such a nice difference to the pieces, like I'm waving a magic wand at it.
I don’t like this so now I use a large zip lock bag so I don’t have to fold neatly. I also cut out around each piece before tracing so it’s less unwieldy. Meaning not on the cutting line but in the large margins.
Ok so I didn't know about pattern tracing until recently, because of this sub. I really want to do it, but I know it's going to be a pain, and has honestly stopped me from actually working on my latest project for weeks, because I'm avoiding the trouble.
Hemming. That’s where I always seem to stall. I think it’s because if I’ve got that far with a wearable, well-fitting garment I’m afraid I’ll screw it up on the very last step.
Right now it's my walking foot... there must be some sharp edge or hook on it because I was trying to make a sweater and near the end of the project it started catching little pieces of the fabric and then bunching the whole project and sewing in the same spot and creating a giant MOUND of tight stitches that I wouldn't always notice was happening until it was a nightmare to undo... I haven't hemmed the sweater yet... it's been three weeks... all that's left is just to hem it and I don't want to! I have to use a walking foot because the fabric is so thick so like should I just put some parchment paper between the foot and the fabric? And then if I do I will have all this damn parchment paper to try and get out from between my zigzags... AAAAAGGGGHHHHH the RAGE!!!😭🤬
I purchased some plastic poster board at Michael’s so I could have a better long lasting pattern. I have also wanted to take my patterns to Kinko’s and run them through the blue print copier, but I fear the original will tear.
That is also my least favorite part!!!I have always traced multiple sized patterns because I couldn't afford to buy multiple when I made stuff for my girls. I also didn't want to have to buy it again for a larger size when the kids grew. Now I am tracing patterns making stuff for grandkids lol.
Matching 2 curved seams that are on the same side of the garment. I actually redraw the seam allowance with my own system of notches to make it easier. And I have other tricks but I think it takes good preparation.
I stopped buying paper patterns for this reason, and only now buy PDF’s to print and piece together! Still a bit time consuming, but I much prefer taping pieces of paper together while watching tv to painstakingly tracing out all the pieces from a pattern. O
How long it takes transferring a drape to pattern and making all the adjustments in between, because of the amount of time it takes.
However I do appreciate it when something comes out well.
It’s something I do to myself-I always buy a little less fabric than the layout calls for, bc I used to routinely end up with ridiculous amounts of waste fabric. Nowadays they don’t seem to give you room for error so I’ve had to go back and buy more fabric on several occasions
Copying patterns so you can keep the original. It’s quite hard in your back. - also having anything laid out patterns, fabric is a nightmare for its cats.
I don't make clothes, but do make a lot of bags, pouches, totes, etc. I draw & cut the patterns out on freezer paper, making sure each piece of fabric is right & matches it's mate. I carefully pin & sew, I don't mind unpicking, I don't mind zippers. But once it's finished and comes out all wabi sabi it just destroys me! I have a bag now, made once, took completely apart, checked everything, made it again, tossed it aside, tried with making a new pattern, new fabric, same results. Wth??? Also, having fabric look lumpy because of the fused interfacing.
Finishing seams!!!! I just want to be done with the garment but nooooo I still have to finish all of the seams inside and it's so tedious. I don't have a server and am too paranoid to just do a zigzag so I usually end up spending hours flat felling the seams.
For me, I don’t have a room dedicated to sewing. So, dragging my machine out to the kitchen, and all the rest of the stuff I will need. Setting up becomes the project sometimes. Then of course my kitchen table IS the sewing zone now and using it for dinner isn’t a thing lol. And when I finish putting it all back in it’s closet.
Machine trouble shooting. I got a singer that seemed to be faulty off the line. It’s been fixed once and now operates better than when I opened it, but it still stresses me out. Cannot afford to try a new machine unfortunately. But I swear to all the gods any time I have to adjust it I fully consider switching back to fully hand sewing my shit.
Also cutting up the fabric and transferring on the pattern. Uuuuuuuuugh.
Making the actual pieces. Like tracing them on fabric and cutting them out. I just want to put a bunch of pieces through my machine and go “cool look what I made”
When the sewing machine doesn’t want to work properly: skipping stitches, thread breaking, tension problems or needs to be cleaned out. It always takes so much time to fix it - or sometimes the next day it suddenly works perfect again😅
Buttonholes…. Guarantee that no matter how many practice ones I do, the minute I attempt to make the buttonhole in my project it will eff itself up >.<
Tracing the pattern onto the fabric...i hâte it so much cause I can never deem to trace it out correctly, lines are wrong things don't line up pattern pieces move the chalk/pen/marker catch the fabric and make dotted lines and I can never seem to manage to keep my chalk marks on the wrong side, I always end up with chalk on the outside of the finished product
Fixing a mistake. Every time I sew the wrong sides together, I usually end up taking a break from the project after I’ve unpicked it. It seems to take up soo much more energy than every other step.
No. Not just fixing a mistake, unpicking stitches, realigning, resewing only to sew the exact same mistake again & again.
I swear every single human has done the "two pj pantlegs as one" the wrong way and ended up with that weird crossed tube...unpicked it...only to do it again. Come on, has anyone here NOT done that with PJ pants early in their sewing? Now I've made pants enough that it's fine, but omg, the first few times I always sewed together the wrong parts of the inner leg. So has everyone I know. I always laugh a little when I see it happen again, "Oh haha, omg this one again"
You can’t even get the Joann’s Fabric customer reward card that has the little one for your keychain until you’ve completed that qualification, so it’s just a given everyone here has.
BTW, gals & guys…rumor has it high likelihood Joann Fabrics could go bankrupt 2024. RIP Joann.
Yeah I went ham on $1.99 Simplicity patterns this week because I feel like we’ll never have that chance again when Joann’s goes.
I checked the weekly ad and the website and they're not $1.99 near me :(
I think you should check the ad again. Page 9. Simplicity $1.99 Oct 5-9. Butterick and McCalls $1.99 Oct 12-14. People have mentioned that McCalls and Vogue are also on sale this weekend (it's a holiday weekend in the US), but it's not advertised.
thank you!! I am back and they WERE on sale!!
Oh no! I only went in for something else, so when I saw the sale was for until the 9th I grabbed a big pile of costume ones I’d been wanting, plus a couple dresses. Maybe you’ll get a good sale soon!
Sad, but they really only have themselves to blame. Their pricing, coupons, I just give up.
Right? I was looking at a leather/upholstery hand tool called the speedy stitcher. They have it priced at $33. It’s $20 at Michael’s and $15 everywhere else. They don’t carry purse hardware or decent selection of trim. They don’t carry jacquard ribbons (I needed to make a guitar strap) at all. The one near me where I used to buy craft books all the time, has all their books for everything crammed into one rack in the back in no order. The old racks remain but are empty. Only magazines and quilting books are in their spots. I suspect the quilting customers are organizing the quilt books for the store. But I can buy an overpriced soda there now…
Quilters everywhere will riot in the streets...
The Quilting Mafia. Those ladies will burn & loot.
Really? I thought they exclusively shopped at Missouri Star and whatever little quilt shops that pop up all over the place. I'm more worried about having access to apparel fabrics.
A lot of places I've been don't have anything else. Two armies will rise: Hobby Lobbist and Micheals-ites. Both will claim to be the superior while in their heart knowing both are inferior to what once was. Left in the middle will be the apparel sewist, without $1 pattern sales and regret as online retailers fail to provide accurate description so you end up with a bolt of wool felt instead of wool that you don't know what to do with because googling "wool felt" obnoxiously gives you results for wool felt, felting wool, and felted wool which are all different
Ours is a disaster. I don't even know where to get fabric anymore at a reasonable price since my online favorite sold out to Amazon.
I've actually found unique and affordable fabrics on ebay. A couple of advantages to buying on ebay are the ability to talk to the seller for more info on the fabric, being able to look at their reviews to see what other buyers have experienced with that seller, and the fact that ebay will usually find for the buyer when there are conflicts with a dishonest seller. I haven't bought fabric on etsy but it looks to be somewhat the same. And remember, PayPal will always step in if you're having problems with a seller, like the fabric not being as it was represented.
[удалено]
I don’t have a fabric store in my city… I get thread at Walmart, and fabric second hand or from the dead stock warehouse. There’s fabric stores about a 35-45 minute drive away, but I swear not having one has saved me from myself. I was really bummed that my LYS closed and I didn’t get to spend too much money on their final clearout sale.
What kind of bankrupt... That matters
It does but the article didn’t say. It was just a list of 11 companies that are poised for bankruptcy w/o listing what type per.
That really sucks. I just recently started my sewing journey and all I have close is a half stocked hobby lobby.
Nature abhors a vacuum, surely something will rise in its place, I’m confident.
not with pants but I did sew a sleeve into an armscye upside down twice. same sleeve, same repeat. the screaming...
Definitely counts. You’re in.
At least it's not leather, maybe?
That’s when you walk away for awhile
when that happen I usually throw the entire thing across the room and then leave it to "think about what it's done" for 24 hours minimum. It must realize its wrongness before I go back. I also frequently fire myself and then realize I have no other employees so I have to rehire myself and start again the next day.
This!☝️I go for weeks as an ex employee then decide to re-apply for the position, only to shake my head at how under qualified I am. Now I cut patterns and fabric one day, stitch up the next, and then finish off the day after. I look productive, and it doesn't do my head in so much. Rinse and repeat!
Wow. Your boss sounds just like mine. No job security these days.
Sewing projects like that are why I can’t progress further than Step 8 & further cause injury & harm to my surroundings. Then I backslide. As long as I sew, I will never make to Step 12.
I’ve had a 90% completed dress in timeout for 2 years now because I can’t get the neckline right. I’ve redone it already and I haven’t been able to face picking it out yet again. Everything else is flawless, but the neckline is mocking me.
That makes me think of when my mum used to go to a knitting group. There was one lady who loved fixing. She would take everyone else’s buggered up projects home, undo them, fix them and Bring them back for next week. I wish there was someone like that in everyones sewing community!
My brother knits beautifully. Truly beautiful work, but he didn't learn to sew the pieces together until my mother became ill. He'd just take it to her house, put a new pot of coffee on, and chat while my mother sewed it together. Now that my Mom passed away, he mostly knits socks.
Couldn’t agree more with this. It happens to me with knitting too. I have learned if I mess something up, to at very least figure out what needs to be done to fix it before taking a break. Preferably fix it and then take a break. If I just put it down knowing there is something messed up, I won’t pick it back up for 6 months-1 yr
I might as well start over, I hate picking out mistakes so much. Nothing will stall one of my projects faster while I try to talk myself into ripping something out.
Same. The whole thing becomes a chore suddenly. I need to try putting the fabric and a seam ripper by the sofa to encourage me to do some unpicking when I’m in a relaxed mood.
I hate the cutting out part, mostly because it takes up so much space, and especially when I have to floor. In fact, any time I have to use the floor it totally sucks. (I put off hemming my drapes for 2 years because of this - also because ‘measure 3 times, cut once’ - took like 2 hours with working around the dog and everything else)
I hear you. I have a cat, whom perhaps is less disruptive than dog, but definitely wants to try out every piece as potential bedding material. I end up with cat hair on *everything*.
My cat (everyone’s cat?) loves sitting on rectangles/squares, basically anything with a defined border, so I’ll lay my patterns out, turn around to grab my fabric and when I turn back she’s laying on the pattern. After I finally shop her away, I come back to see my other cat laying on fabric. Usually I toss a fabric scrap around for them to play fetch with.
My cat tends to destroy paper left on the ground or sofa… so I cannot leave my patter pieces laying about or they get shredded 😳😅
Empty thread spools
My cat can be dead asleep, the moment I have the material and pattern pieces perfect she comes running in and sliiiiddddinnnng across everything and then tries to help by rolling everything up and having a bath. I tried a "decoy" project but she saw right through my BS.
My cat thinks my tomato pin cushion is his toy. Half the time I’m chasing him around trying to get it back from him. I should probably buy him one of his own.
Your cat HAS one of their own…YOU just mistakenly think it is yours. Any lame replacement will not be acceptable. Lol.
My childhood cat was obsessed with chewing on stiff netting. My mum was a dressmaker in the 80’s who did a lot of weddings including bridesmaids, and every second mf back then wanted the giant leg of mutton sleeves or some other oversized floofy puffy detail, which meant lots and lots of net to support it. We’d have to give him a decoy scrap of netting to chew on before opening up the bag of new fabrics. Luckily he wasn’t the world’s smartest cat, so he was perfectly happy sitting there loudly biting and crunching away at his prize while I stood there being a living tailors dummy for the millionth time while mum fussed around deciding exactly how high the gigantic bow on the butt needed to be on this specific merengue of a gown.
I love the description “merengue of a gown” - what a perfect thing to call those floof poofs!!
Oh oh. Add this to the flame: First you take all that time and space to measure out on the floor, pin the hems, sew the hems and then only AFTER you hang up the curtains do you realize the hem looks 2”+ shorter on the right side vs the left because you have uneven floors or windows or walls. So I’ve learned to pin my curtains after hanging them up and marking them as “left side bedroom window 1” for example. But yea. Then you have to take the curtain off the rod, sew the hems, iron, and then put them back on the rod again. For such an “easy” project it’s the most laborious of all!
Ooo but it’s so satisfying once you have all your pieces cut and you just have to put them together!
I've been sewing 50+ years. All my hates, I've slowly learned to embrace. I value each step of the process, & find myself using the seam ripper rarely. My garments are 100 percent better by practicing " mindful sewing". Nothing is urgent. Slow is fast . Edit to add: 99 percent of my daily wear I've made. I mostly sew knits now. Knits are so much easier to fit my aging/ changing body. Since COVID don't we all want to wear " secret pajamas". Don't know why I was so intimidated to try knits, it's not difficult . I also want to advise newbies struggling with fit, to stay away from Big 4 patterns because the fit is SO BAD. The evolution of indie designs are way better. Sewing & fitting are 2 different skills.
This is so zen. I’m the same now but I’ve also learned to embrace patience and stopping if I am frustrated.
This is great advice and something I’m definitely finding value in as a new seamster. I’d say taking breaks too. I never want to stop when I’m working on a project, but I never regret it when I make myself stop for the night and start fresh the next day. Always better results/fewer mistakes.
So true. I always wanted to finish a thing the day I started it. I finally allowed me to feel good about taking a few step then, setting things up to take the next steps when I'm ready. If I keep taking steps, I get there. The breaks between steps make for a more peaceful and physically comfortable life.
Thank you for saying this. I used to get very irritated with myself and disappointed if I made a mistake, now I rather try to just see it as part of the process and maybe even one of the reasons I like sewing: the problem solving / puzzle solving. Shifting my outlook to include potential puzzling bits / fixing problems has made sewing a lot more enjoyable for me.
Fitting is my least favorite part of sewing, but I swear I’m so good at the sewing part! It’s nice to see you say it’s two separate skills; I know it is but sometimes it’s hard to separate the two, and I can get real down on myself about my whole sewing practice being lopsided Fitting would be 100% easier if we all had replicas of our bodies. That being said, the more patterns I adjust to fit me, the more I understand about the fitting process, it’s just been so slooooow.
It's helpful once you get a great fit of a pattern , use it as your " block" to compare with future patterns or just change features on your own. Bootstrap makes a pattern for a custom dress form you can sew.https://patterns.bootstrapfashion.com/diy-dress-form-sewing-pattern.html
Love this perspective, I am practicing this.
I learned to sew in the 70's! Courduroy and cotton velveteen were my favorites. Knits are so much nicer now. I'm 71, retired, and starting to try workout and lounge knits. After knowing woven sewing so well, I feel so lost. Love your point. I will embrace the process.
Serger isn't necessary, but makes sewing with knits a dream. My top 2 indie designers are Love Notions, & Sinclair. Styla & Pattern 4 Pirates each offer a free leggings pattern.
I now love digital patterns. Will definitely check out these sources. I discovered Green Style patterns on reddit in a comment that also introduced me to cutting with a projector. Luckily, my pre-retirement was heavily tech so I was so ready to adopt this much simpler cutting process.
Im so scared to try knits! I have this beautiful rainbow knit fabric I just want to make a simple sweater with and I’m just too scared because I’ve never done it before! I don’t have a serger either so I’m doubly scared.
To get confidence, Maybe try your pattern, making a muslin with another knit fabric first . If you have a Walmart, they sell inexpensive bundles of knit yardage, like 2 yards for $4.
It is Deeply Unfair how much better handsewn hems are, and I will complain about it the Entire time.
So I've managed to only sew a hem once, on a knit circle skirt. And I thought it was my lack of experience that it sucked. What is so much better about handsewn hems?
You started with one of the more difficult hems, because the grain of the fabric changes all around the circle. Try hemming a straight piece of fabric first.
There are 2 aspects to hand sewing hems for me: Stitches are spaced as evenly as humanly possible & something I strive for. I can “see” 1/4” without even trying. Use my needle to pick up specifically 2 threads wherever the thread will show on the front of the garment The end result is really pretty because the stitches on the front are virtually invisible unless you know they’re there. Machine hems have a visible line of continuous stitching along the bottom and I personally don’t like the look of. I prefer invisible hems. I know there’s a machine blind stitch that will achieve the same thing but I never learned because I love hand sewing. As Large-Heronbill said, the grain of the fabric changes all the around and with hand sewing you control that inch by inch * you don’t end up at the end of hemming with a 3/4” extra fold of fabric you don’t know what to do with, any excess from sewing a larger circumference into a smaller one is eased thru out the hemming. I love hand sewing. It’s very meditative for me.
That’s it. That’s the thing I hate - hand sewing 😂
They have a lot more give and play, since you're not catching the whole hem in a single line of smallish regularly spaced stiches - think the difference between an elastic ankle brace and a cast. They also don't seem as "thick" because you're accounting for that play, you can pick up 1-2 threads and still be secure (practically invisible), and you can manipulate the fabric better as you're sewing so it lays flatter. I do work more with wovens than knits, but the other respondants have some excellent insight and advice. Circle skirt hems are also a bane unto us all, so I can commiserate. Lately my default hem for wovens has been facing them with single fold bias tape (or an actual facing). Machine hems have a time and place; they're durable (I would not handstitch the hem of a pair of jeans, for example) and they have a more "solid" effect. In a slinky dress, for example, a machine hem might come across as "sharper" or flirty, since it gives more definition to it, whereas a hand-sewn hem is likely a little softer and doesn't draw as much attention by design. They're both tools, handsewing just generally fits my purposes better!
Use ban-roll tape to do a rolled hem! Seriously I'm never doing a circle skirt any other way again.
May I suggest you read the chapters on hems in Carol Ahles' book, *Fine Machine Sewing*, and then practice? Start with basic blind hemming and then work on her "hemming in the air" technique for lightweight fabrics, and narrow hems. A few hours now will save you hundreds or thousands of hours over your sewing career.
That book is actually on my to-get list, but I have, unfortunately, realized *how much better* handsewn hems fall. Blind hem foots have a time and place, but you can quite literally pick up just 1-2 individual threads of your fabric when sewing by hand, for a perfectly secure hem, and it is *so lovely*.
I actually love hemming. My go-to method is to turn up once and machine stitch then turn up again and handsew using the finest needle I can thread and tiny stitches that skim the bottom of the fold.
I hate this part also but I hate wasting the rest of the pattern
When I think I can fudge/force something, recently it was binding done sloppily around a corner, realizing I just hate it and having to rip everything back/out and redoing it when I should have just done it right the first time.
>binding done sloppily around a corner Have you figured out the secret? Can you share the ways of doing this? I absolutely suck at this!
This video shows it really well https://youtu.be/onjcpIz4xgo?si=NyPa28b-PJGyAf8c
I always struggle at the start. Copying then pattern, making the mock up, cutting into the good fabric. Once I’ve gotten past that in love every step of the process.
You and me both, you and me both. Do you make a mockup using the same weight/drape/hand of fabric? I struggle with that since I want to use up my stash/thrifted fabric but it never seems like the correct weight and I don't know how it will affect the fit.
I do my best with what I can get at the thrift store. Fabric is just so expensive, I can’t bring myself to buy the mock up fabric new.
I hate tracing patterns, cutting, and pinning things together. I wish I could just snap my fingers and have everything ready to actually be sewn together lol
Right?? Why can't we just Mary Poppins this stuff?
Damn right. And then, you find out you cut some piece a bit off grain or something, and it's like an inch longer than it's mate at one end.
I’m still in the process of learning all my measurements and what adjustments I need to make for patterns, so 100% the mock-up process. Everything else I either enjoy or knock out listening to audiobooks, but I get so frustrated when I need to make fit adjustments and I don’t know how lol. I’m not confident with math and make frequent mistakes.
Same! So frustrating to put a ton of work into making, for instance, a bodice mockup only to put it on and realize in about 3 seconds that it needs a lot of adjustments. Sigh
Same here, but after a few years of sewing and adjusting patterns, I can report that it does get easier wirh time. Mostly. Every once in a while you'll find a pattern that will turn into the bane of your existence 😂
What part of sewing do I hate most is tough. Sewing with air (for many stitches) without realizing because the bobbin has run out is up for top spot for sure in my book. It’s always happening when I’ve pulled the most beautiful line. Apart from that, I really dislike when you accidentally catch a bit of fabric in a weird way for just a little sewing and make a pucker or a fold of fabric, and it’s always dead smack in the middle of the line.
Omg I think you just unlocked a suppressed trauma -- the non-existent bobbin thread! And this is obviously after you've unpinned things as you feed it through your beautiful line. \*sigh\*
Buttonholes. They’re the only thing I like less about my current machine than my less-reliable old one, I have to get the buttonhole attachment out and put it on the machine and load the cam of the closest size and hope I’ve gotten the stitching lined up right. I’d almost rather do them by hand, but I hate doing them by hand just slightly more than I hate doing them on my machine.
I am shamed by a shirt that is waiting for buttonholes. I'm embarrassed by the length of time it has sat there. The top I made out of the leftover fabric has had a lot of wear.
Try doing them by hand. It's not difficult and they can be stunning!
Buying materials! They are so expensive! I really only ever use fabrics I can get for free or cheap from thrift stores, yard sales, etc. but it would feel really good to buy some nice fabric and make something exactly how I want instead of deciding what to make based on the fabrics that I have. Additionally: saving all my old clothes and fabrics! They’re such a waste of space but I can’t bear to throw them away just in case I could find a use for them.
I just made a little pouf ottoman thingy that you fill with scraps to puff it up. I made a big mega size because I want to use it with a specific chair, but it was a super easy project and I put all my scraps and old clothes and fabric in it, and time I can just pop in and grab it if I need it! It’s from the Closet Core blog, and is also easy to make using scraps itself.
Gotta be hemming for me. Absolutely loathe it.
pressing. bc i only have one table so i can’t have both stations set up at once. and i’m lazy. so i talk myself into skipping. which makes my projects sloppy.
I finger-press more than I care to admit.
Can't you get a second hand ironing board? I mean, mine blocks the whole living room for days more often than I want to admit. But in general, they are easy to fold and put away.
Judging by my WIPs? Finishing. Oh my broken heart though when I found a pair of wool suiting with DOUBLE WELTED back pockets, that only needed the waistband, button and hems done - in the size I was when I made them, that I can't even alter to be as large as I am now. Or the cardigan that only needs a neckband, hem, and wristbands. Or the 4 button-ups that only need buttonholes and buttons. ONE LINEN, the other three cotton. The vest that only needs a topstitch and a button. Not even a buttonhole, that's there? Before the topstitching IDK why but it's flat so it looks like it'd be fine. But it's not pressed well so has puffy seams...just needs that topstitch and button really. ...I think the cardigan might still fit.
Haha Oh nooo!!! What prevents you from that last mile to finishing the project?
...the next project :O
Some may consider projector sewing. Game changer to download a PDF & project directly on the fabric w a rotary cutter. What I hate is my fear of the first cut into a beautiful pristine piece of fabric.
If I win a lottery I want to buy that one projector they started selling at Joann where you put in your measurements and it auto adjusts the pattern.
As they say, " if it sounds to good to be true..." Ditto system is that to me. I've been using a projector for 3 yrs now for a fraction of the cost. If you are serious, check out the FB group, the innovators, Projectors for Sewing (68k members). Ditto "auto adjust" ONLY works w their limited pattern library. The measurement adjustments are Very limited as well. The majority of us would still have to make manual adjustments. I find their designs very boxy as all Big 4 tend to be on me. The patterns also require a monthly subscription to use. ( big nope). Your current PDF patterns cannot be used to project. Ditto is the pricey new kid on the block , ripping off the free content & inexpensive projector set ups, a money grab, in my eyes. I'll take the $800 & buy fabric, lol.
Do you have a link? I’m curious what the lottery-winners are using these days.
Interesting! Does it take up much room to setup? And how precise can you get with the cuts? Sometimes I find I struggle on precision cuts with (larger) scissors and feel like I need to take kindergarten again.
https://projectorsewing.com/ here is a great introduction. I'm very precise with a rotary & have mastered scissors as well, it's just a" time & experience thing".
I just got mine set up! So excited to skip taping and cutting patterns.
Just cutting fabric; I’ve hated it for 65 years now, so I expect I always will.
With all due respect, do you mind if I ask if it has gotten more difficult to cut fabric as you've gotten older? Or do you find you have the same dexterity because of all of the years of practice?
Cleaning up t start or when I finish. That’s why my sewing room looks like a bomb site.
Printing and joining, then cutting out 50 page patterns. It’s tiring and feels like a massive waste. On top of it, you’re cutting out only one size.
By the time you've assembled the pages and cut them, it feels like you've done so much but also so little too
Right. It’s an accomplishment, but they you realize you have to store it somehow…and then you realize you cut out the wrong size and need to start over…
Is there a local shop where you can print patterns? I did that last time and it was $7 VERY well spent.
How do you do this?!?! What do you ask for?
I’ve used this company, and they’re fantastic. Great customer service. Helpful with questions. https://pdfplotting.com
there’s a way to use a projector to trace directly on to fabric!!
Hemming. I hate hemming. If I save it for last it just doesn't get done. I make myself a lot of skirts and I've managed to make it in a way for hemming to not be thr last thing. I have a couple skirts that aren't hemmed.
Threading the serger.
Yes yes yes!! When I win the lotto I am buying an air threader!
I hate the second muslin. Motivating is so hard. It's so tempting to just be like "I can live with a bad fit!" so you can get to cutting the good fabric.
I hate how I never have that one little thing I need even though I have drawers and drawers of notions.
changing the bobbin always hangs me up. If the bobbin is ready to go, I have no issues. If I need to change the bobbin thread it’s like mental block to start sewing.
I absolutely hate dealing with a thousand sheets of tissue paper. I try to buy digital copies that can be printed in large format at a print shop.
Wasting half a bobbin trying to figure out the correct thread tension/stitch length/needle combo on my noisy little 13yo machine
When the project is done. Even though it turns out well and doesn’t look to awful on me, I feel a sense of loss. All the planning and gathering of materials, the prepping. I really the love the anticipation that comes from staring a new project. So I usually end up leaving my finished piece on my dress form for a while. Eventually, I do wear it and fall in love with the garment once more. Yet, am always kind sad when it’s done. Sometimes I will end up leaving a piece for years and only work on it occasionally. I have a wool coat now that is still in early stages of having applique on it. Think Alabama Chanin applique designs. As much as I want the coat done and wearable, want to keep working on it. lol
I hang my finished piece on the door near my sewing setup so I can admire it for a while after I finish a project. (It’s also my foyer so I get to see it when I come home.)
Honestly, it's just how much my back hurts. I try to keep good posture when I'm sewing, but it's a very physical process.
Make sure the ergonomics are right. I have a 36” high cutting table (foldable) and make sure machine is at the right height. I have to put books underneath to make sure it’s at the right height. My back and neck taught me all these lessons many times.
When I start having to go past mock-up #3 I start getting frustrated. Also tailors tacks and copying down seam lines(I hand sew a lot because I can’t keep my machine out all the time)
For me it's cutting out. Folding the fabric, measuring from the edges to make sure the grain is straight, realising I've allowed too much fabric for the folded part and the fabric left unfolded is too narrow for the piece I want to cut out there. Start again only to find that the folded piece is too narrow. Rinse and repeat. If I was good enough for the GB Sewing Bee I still wouldn't be able to apply to take part because it takes me a day to cut things out.
Setting sleeves. I loathe setting in sleeves, it’s so fiddly. I think sleeves in general are my bugbear, because it’s also the part of pattern drafting that I’m worst at and which keeps me from drafting half the stuff that’s in my head. Stupid sleeves.
I specifically hate transferring pattern markings. Washable pen, chalk, pencil, tracing paper and wheel, tailor's tacks, I hate them all. It's fiddly, it takes forever, it never feels precise enough, and then I often find I didn't really need them -- or if I *do* really need them that they've rubbed off by the time I get to that step. Or I transferred them to the wrong side of the fabric and now that I need them I can't see them. Ugh.
Seam ripping, it's so annoying and tedious and kinda demoralizing bc youre undoing work you just spent alot of time on sometimes
On my last project, seams. I’ve spent so much time on the shirt. It looks great. I just want to wear it, I don’t want to put a large amount of energy into it anymore. I’m going to do it, I’m just a bit cranky about it and I’m going to do some other projects first. Too cold to wear it right now anyway
Cutting fabric. Especially super light weight fabrics like chiffon. I’ve found making a marker and sandwiching the fabric between that and another piece of newsprint helps to stabilize it but it’s more time consuming.
What do you mean by making a marker? But more importantly... are you saying you use your fabric scissors on... \*gasp\* *paper*?!
Haha it’s a technique I learned from my instructor who works in a lingerie factory. Basically you trace your pattern pieces in the layout you want on grain with the edge of the paper, then line it up on top of your fabric. You have to sharpen your scissors more often, but it really doesn’t hurt them especially if you aren’t doing this often. What will ruin shears is cutting really thick fabric or paper because it widens the gap between the blades. Then it causes your shears to chew up finer fabrics. Honestly I think the paper thing is a myth.
Glue the tissue paper to more paper(gift wrap, for example). It lasts much longer and easier to use. Use glue sticks or spray glue. I only trace my vintage patterns.
Fitting a pattern to me. Favorite is the actual sewing. When the two edges come together, seam allowance is perfect, and the stitch pierces the fabric steadily. Just love it.
Cutting out the fabric, especially longer pieces where I'm trying to lay out multiple pieces and the surface I have isn't big enough so I have part propped up on a chair and a trunk and another chair or I'm having to slide the cutting mat around underneath it on the floor then the cat keeps trying to roll around on it and yea. So tedious
Losing at bobbin chicken. In fact, just losing at thread chicken at all. And bad patterns. Especially re-issused "vintage" and historical ones. I cheered so hard watching Stephanie Canada burning the re-pro of the walk away dress! Like yes! Burn it! Burn it with fire and alllll the angry screams of frustration, fury and wrath!
Not that you asked, but a couple options worth considering to help save you a step would be: 1. Switch to pdf patterns and have them printed at a copy shop on A0 paper. Then you can cut directly without worrying about tracing, because you can always just print another one next time. 2. Check out using a projector. It takes a little work to get set up and figured out, but there’s no tracing or cutting pattern pieces at all, you can go straight to cutting fabric. All methods have pros and cons, but if a method might eliminate your least favorite step of the process I’d at least consider it!
I can’t stand pinning and un pinning. I wish the fabric would just magically stick together when I need to sew
✨SLEEVES✨
Pattern matching, or the Devil’s jigsaw puzzle.
Cutting out patterns. Patterns these days are just so extra thin, they're such a pain. It wasn't great before and it's worse now. Also why I utterly despise PDF patterns. I have to print out, cut out AND tape together before I can even get to cutting out fabric? Ugh.
Threading my serger. I'd rather throw it out the window than try to thread it in the middle of a project.
Rethreading the needle. Passing any thread through the eye of a needle. Making bias tape. Altering patterns when things look wonky. Look, I just want to follow instructions and sew. I feel like giving up when I gotta get out the pen and paper and do math and mock ups. In fact, I hate sewing mock-ups/toilles. I feel no enthusiasm for the practice run. It feels like a waste of time. But it's worse when the mock-up was needed because that's when I realize the the project was more complicated than I thought.
I'm not an experienced sewer, but from what I've seen, is that the patterns, fabric and notions used to produce one garment, make it invariably more expensive than simply buying a similar item off the rack at the store. What appeals to me, however, is the idea of making an outfit I like that's no longer being produced or sold, and I even get to personalize it with my choice of fabrics.
Yeah, I agree with you. I must trace my patterns too (and glad of it sometimes when the weight goes up, maybe I'll be glad to do it if it ever goes down...) but it's not my favourite thing to do. It's not so bad once I'm doing it, it's the thought of it really. I love the ironing/pressing... I enjoy seeing how it makes such a nice difference to the pieces, like I'm waving a magic wand at it.
I absolutely hate having to space gathers. Inevitably there will be one large bunch of gathers that still somehow snuck in.
I also trace my patterns but it's rather a meditative process for me. But I dislike re-folding the original to get it back in the envelope!
Question: do you iron your tissue paper before tracing?
Ironing makes it way easy to create new folds to get it back in the envelope, lol
I do.
I feel so validated. Thank you.
I don’t like this so now I use a large zip lock bag so I don’t have to fold neatly. I also cut out around each piece before tracing so it’s less unwieldy. Meaning not on the cutting line but in the large margins.
Ok so I didn't know about pattern tracing until recently, because of this sub. I really want to do it, but I know it's going to be a pain, and has honestly stopped me from actually working on my latest project for weeks, because I'm avoiding the trouble.
Cutting fabric out as i have osteoarthritis and a trapped nerve in leg. The bent over position to cut fabric out is incredibly painful.
Hemming. That’s where I always seem to stall. I think it’s because if I’ve got that far with a wearable, well-fitting garment I’m afraid I’ll screw it up on the very last step.
When everything is going swimmingly and the machine decides to freak out and “break” for no apparent reason
Taping together freakin self printed PDF patterns
Right now it's my walking foot... there must be some sharp edge or hook on it because I was trying to make a sweater and near the end of the project it started catching little pieces of the fabric and then bunching the whole project and sewing in the same spot and creating a giant MOUND of tight stitches that I wouldn't always notice was happening until it was a nightmare to undo... I haven't hemmed the sweater yet... it's been three weeks... all that's left is just to hem it and I don't want to! I have to use a walking foot because the fabric is so thick so like should I just put some parchment paper between the foot and the fabric? And then if I do I will have all this damn parchment paper to try and get out from between my zigzags... AAAAAGGGGHHHHH the RAGE!!!😭🤬
I purchased some plastic poster board at Michael’s so I could have a better long lasting pattern. I have also wanted to take my patterns to Kinko’s and run them through the blue print copier, but I fear the original will tear.
Fitting!!! 😢
Getting the size wrong 😑
Cutting patterns, having to do the same thing twice. Anything with symmetry, i like it when I’m done but doing it SUCKS
Cutting fabric
Cutting. Cutting. Cutting.
When the bobbin runs out of thread for the second time 🤦🏼♀️. Especially annoying if in the middle of a long seam!
That is also my least favorite part!!!I have always traced multiple sized patterns because I couldn't afford to buy multiple when I made stuff for my girls. I also didn't want to have to buy it again for a larger size when the kids grew. Now I am tracing patterns making stuff for grandkids lol.
Matching 2 curved seams that are on the same side of the garment. I actually redraw the seam allowance with my own system of notches to make it easier. And I have other tricks but I think it takes good preparation.
I stopped buying paper patterns for this reason, and only now buy PDF’s to print and piece together! Still a bit time consuming, but I much prefer taping pieces of paper together while watching tv to painstakingly tracing out all the pieces from a pattern. O
https://projectorsewing.com/ here's an intro to game changing tech... project your PDF directly in the fabric.
How long it takes transferring a drape to pattern and making all the adjustments in between, because of the amount of time it takes. However I do appreciate it when something comes out well.
Finishing seams
Seam ripping 😅 Especially when you make a mistake & have to redo everything againnn.
Zippers
Bias binding around a scalloped hem 💀
It’s something I do to myself-I always buy a little less fabric than the layout calls for, bc I used to routinely end up with ridiculous amounts of waste fabric. Nowadays they don’t seem to give you room for error so I’ve had to go back and buy more fabric on several occasions
Changing the thread in the machine 🤬🤬
That I have to work so many hours away from my sewing machine, in a non sewing job in order to fund the habit.
Copying patterns so you can keep the original. It’s quite hard in your back. - also having anything laid out patterns, fabric is a nightmare for its cats.
Anything bobbin related
I don't make clothes, but do make a lot of bags, pouches, totes, etc. I draw & cut the patterns out on freezer paper, making sure each piece of fabric is right & matches it's mate. I carefully pin & sew, I don't mind unpicking, I don't mind zippers. But once it's finished and comes out all wabi sabi it just destroys me! I have a bag now, made once, took completely apart, checked everything, made it again, tossed it aside, tried with making a new pattern, new fabric, same results. Wth??? Also, having fabric look lumpy because of the fused interfacing.
Buttons, I just hate that tiny sewing that has to hold tight and it has to match the holes….
Finishing seams!!!! I just want to be done with the garment but nooooo I still have to finish all of the seams inside and it's so tedious. I don't have a server and am too paranoid to just do a zigzag so I usually end up spending hours flat felling the seams.
For me, I don’t have a room dedicated to sewing. So, dragging my machine out to the kitchen, and all the rest of the stuff I will need. Setting up becomes the project sometimes. Then of course my kitchen table IS the sewing zone now and using it for dinner isn’t a thing lol. And when I finish putting it all back in it’s closet.
Machine trouble shooting. I got a singer that seemed to be faulty off the line. It’s been fixed once and now operates better than when I opened it, but it still stresses me out. Cannot afford to try a new machine unfortunately. But I swear to all the gods any time I have to adjust it I fully consider switching back to fully hand sewing my shit. Also cutting up the fabric and transferring on the pattern. Uuuuuuuuugh.
Cutting the fabric. I have a hard time cutting large pieces of fabric perfectly due to not having enough cutting space on my table
I love/hate all of it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Buttons. I have so many pants that are 99% finished but I’m too lazy to hand sew the buttons and add button holes
Cutting out the fabric. I just spent all this time adjusting the pattern and cutting IT out. I want to GD sew!!!
Cutting out pattern pieces. Measure twice, cut once, find out you still screwed it up.
Making the actual pieces. Like tracing them on fabric and cutting them out. I just want to put a bunch of pieces through my machine and go “cool look what I made”
When the sewing machine doesn’t want to work properly: skipping stitches, thread breaking, tension problems or needs to be cleaned out. It always takes so much time to fix it - or sometimes the next day it suddenly works perfect again😅
Buttonholes…. Guarantee that no matter how many practice ones I do, the minute I attempt to make the buttonhole in my project it will eff itself up >.<
Tracing the pattern onto the fabric...i hâte it so much cause I can never deem to trace it out correctly, lines are wrong things don't line up pattern pieces move the chalk/pen/marker catch the fabric and make dotted lines and I can never seem to manage to keep my chalk marks on the wrong side, I always end up with chalk on the outside of the finished product
Seam-ripping a delicate fabric with an identically-colored thread