First Name: Jean City/State: WA Sin Category: Other A new Start Confession:: After being without a machine for 3 years, I have just bought a Viking Lily. I think my husband is going to strangle it in a fit of jealousy. With this new machine, I hereby swear an oath on my boxes and boxes of fabric that I will become a pure and perfect seamstress. I promise I will always pre-wash. I promise I will never again wear a garment BEFORE finishing the seams or adding the lining. I promise I will make those muslin shells when appropriate and cut down on my "waddies." I promise I will never buy another project while working on my current one. I promise I will press after EVERY seam. Wait...I think I hear the sewing angels laughing their heads off. Is there a sewing equivalent of Hail Marys? First Name: Kate City/State: Confustion Sin Category: Other Pretending to have something done on time Confession:: Yup, like so many passive-aggressive people, I said yes to people who wanted clothing when they didn't need or deserve the time spent in making them. Half of them got what they deserved, half of them got clothes. First Name: Lizz City/State: outside of chicago Sin Category: Other so close Confession:: I should have put all of the above next to other. I have a room that is dedicated to my sewing habit. I now have a TAX # so I buy fabric by the bold (goddess help me). The hubby had had to make shelves to house all the fabric. I still go to the fabric stores and find fabric there as well. I'm sick. I have 3 machines a vintage singer, embroidery straight stitch machine, a singer XL 5000 and a singer basic. (can't think of the model) To the big sin I'm really good about finishing things for friends although it takes me forever, where I get hung up is finishing a project for me. I have three dresses at this very moment that have been waiting 2 years for me to finish the hem and put the zipper in. I also skip steps all the time, but usually sewing karma bites me in the butt when I do that. First Name: Debra City/State: Minnesota E-mail: jacklver@yahoo.com Sin Category: The wonders of fusing & gluing Confession:: Well, I am not a very experience seamtress.. but I have slowly gotten into more sewing since the kids wanted halloween costumes.. and now my girls have me hooked on Ren Faire! The Ren Garb is surely the hardest clothing I have attempted. I have made a lot now- everything, shirts, bodices, "kirtles" Doublets, breeches... But my sins are many. I had to adjust the patterns for diffent man sizes, and one Doublet- I forgot to add onto the lining..it was too short! I didn't have enough fabric to make new lining- so I took the scraps and used iron-tape to glue the extensions onto the lining pieces. Good thing it was for my family only! One bodice I made- the back said "cut two". I thought oh if I just cut it on the fold, it will be easier- one piece not two... Well, it turned out that DUH I couldn't turn the thing right side out after it was put together!!!! There was a reason the back was made in two pieces! I had to cut the back in two anyway- and fortunately had learned about bound hems so I covered my mistake fairly well..... I have learned the internet has a WEALTH of s ewing instruction! Sites like this one are SO wonderful. First Name: Cat City/State: Los Angeles Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: My sweetheart sews more than I do, so we are both guilty of stashing fabrics. While I must have more kinds of fabric, his are bulkier and heavier, so we're about even quantity wise. When he was unemployed, he wanted to make a pair of floor length simple white cotton curtains for our living room. Neither curtain is hemmed, one is just pinned onto the rod (people think we did it on purpose, since the pins are brightly colored) The other curtain, if hemmed would be 10" off the floor, above the dog's bed. Since it isn't hemmed, the dog sits on the bottom edge of the curtains and they are covered in dog hair. My sweetheart has currently been employed since last september, which means those curtains have been that way for over a year... my sin: I have not taken those curtains down myself and fixed them either. First Name: Shelley Kay City/State: Grace, TX E-mail: 1derwhy@usa.net Sin Category: Other Running my mouth Confession:: Heeeee! Hi Sewgeeky. I found your site from the Crafty thread on TT ;) I have a friend who is a professional seamstress specializing in antique costuming. A dear friend was getting married, and I offered to help get all of the wedding costumes out in time. She was thrilled and needed the help. So as we worked and chatted, we related sewing disasters. She told me about catching up a fold of fabric in the seam she was serging, not realizing it for a good eight inches, and the havoc which ensued. Being a snot, I laughed and said "I don't think I've ever done that. At least I don't remember it." Three seconds later, while sewing up the underarm seams of a groomsman's shirt... guess what I did? Karma's a beyatch, ain't she? First Name: Kim City/State: UK Sin Category: Other gone but not forgotten. Confession:: My boyfriend bought me a lovely bettie page tshirt as a gift. Only problem was it was too big. So, after many months of it beinf stashed away in my drawer, I got out my overlocker(serger) and began to cut and sew. My overlocker was having a fit. I broke a needle. Then my cutting blade made a great big hole in the sleeve. I was having a bad sew day. The tshirt lies mangled in a box somewhere, its on my 'to do' list. He often asks why I dont wear it........ First Name: Rita City/State: Cleveland, Ohio E-mail: hjbrfb@aol.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: My confession is that I am using this confessional for another purpose (although my sewing sins are many). I, too, have been chosen to sew a Dalmatic and stole for my son and, though I have spent weeks on the internet, have not been able to find a pattern for either. But lo and behold I was smiled on and led to your site. The dalmatics and stoles you have created are beautiful and, believe me, I know the work that has gone into them. I did try to do one with a choir robe pattern and that drove me crazy and I gave up. Would you please be so kind as to share with me where you got the pattern for your dalmatic and stole. I would be ever so grateful and promise that I will come back later and share all of my sewing sins with you. Have a blessed day. Rita First Name: tasha Sin Category: Other lazy! Confession:: a friend asked me to alter some of her clothes, since she had lost aprox. 50 lbs and so none of her lcothes fit her, but she was in her in between stage and didnt want to buy anything since she was still losing weight. this was a year ago. Her clothes are in a bag, all half- finished except for a dart or a seam finishing. Now I feel like such a cad for not having given them back yet that I haven't seen her in months! First Name: Susan City/State: Los Angeles Sin Category: Other I moved in and so did.....THEY Confession:: My wonderful boyfriend and I moved in to his beautifully decorated-with-help-of-his-Interior-decorator-Aunt, and the first thing I did was..... Um...take over a whole section of his kitchen drawers for fabric and park a big 'ol folding table for my serger and straight stitch machines behind his perfectly coordinated couch! I DID sew him some really neat stuff, but I think I'm the only girl I know who actually took over her boyfriend's kitchen for SEWING purposes! First Name: jennifer City/State: knoxville, tennessee E-mail: telepath48@hotamil.com Sin Category: Other Being notoriously cheap Confession:: I was combinging two patternes to make a dress with a circular skirt and princess seamed bodice with staps. I had enough fabric to make the skirt and line it but I didn't have enough for the bodice. So i fitted the pieces into the leftovers from the skirt and one side front is on the wrong grain. For the lining I used some fabric that I ripped out of a skirt I made before and didn't like. None of those lining pieces grains match. After that I added a zipper that hardely worked from the projected I ripped the lining out of the skirt. It doesn't look half bad^_~ First Name: Helen City/State: Marietta, GA Sin Category: Other sewing machine addiction Confession:: I have several machines and have given several machines and am looking at another machine. I have 2 singer redeyes, a 201, an athena, and a 6268. I also have a vigorelli and a viking. I gave away a Kenmore to my ex-husband and his wife and a Riccar to her sister. I bought my mother an old singer portable in a case. Now I really want another sewing machine - it looks so pretty. I can only sew with one at a time, but they just seem so beautiful and each one does a different thing the best. First Name: Lauren City/State: Chi, IL Sin Category: Other sewing machine neglect Confession:: I have 2 sewing machines, both about 40-50 years old, and I haven't ever had them tuned up... I'm evil!! First Name: Helen City/State: Georgia Sin Category: Other All of above and more Confession:: I have several machines - 2 just alike with the "redeye" paint on them. They needed a good home, not some anonymous person from ebay that wouldn't give them true love. Then I needed one that was OK to sew on. And my old one from when I was 15. And the one that looked like the picture on the sewing book. And the one that I found behind the old lawnmower when I finally cleaned out the shed while moving to another home. And the one that I gave to my ex-husband and his wife. I have a fabric stash that started in the early 70's. Some of it is too ugly to sew, and some of it is inappropriate to the life I live now. Some of it (about 10 yards) is bulletproof bright red polyester from 1977. My problem is congenital - my mother has so much fabric that when she got sick one time my grandmother had someone come in from a resale store to give an estimate on how much it would be worth as a job lot. Now one of her friends told her that if you believe the bumper sticker that "she who dies with the most fabric wins" then Mom is already the winner. As to the confessional part of this trip down memory lane - when I get homesick for childhood, I have to go to the nearest fabric store that I can find and spend time among the fabric and patterns. Since I don't know where there are any second-hand places near me where I can get old patterns, 10 cent crochet books, and the like, I spend way too much time on ebay trying to find patterns. I am now really addicted to the old Vogue patterns from 1956-1958. They had style and detail back then, even in the large sizes. I wonder if 50's patterns and 70's fabrics could make a wardrobe for a 2003 woman? First Name: Jean Sin Category: Other Denial of age Confession:: I have taken up cross stitch after ignoring it for about 13 years. I was a teen when I last did it so you wouldn't think I would be falling apart at my age. My vision has always been bad, but it isn't much worse than it was at 15. Either I'm aging fast or the eight hours/day of a computer monitor is getting to me. I started a nice, easy, rose on 22 sq/inch fabric and nearly made myself black out after an hour. I need one of those magnifying glass things. But I don't want to need it. I'm really bitter over this. First Name: Catherine City/State: Berkeley, CA Sin Category: Other Just a question! Confession:: WHERE did you get that baby monkey pattern? I'm looking all over for a monkey pattern for my two-year-old for Halloween. Could you post it in your sewing diary, please? Thanks so much! First Name: Erin City/State: Fargo, ND Sin Category: Other "Oh...I don't need a pattern for this..." Confession:: Last week I was trying to sew some "viking" pants for my boyfriend...for an upcoming Rennaisance festival outing. I didn't need a pattern for something as easy as pants!. Measure waist, length, fold fabric over, and cut. First I almost ended up with an 100" waist band! After sewing everything up, the butt area comes no where near fitting him. I crumpled the whole thing up and threw it on the floor. Tomorrow I shall attempt to fix the whole mess... First Name: dee-dee City/State: Oahu E-mail: stinkalot@yahoo.com Sin Category: Other "playing" with my needles Confession:: Well, I like to "play" with my needles. All of the time. Every day. No matter what you say. With my dog. With my cat. I play with needles. And that is that. So dont make fun. Or call me weird. Or I'll play with your needle. And stick it in your ear. First Name: Neelam City/State: Miami Beach/FL E-mail: maria0024@yahoo.com Sin Category: Other Stingy me! Confession:: I'm dying to sew garments and sell them for profit. People stop me at work and ask me if I sew for other people. Still, whenever I sew something that looks halfway decent I can't bear to part with it!!! I just have to keep it for myself. I finally made a tank that looks halfway decent but I'm still too lazy to try to sell it to anyone! First Name: Ismene City/State: Reseda, CA Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I hate to "waste time" making a muslin. For the bodice I'm making right now, the cotton lining is the "muslin" that I'm making adjustments on. Other sins: non-stop pattern hording. I have at least 10 or 12 different patterns for Renaissance bodices. And I keep buying more. (Only when they are are on sale though.) What is really wrong about this, is that I don't even use them. I draft my own patterns. And my most recent sewing sin, was that while making curtains I realized that I could avoid sewing another hem... if I lined them up right and took advantage of the selvedge. Everyone who sees them loves the "design" choice I made there. First Name: Mia City/State: Orange County, CA E-mail: www.giddy.tk Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I'm so ashamed... I couldn't say this anywhere other than among friends... Gulp... about 6 weeks ago, I decided to make kitchen curtains. I went and bought some beautiful blue linen fabric and even was inspired and made a fabric stamp pattern all over them. This is a two part confession... 1) I am a complete geek and I decided to copy the Simpsons' curtain pattern of corn, only on a blue background. This was hand-stamped by a custom template (and it actually turned out pretty cool). 2) I hung the curtains to see how they looked... just hung the fabric over the rod and secured with straight pins. Then, I realized in my spur-of-the-moment decision to make these corny curtains, I didn't buy matching thread. To this day, the curtains are STILL HANGING THERE without being sewn. First Name: Kitty City/State: Chicago, IL Sin Category: Other I hope she doesn't notice Confession:: OK. So I admit that Kitty is not my real name but I would be absolutely horrified if this got out. Here goes. I recently made a jacket for a client that is absolutely gorgeous. Everything came out wonderfully until I got to the very end. The CB seam of the jacket is french and the jacket has a peplum. Horror of horrors, when I was putting together the peplum I attached both jacket fronts at the side seams in a doublestitched seam before I noticed that the jacket back was inside out. Since it's a french seam I continued to attached the jacket to the peplum and I'm just praying that she doesn't notice. I'm going to burn aren't I??? First Name: Helen City/State: Australila Sin Category: Other Procrastination and hoarding. Confession:: Last year, late June, My husband bought himself some lovely trousers to wear out to dinner for our anniversary. They were a bit long, but we decided that I, who can make an entire outfit, could easily take them up. For one reason or another, we changed our minds about the dinner. I can't remember why - hope it wasn't the undone trousers, but suspect it was. Anyway, the pants didn't get done right then because there was now no rush. I finally did get them done - about two weeks ago. He's a little thinner now, but the pants still sort-of fit. Oh well. I'm also a hoarder, when I can afford it. It's not too big a stash - two big plastic boxes, an old chest and some big plastic garbage bags (plus UFO box), but I just can't pass by a remnant bin - my son is still small enough for them to be useful. So the stash is growing, and the husband is my accomplice, happily buying that piece of satin or linen that I can't afford right now. There's also a few pieces of shirting in there that he bought for himself. Lucky Me! Also, I have a lovely satin circle skirt for bellydancing that's been hanging for about six months now. I think it's probably safe to do the hem! Maybe now the boy is at kindy I'll get some sewing done? First Name: eli City/State: Cold Spring Harbor, NY Sin Category: Other Cool! Confession:: I love those space vixens! First Name: Lucy City/State: UK Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I have only recently developed my sewing addiction. In April I went to the Whitby Gothic Festival for the first time, and decided that, since I had no money for expensive and flamboyant outfits, I would have to make something dramatic for the main evening event. I had a large amount of white fur fabric (a sin in itself - I was supposed to sew a pair of big fluffy cat-paw-shaped slippers for a friend, and just never did it). I decided I would make a *bunny* costume. I had no patterns, no sewing machine, and not very much time. I took over the dining room of my houseshare (it leads through to the kitchen, so this isn't convenient). I made a white fur miniskirt using an existing skirt as a pattern. I made separate 'playboy-bunny'-style collar and cuffs, using fusible interfacing and a whole lot of Wundaweb (brand name for fusible hem tape). My iron still bears the scars - shrivelled brown burnt bits of wundaweb which haven't been cleaned off yet. I made pink lamé self-cover buttons, and a pink lamé bow tie (the pink lamé is a testament to my remnants addiction). I put together some rather wonderful white fur bunny-ears on a headband (based on a duct-tape and wire frame. Three cheers for duct tape!) Finally, I was ready to make the top. I stated out trying to use a waistcoat as a pattern. I was running out of fabric. I cut. I sewed. I tried it on. It was weird. I sewed darts in it, all over. And more darts. I put in the zip. I sewed *more* darts. I cut it shorter. I fiddled with the shoulder-bits. In the end, the only way to make it fit and cover my underwear was to sew it to my bra. Even then i had bra-edges peeking out of the arm-holes. It worked, in the end; it looked good, was mostly comfortable to wear, and got my photo taken four times. It was worth it (even if the headband elastic was too tight!) First Name: Suzie City/State: Bartlesville, Oklahoma Sin Category: Other Started, never finished Confession:: Several years ago I ambitiously started a crib-sized quilt for an expecting friend. I pieced it and basted it together... I even started to quilt it. At her shower, I gave her the quilt (unfinished) as my gift. After everyone oohed and ahhed over it, I took it back, saying "I'll finish quilting this and get it right back to you." It is still in my sewing room, in a box labeld 'need to finish." It has been (at least) three years. The child is probably in preschool. I have no idea where that friend even lives now. I'm a terrible, horrible person. First Name: Sam City/State: UK Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Forgive me SewGeeky, for I have sinned. I don't stash fabric around my house. I live in a small studio apartment with my husband. I stash it at a friend's house. And she doesn't sew. And when my husband saw the stash at said friend's house and thought the colours looked like my sort of colours, he asked her who the ROLLS of fabric were for. And she said they were for her mother. And her mother doesn't sew either. Forgive me SewGeeky, for I have sinned. I was once too scared to put some lovely silk chiffon under my sewing machine. So I made up the top by hand and wore it out to dinner. And it was only BASTED together. And I wore it three times. And when it came time to send it to the drycleaner (and therefore sew it together), I threw it in my box labelled 'things to do when I'm bored'. And its still there. Sigh. I'm such a bad girl. First Name: michele City/State: modesto, ca Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: Years ago, with kids underfoot, I took a class for handprint wall quilts. I enjoyed making and giving these. I joined a guild. My enthusiasm found me stockpiling a stash so great that if I (gasp)stopped buying today, I might have enough sensuous, beautiful fabric to supply my needs for life. I used to believe one had either time OR money. For a while, I have both. No room though. Laugh and say 36 Hail Mary's. Hey, how about beautiful quilted coffin liners? You CAN take it with you! First Name: Michelle City/State: Antioch/CA E-mail: sissyjane98@yahoo.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I sin all the time. My biggest sin involves my checkbook. DH has a healthy appetite ,and doesn't mind checks written to Safeway, soooo I bet you can guess the entries written in my check register. They may say Safeway, but my favorite fabric store cashes the check. First Name: Let's Just say it's "Red" City/State: Atlanta, GA Sin Category: Other I hate being a plus size petite Confession:: Oh sewgeeky, I have sinned... First and foremost I hold a B.S. in Apparel Design and didn't get a goddamn thing out of that degree...I have a mannequin that supposedly I can stuff to make it look like my body, but somehow it never will... Anyways, being a size 16 petite woman is a horrid thing. Size 14 on top, 16 on bottom. Petite sizes in that range are hard enough to find clothes for, you know? I make long jackets (I refuse to make pants for myself)and I still have to engineer a way to accomodate for my short back. Jesus. Sometimes I just have the alterationist do the double darts in the back. See, that's why I need a clone! First Name: Stephanie City/State: Bethesda, MD Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I shop for fabric online all the time at work. It's all so economical compared to my local fabric store (G Street Fabrics) and much nicer than the stuff I can find at Hancock Fabrics, which is a 30 minute drive away on the interstate. (side note: I live right outside Washington, DC. Why is it so difficult to find good sources?) Anyway, I probably have 20-30 yards of fabric at home right now. I will catch up with it someday, I promise! First Name: Jennifer City/State: Los Angeles, CA Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Where do I start? I've never prewashed, I don't even iron the fabric before I start cutting to get those wrinkles out. And I don't even bother to baste anything...not even the zippers! Actually my technique works out well...my zippers normally come out right on the first try. As for the rest, well it hasn't burned me yet! First Name: Lisa City/State: North Carolina E-mail: lisalallylollipop@hotmail.com Sin Category: Other Riiiiiiiiip Confession:: Kay guys........i was wearing a jean skirt, and i was bored so i decided to go jump on the trampoline......well, i did a round-off with my legs together, it was fine so i did another one........well, my jean skirt ripped!!! I have only worn it like 2 times and i LOVE it, is there any way to sew it back??????? (it's not on the seam, however, it is beside it) i desperatly need your help!!! e-mail me at the above address if u have any ideas or tips!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! First Name: catherine City/State: jacksonville beach fl E-mail: erinquinn33@hotmail.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: When I was a young single mother of two living on a very low budget, my dear brother sent me some beautiful fabric from Thailand. Since we lived by the Suwanee River I thought ah ha a bathing suit. (What was I thinking?) So I popped open my ironing board and put my Pfaff 295 on top because we didn't have a table and made myself a bathing suit. Down to the springs we went and within minutes my poor little six year old boy is screaming "Mommy, you're bleeding in the water". Well guess who had not prewashed her fabric! To add insult even as i got out of the water to get my towel the red dye continued to run down my legs. But I just scooped up my little sweeties and scooted on home First Name: Michelle City/State: Italy E-mail: cgalbreath@tiscalinet.it Sin Category: Other Poor Deb :...( Confession:: Poor Deb, geez you are a forgiving one. I would certainly have taken him up on the restashing WITH INTEREST! :I) If you find that pattern bank please post! First Name: Deb City/State: Contra Costa County California E-mail: sthelenawine@yahoo.com Sin Category: Other Pattern and Book Collecting... Confession:: PS Before reading:If you know of any company, on or offline who retains a 'pattern bank' going back to the(1960's would be fun too) 1970's through to the 1990's who will print out fresh copies of selected discontinued patterns, please email me at sthelenawine@yahoo.com Thanks! Hi there! I think my pattern addiction is similar to the fabric/notions compulsives here, reading everyone's stories it's good to know we're not alone! I must say I have been 'guilty' of most of the sewing mistakes/misjudgements described and think the only 'cure' is practice. As for why I think I collect and save,well,whenever I see something I like my thoughts run to, well, I might not see that again and 'gee, I would like to make that sometime.' or 'Oooh, that is such a cool [pick name of designer]evening gown,suit, etc.. what a fantasy to have that!' Anyway, here's my story, just a few months ago I had to let items in a shared storage locker 'go' because of financial difficulties due to lack of employment [and partly my roomate's own compulsive spending during the 2 months leading to the loss]-I do sporadic temp work and odd jobs now but this is not enough between myself and him who as 'payback' for years of my helping him[financial, counseling, etc..] is sharing an apartment with me now. Anyway, I managed to salvage the bulk of my items in storage but unfortunately almost 15 years of pattern collecting[going back to when I was 12!] neatly packed away in 3 large Glad Garbage bagged lined Boxes[to protect against moisture etc..] are gone forever along with many of my tailoring supplies and possibly many books that may be sewing related. As consolation for his contributing to losing my stuff this way and mismanaging the funds we were sharing through jobs, he's offered to help me 'restock' and darn it if I didn't catch myself just thinking about 'collecting' patterns for future projects and wondering just where I could go to have copies of long discontinued patterns made since sadly the patterns I'm seeing in McCalls, Butterick and Vogue are nowhere near as comprehensive as they were in the past, I could not find my old Diane Von Furstenberg or Calvin Klein jeans patterns either! I recently did a whole wardrobe of alterations for my roomate and he couldn't believe the results, plus, since he sewed canvas in the Navy now he's all interested in how to sew his own jeans and shirts and accompanied me to joann's fabrics where I picked up about 15 patterns-some men's ones in his size; many similar to what was lost and of course, some that are 'new.' I'd like to curb myself of buying patterns in the future so I'm going to try to learn pattern drafting so I can take the basic patterns I have and modify them based on the styles I see as fashion changes. I've always liked the idea of having 'my basics' and then mixing pattern pieces to make whatever pattern I'm using really have a nice custom 'fit' so maybe this will be somewhat of a curb but still, my pattern 'lust' was not curbed enough to prevent my buying the uniquely cut (you can see them at http://www.butterick.com )Vogue's Donna Karan 2539 and consider the lovely Vogue 2720 Bridal/Evening/Bridesmaid's pattern-some stuff you just can't duplicate by mixing and matching those pattern pieces.. PS:If you know of any company, on or offline who retains a 'pattern bank' going back to the(1960's would be fun too) 1970's through to the 1990's who will print out fresh copies of selected discontinued patterns, please email me at sthelenawine@yahoo.com Thanks! First Name: Kathryn City/State: CA Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Cheap and Lazy Confession:: We were pretty poor when I got married in the early 80's. My mother and I made all my bridesmaid dresses and I wore her gown. Sounds lovely, right? Well being the thrifty sloth that I am, I decided to use a nightgown pattern I had laying around the house. To add to the hideousness,the ruffles on the bottom of the dresses weren't sewn on in the proper direction of the fabric, so they all appeared a different color than the rest of the dress. First Name: Pinn City/State: Japan E-mail: fayrieland@hotmail.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I never prewash. Never. I'm always in such a rush to see my finished work, I never iron either. I sometimes wind up with a complete mess but most of the time, I get away with it ;P First Name: Maia Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" First Name: Lauren City/State: PA Sin Category: Other think twice, sew once? Confession:: I was working on a dress for a theatrical costuming class - a princess bodice with piped seams, long sleeves and a 4-gore skirt. I flat patterned the dress according to my measurements, carefully lined the bodice, put a detail of sheer ruching over the center two panels, hand-stitched the bodice trim, and took three hours to hand-stitch the hem so it was just invisible. And then I put the dress up on a hangar to check out and discovered I'd sewn the sleeves in backwards. First Name: Melinda City/State: Columbia,SC Sin Category: Other Promises, Promises Confession:: I promised my grown daughter an Easter dress over a month ago. I DO have the pattern and fabric. Have even washed the fabric, but pattern cutting enertia has set in. I HATE,HATE,HATE the cutting out part of the operation. I need to take myself on a guilt trip to get started! First Name: Amy City/State: La Marque, TX E-mail: amystuff@juno.com Sin Category: Other Everything else! Confession:: Hi, Gang: Where do I start? I have so many. Had no idea so many folks thought like me, but finally, here I am. I have bought bits of fabric and occasional patterns when JoAnn's puts the Vogues on sale. I refuse to pay $25 for a pattern unless I'm going to the Academy Awards. However, since I'm a 12 on top and 14 on bottom, I have bought on sale duplicates, since the Donna Karans are sized 8-10-12 and 14-16-18. Darnit. I hope he doesn't notice. I'm afraid I do have a stash of them, and while I've disposed of most of the patterns from the 1980s, one day the 1990s will be next. I hope not. . . As far as a stash, I have scraps that I do want to use for projects. There is a neat book out there by Taunton called Quick To Make. You can read about it here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1561585130/ref=pd_ir_imp/102-0756142-5718556 Miniature pincushions, overstitched things, summer skirts, all kinds of neat little things to do use up stashes and scraps. Hey, it could happen! Well, I love Threads magazine, and a few years ago they had a feature on raincoats. I was already considering making a summer raincoat, so this was right up my alley. I even used one of patterns they used, an Issey Miyake pattern (I think it's 1476.) I also made an accompanying rainhat, and used Seam Sealer just like they suggested. The edges are a bit frayed now, but it still looks good. However, it wasn't until after I watched Martha Stewart make something on the show with ripstop nylon that I discovered that. . .the shiny side is the "wrong" side of ripstop. I wish I'd know that a long time ago. It wasn't mentioned in Threads. After mine, I also made a coworker a green one just like mine when she moved to Paris (it rains a lot in Paris, I'm told, and it would be appropriate and take up little or no room.) I recently made rain hats for two relatives out of what was left of the scraps--these I did correctly. Maybe the next one will be "right." Last summer I bought fabric for 3 suits. I cut them all, and one got made but the other two didn't. Finally about a 2 months ago I finished the other two. One was a light brown "easy" pattern (it wasn't that easy but it looks good) and the other was a grey pinstripe with a black shirt with white collar and cuffs. A Vogue, naturally, more steps. I won't discuss the welted pockets that I'll "go back to one day;" no, just below one of the pockets was a little rip! After much fretting and a check to Sewing 911, I decided to patch it. The only method that seemed to work well enough was sewing a square of matching fabric over it, matching stripes, but it looked weird only on one side. So I put a patch on the other side in the same spot and it looks like it belongs there. Well, no one has questioned it. I also had another Vogue pattern for pants that I'd started last summer and they just didn't work. Lined, with pockets, and no matter what I did I couldn't make them come out right. I tossed the pants AND the pattern out and have not regretted it once. If I think of anything else, I'll be back. Amy the Redhead First Name: Cera City/State: Toronto E-mail: cmaugey@yahoo.ca Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I LOVE fabric (and yarn since I machine knit as well). I "store" my fabric in our travel suitcases (hubby doesn't look there, God forbid we have to travel soon the secret storage place will be revealed, since he does the packing). I have three suitcases full of wool suiting fabrics, and I won't even talk about the travel "bags"!! I cannot just go to the fabric store to "look", I HAVE to buy (thank God for this confession booth, I can say this knowing that people will totally understand this habit). So, I am in the stores looking at dress material, but my roving eye will go to the suiting section, and invariably there is a "sale", and next thing I know I am at the cash register with CC in hand, looking very startled, as if to say - "how the hell did I get here, was I sleep walking??" Oh yes, and I my famous line when I am leaving the store, usually on the stairs or escaltor -"thats it I am not buying anymore fabric, I have all I need". Gosh, the number of times I have told myself that lie will make even the keeper of hell blush!! First Name: candy City/State: Springfield, IL Sin Category: Other It won't show! Confession:: Being smart(for once in my sewing life!), I just did a trial run of my dd wedding dress. Got $4 worth of fabric, got the dress made, and fitted it to her. Hmm, only several minor adjustments needed! But she decided she REALLY wanted the trial dress to wear at a convention and had to take it w/her the next day. OKAY - I took visable darts in the back, shortened shoulder straps and wacked off excess, then - she stood on toilet as I hacked off bottom of dress and liner. I hemed outer layer, carefully cutting off vent thingies, and then since it was past midnight, just whacked lining shorter so I wouldn't have to mess with it. Amazingly, with a dressy little sweater to cover adjustments in back of bodice, it looks pretty good! First Name: Michelle City/State: Italy Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: My name is Michelle and I am a fabric addict. I read my husband some of these, he doesn't get it and often b*%&# at me for having the stuff trickling out of my designated area. I must also confess that I am a pig. I make messes everywhere I go. I've improved greatly, but it's like noticing a five pound loss on a 400# woman. To make matters worse my husband is a neat freak- how we survived together this long is a miracle. He's a nuclear engineer/I'm the artsy one. Anyway, we were back and forth between here and the States. We were driving by a Jo-Anns and he looks at me with disgust (the kind you reserve for people with no willpower) and says, "do you want to stop?" I said, "no" like I do when refusing dessert (another addiction, another board). So he whips in the parking lot, it's a rental, who cares about the alignment, right. I am not 2 feet in the door when I spot some neat fabric that would make...something, and ooh, what about that, and soon my arms are like fully loaded, when I spy some more. I am aware but surrealy oblivous to the shadow over me that I actually hover in case someone is eyeballing the next bolt, (back off people, I am on a binge). Oh crap-can I say that here (it's not what I said there)? The shadow had a a very deep, oddly familiar voice (have a grown a conscience-why now), it spoke and said, "What do you think you're doing?" I threw the bundle up in the air! I was so embarrassed, ashamed, and then humbled. He said, FINE, I'll be at the bar (conveniently situated 2 doors down, filled with forlorn, abandoned, hungry neglected husbands no doubt). I gathered my bundles, what was left of my dignity and soon forgot the whole ordeal while I was at the checkout, $300 lighter. He later told me he shouldn't have tempted me like that and was sorry-now this is perfect, he's apologizing for my trangressions- will it work at the Peraly Gates? He said he had a bad feeling and it was confirmed: You see I had made an illicit stop at a fabric store a few days earlier I had forgot about and had left the bags in the backseat. He found those while he was waiting in the car. I had made an illicit stop at a fabric store a few days earlier I had forgot about and had left the bags in the backseat. He found those while he was waiting in the car. I told him I forgave him, God just gave him all those brains and no common sense. I feel so much better now. Except we just arrived back after 6 weeks and our mail has really piled up. I had to make two trips to the post office to load all the boxes into the car. Thankfully DH is off on business again, well I now have to find a place in it all. First Name: Kit City/State: Virgina Sin Category: Other Lazy, lazy Confession:: I hate hems. Every other part of sewing is great, but those hems should just die. So in place of a hem on my pretty new jean skirt, I just zig-zagged an inch in and let it fray to that point. I get compliments on it and just pretend that I planned it to be all stylish. So add lying to laziness... :) First Name: Joy E-mail: joy.cormier2sympathico.ca Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" First Name: Anna City/State: Boston, MA Sin Category: Other Armchair Sewing Addict Confession:: Bless me, for I have sinned. I can't even sew, and I'm hopelessly addicted to patterns, books, and fabric. I've made a total of 4 A-line skirts in my sewing career, but have day-dreamed about dresses and quilts, slipcovers and drapes, linens and duvet covers... I buy fabric constantly and lie to the salesladies at the fabric store about how my 'projects' are coming... I read sewing books vintage and modern, draw little sketches in my project journal, furtively surf around reading sewing sites, but can't bring myself to face the menacing reality of my sewing machine (inherited from a friend's sister's ex-boyfriend's deceased grandmother... I kid you not on that one) I've ordered handmade clothing from internet seamstresses and passed it off as my own (eeek, forgive me for my pathelogical lies!!! what is WRONG with me??) and keep buying patterns and fabric and notions and gadgets... WHY, oh WHY can't I just sit down and learn how to do any of this...? I guess it's more fun to dream about perfection than deal with my own incompetancy... Help! First Name: James City/State: Arlington, Virginia E-mail: frostpup@hotmail.com Sin Category: Other No One Will See--It's A COSTUME Confession:: Forgive me, Sewgeeky, for I have sinned. FIRST, I agreed to make three Victorian gowns for the mother and grown up Wendy in "Peter Pan" even though I'm a principal in the show (Hook's sidekick, Smee). SECOND, I allowed my sewing goddess to talk me into using an authentic pattern so that the garment would be properly structured. THIRD, I decided that to get the best silhouette, I would have to make corsets--which of course drove my schedule back because I couldn't take measurements or do fittings until the coresets were done. PICTURE IT: there I was last night. I got home at midnight (rehearsal was WAY TOO LONG) and the next run is supposed to be in full dress--and I still had to finish the lining and the closures. Just as I was pulling a hank of thread through the beeswax so I could whip the lining to the facing, an evil spirit whispered to me: "NO ONE WILL SEE--IT'S A COSTUME." The next thing I knew, I was sitting in front of my sewing machine with the lining TOPSTITCHED into place, the garment held at arm's length, and me squinting and trying to figure out if it would read under the stage lights. I was horrified! And I'm positive that this is the same demon that told me: "DON'T APPLIQUE THE TRIM INTO PLACE--USE FABRI-TAC!" jc First Name: Jeanne City/State: So California Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" fabric and books and patterns and UFOs Confession:: I have so many UFOs, so much stuff. DH just catalogued books and what of the patterns he could find -- a grand total of 1026! Ebay, here I come!! When I moved to larger sewing quarters there were 169 archive boxes in the house (more bolts in the garage) and we stopped numbering the UFOs at 89. Ah me, I am assured of a long and fruitful life just so I can use all this stuff up!! First Name: Jeanne City/State: So California Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" fabric and books and patterns and UFOs Confession:: I have so many UFOs, so much stuff. DH just catalogued books and what of the patterns he could find -- a grand total of 1026! Ebay, here I come!! When I moved to larger sewing quarters there were 169 archive boxes in the house (more bolts in the garage) and we stopped numbering the UFOs at 89. Ah me, I am assured of a long and fruitful life just so I can use all this stuff up!! First Name: Jeanne City/State: So California Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" fabric and books and patterns and UFOs Confession:: I have so many UFOs, so much stuff. DH just catalogued books and what of the patterns he could find -- a grand total of 1026! Ebay, here I come!! When I moved to larger sewing quarters there were 169 archive boxes in the house (more bolts in the garage) and we stopped numbering the UFOs at 89. Ah me, I am assured of a long and fruitful life just so I can use all this stuff up!! First Name: Maryanne City/State: Chattanooga, TN E-mail: Sewbuggy423@aol.com Sin Category: Other Imaginary sewing Confession:: I have a horrible confession: I think far more about sewing than I actually DO. I buy fabric, patterns, notions, and never use them, never take them out of the package. I plan to; I intend to; I have a 'project' in mind for each purchase, but never actually do them! In fact the time I spend sewing is so miniscule that it hardly exists as I am so very busy with everything else. When I have free time, I shop...for sewing items, fabric, etc. And that is all I do! First Name: Jennifer City/State: Seattle, WA Sin Category: Other Biological Clock Confession:: I am knitting a layette set for a co-worker. I have made all kinds of cute little things for kids family and friends before. No big deal right? I made my first bootie and as it came together it was just so wee and cute that I began to gush over it. I was ready to shout, "Forget the long-term plan DH! We're having a baby now! I want to make all kinds of cute things for MY baby!" Egad! That has to be the dumbest reason to have a baby. Am I turning into one of those evil people who have babies just to dress them up? I need to be taken out and switched. First Name: Jennifer City/State: Seattle, WA Sin Category: Other Machine Envy Confession:: I want a Berina quilting machine. I want a Berina quilting machine. The model I want is $2500. Gulp. My lovely husband got laid off. We are living on my pitiful, government employee's salary. We just paid for our wedding. Our computer and stero system are both slowing dying. We need to save for a house. We've set a goal of having a child in the next five years. I won't mind having to drive an old clunky Mom-mobile. I don't care if I have to wear Goodwill. I don't mind cutting back on my eating out habit. It didn't even bother me that we did a small wedding. But I waaaaaaaaaaaant a fancy sewing machine. Gosh, I'm a spoiled brat, huh? First Name: Jennifer City/State: Seattle, WA Sin Category: The wonders of fusing & gluing Confession:: I made a BM dress for my sister's wedding. I didn't have time to hem, so I used fusable tape and everyone gushed over it. I wore the dress afterwards - in fact it lasted longer than her marraige. I hope I didn't jinx her! First Name: Jennifer City/State: Seattle, WA Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I want to sing, "I'm not alooooooooooone!" I started five years ago when I ended up borrowing my boyfriend's dead grandmother's sewing machine. I first made Christmas Stockings, than a BM dress for my sister's wedding. Within a year I was making a good % of my clothes with dreams of someday wearing my own perfectly-tailored, Armani look-alike suits. I had ideas faster than I could sew and soon my closet shelves were stuffed with patterns, fabric and notions. I had all the materials for my first suit, black velvet bought on sale to make a stunning evening gown, enough batting and little squares for three king sized quilts! Yes, I had enough fabric and supplies to fill a garage but unfortunately I was in a 450 sq. ft apartment. Well I got rid of the BF. I asked to buy the sewing machine from him since he didn't plan to use it. He wouldn't take money but insisted that I "keep it and think of him." Noooooo! I wanted to move on so I gave it back. I haven't replaced it yet, nor have I given away all the fabric that I bought. I took up crocheting. I now have added a mountain of yarn to the other collection. I did move on from the boyfriend - a few months later I was dating a lovely man who recently became my husband. Unlike others, I don't have to hide my craft horde from him. He has nearly 100K baseball cards, so we just have to be tolerant of each other. First Name: Virginia City/State: Fairfield, CA E-mail: no way Sin Category: Other lying to DH Confession:: Forgive me for I have sinned. I have lied to my husband about the time I spend sewing. I work out of my house so it is easy for me to take a day off to sew, even though I have pressing work committments. My husband has noticed that my bills are not being paid but that is due to slow business. I have gone so far as to sew all day, quickly shower, change into work clothes, vaccum up the threads, and bring in takeout because I am so tired from a frustrating day in sales. I have snuck into my house a Viking Designer 1, a Pfaff 7530, a Viking 936 serger and a Babylock Imagine serger. I have a fabric stash which I thought was incredible but based on the accounts in this chronicle, I am not so out of range. I am also a painter who has not lifted up a paintbrush in 4 years, in spite of receiving a $500 easel as a gift three years ago. Is there a sewholics anonymous? First Name: Donna City/State: Lenoir City, Tennessee E-mail: lol...no way Sin Category: Other sewing machine Confession:: To begin with i had a perfectly good sewing machine...but it did free motion quilt...so asking my husband's permission could I go and look at machines...well called him on the phone and told him the machine I want is 1200.00...He said fine...well the next week I went back and upgraded...lol...forgot to tell him..well he will never notice anyway...had that one for 6 weeks and decided to upgrade again because I needed a full size machine to free motion quilt...the reason I was buying a machine to begin with...so thought well I will have to tell him...He said fine...so I got the 165 without embroidery..I told her I may be back and purchase the embroidery...well 3 weeks later I went back and got the 180 and the embroidery...and 5 months later upgraded again...to the biggest machine they have...Now I am sitting here thinking what am I going to do now...where do I go from here...I'm addicted...and I left out the many accessories and FQ's I purchased along the way...oh but wait...this week I got the designer software and 3 days later called her back and got the designerplus....It's scary what's happened to me...I used to be so conservative...I think I have snapped...well bye all....and take my advice just get the big machine to start with....lol First Name: Liz City/State: Southern CA Sin Category: Other Fear of finishing: Fabric Stashing; gluing Confession:: I have a fear of finishing anything! My first 2 smocking projects, both beautifully smocked, all cut out & mostly sewn up for my first daughter were never completed - they are a size 2. My daughters are now 4&7. Actually, I have several smocking & embroidery projects that I have put hours of work into and are beautiful - not a single reason not to finish them & be proud. But I lose interest and go on to the next project. Which then doesn't get finished. Etc. I also have a serious fabric habit. Every piece of fabric lovingly purchased has it's own story and it's own project - I don't often buy fabric unless I have a project in mind for it. But do they get sewn up? Noooo. So my sewing room is taken over by piles of fabric and well over 20 plastic storage bins full of same. One trick I've learned is if your fabric is in a pile, and you just happen to throw more on the pile, your husband doesn't notice that the pile is suddenly a little bigger... Lastly, the last dress I made was for a meeting the next day. I had heard about the wonders of using fusible thread in the serger, so I thought I'd use that for the hem and sleeves. No one told me it was just a basting technique! The dress had a long slim skirt in a border print with a very long vent in the back and a button front. There I was with this huge, 6" faced hem (so when the skirt opened you'd see the border, not the backside of the fabric), and it kept falling down 'cause I'd only fused the !@#$ thing up. You'd think I'd learn, but two weeks later I grabbed the same dress to show to a group of online sewing friends I was meeting for the first time. I could tell they were appalled..... Boy, confession sure IS good for the soul! Thanks!!!!! First Name: Cathy with a C City/State: Michigan Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Where do I even start? I have fabric everywhere in the house....the linen closet, kitchen cabinets, under the bathroom sink, car, beneath the bar, on the pool table, you name it. I do have a sewing room also with plenty of storage and I believe I keep Rubbermaid in business. I have a horrible habit of piecing quilt tops, but rarely finishing them. One time, DH had the nerve to comment on this, so I went to Big Lots, bought a cheapie quilt, cut off the tags and told him I made it, he never knew the difference! I also collect sewing machines, I'm up to 31 at last count. A few years ago, I bought a serger, but told DH that my friends cousins MIL gave it to her as a present, but she didn't want it so she gave it to me (he believed it!!!). I told him I paid $100 for my Handiquilter and $200 for the Brother machine to use with it, in reality, that set-up ran me $1200. I once bought a Featherweight sewing machine on Ebay, then handed it over to my friend who then told my DH that she found it at a garage sale for $25 and would he like it? He gave her the cash which she returned to me which I in turn went to the fabric store and traded it in for more fabric. I'm sure I'll be going to Hell with I die, where the streets are paved with bright orange double knit polyesther and sewing machines with no bobbin case....I just know it! First Name: another Kathy City/State: Ohio Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" skipped steps and fabric addiction and ufo Confession:: I was sure I could finish the skirt and blouse before I was to wear it that night. As the time to leave approached everything was done but the hem on the blouse. I guess if it was a skirt or pants hem, I might have had to think about tape or glue but I just tucked it in. Forgot I had not finished it the next time I went to wear it and wore it the same way again. Did finish it before I washed it. I was lucky it had not frayed more than it had as it was a loose weave woven. I think I need to make living room curtains. Took a class in curtain making at least 20 years ago. Bought a bolt of fabric for the curtains and another bolt for the lining. I did finish one panel. Unfortunately, I need 4. The "temporary curtains from my grandma have been up those 20 years. I know they have to be replaced. First I got a letter from a stranger wanting to take my empty house off my hands. Then I could not figure out why my neighbors were getting grocery ads on their porches and I wasn't. Snow has been a real pain in the butt in normally pretty snowless Columbus but at least once the ads delivery person saw that the sidewalks were shoveled regulary, they realized someone does live here. Now if we ever get spring in Ohio, I first have to paint the living room, change the curtain rods and then make the curtains. I no longer want the original pleated curtains that I planned. The fabric is white thankfully so it will go with any changes in paint color. Fabric addiction: Some confessions: As I sit at the puter boxes are piled behind me. Six to 8 feet tall. This is not all the stash. A friend put up three 6 and a half foot long shelves for me in the sewing room. He did not believe me that I really needed more until he saw how quickly I filled those up. After a few weeks he had to do repair work. They collapsed under the weight! There is more but we would have to think about all the places it is hidden. When I return from vacations my mother always asks, "How much fabric and how many books?" Yes, I did have to mail some home once, it would not fit in the car. She went through a spell where she tried to pin me down to a numeric number on how much fabric I had. Told her I had no idea. This went on at least a month. At least once a week I was asked. Finally I came up with at least one answer. "I really have no idea but just to give you an idea, you know that quilt shop I go to in Missouri (I live in Ohio) when I pass by on vacations (and I had only been past about 3 times)?" She remembered me talking about it. "Well they have a 50 yard club. I have made it once, maybe twice or I am well on my way to twice." And I don't even quilt. And I am the Salvation Army for fabric donations from people who don't sew and have somehow ended up with fabric. They know I can't say no. And when fabriholic friend died (who had her mother's stash also) her daughters do not sew and I quickly doubled my stash. I try to use something of their grandmother's in anything I make for the friends grandkids even if it is just a trim or buttons if not fabric. Do I feel guilty? No. Sue Hausman (not spelled right but it is almost 4 AM) put in all in perspective for me several years ago when she said, "There is some fabric you will never find a pattern worthy of and stamp collectors don't use their stamps on letters nor do spoon collectors use thei spoons to stir their coffee." First Name: Kathy City/State: Syrause, NY E-mail: krcole@twcny.rr.com Sin Category: Other Sewing Engineer - No Train Confession:: Dear Kindred Sinners. I must confess I too am a pattern,fabric,book,notions,quilting,sewing, cross stitch and knitting sinner. Sorry I can't crochet. I have three embroidery machines two of which will actually sew, one actual sewing machine that is in my sewing room (which my husband said I could never have the living room with cabinets and a laminate floor, uh huh) and one great serger. Okay now downstairs I have a beautiful Wilcox and Gibbs treadle, a beautiful White Treadle, a featherweight (um not sure where that one is) and another singer that was my hubby's gram's in the garage... Sorry can't find room for it yet. I am trying to weed out my pattern collection. Yes I hear the screams; and have been considering taking them to the Rescue Mission/Salvation Army. I have had three bags in my trunk now for about three months and probably have about another 200 patterns to go. I figure with the winter weather they will carry some weight/traction. I have one pattern cabinet that is absolutely full that now must be emptyied to make room for my handiquilter and oops another Janome sewing/quilting machine. The patterns came from a long line of discontinued patterns and midnight raids on dumpsters. What fun it was flashlight and garbage bag in hand and the fun of putting them all back together and not being able to walk across a 20 x 80 family room floor. Well I thought it was fun. My children think I am obsessed and so my cleaning must start to make room for new. I have glued fingers together, glued fabric to pants, often used wonder tape to hem a dress and then can't figure out why it didn't work after the wash(duh). I sewed the skirt I was wearing into a dress I was serging on a side seam. It doesn't pay to stand while you are doing this. I once showed my wonderful brother I could stitch on leather and then ended up pulling the needle out of his eyebrow... I think he still has the scar. So who says you have to use a new needle for every project. First Name: Kathy Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" First Name: Rena City/State: Woodstock GA E-mail: renaanne@attbi.com Sin Category: Other All the above Confession:: Let's start with the fabric addiction....to date I have 2 dressers, a closet, a trunk, and have started running into the unfinished storage under the eaves of our roof! So when I made my daughter a new dress the other day did I use some of this fabric? NO...I used my old worn out jeans because I thought it would be cuter! Moving on to laziness....My daughters had beautiful heirloom Christmas dresses this year with gorgeous embroidery however they were safety pinned in the back because I didn't bother to put buttons. Guess I should buy some beauty pins??? Now for my wonderful drawer of misfits...I actually have a dresser drawer full of things that didn't quite work out but I couldn't bear to throw them away so I've kept them thinking someday, maybe I could fix them or return to the size I was when I was 8 to fit into the pants that were too small? I recently was working on a crazy quilted jacket for my daughter and actually made 2 of the same side of the jacket because muslin has no apparent right/wrong side! Guess now I'm making 2 jackets! Now for the just plain embarrassing... I actually sewed a pair of pants I was hemming to the pants I was wearing. I have serged sleeves shut while trying to stitch the side seam. I put fraycheck in an heirloom Christening Gown for a friend when I accidentally cut a HOLE in the gown while trying to trim off the stabilizer. I have used wonder under to hem things. I have made pants for my daughter that fit "SO WELl" she couldn't get them off to go potty...I skipped the chapter on ease! For all these things, I'M NOT SORRY! I have learned a lot in the last 10 years and collected more fabric than I could ever possibly do something with but I save it all....my girls will someday want to make baby clothes right? First Name: Mary City/State: Califnornia E-mail: Maywin333@yahoo.com Sin Category: Other Lying to husband Confession:: Oh sew geeky, forgive me, for I have sinned. It has been aeons since my last confession. My sin is a big, big, big one. For months I've been learning how to sew and sinning by stashing fabric and not telling hubbie. But now the big sin came. Yesterday I bought a $1200 Bernina Activa 135 and a $1500 Bernina Serger (with a coverstictch!!!!) and I opened a private line of credit and lied to my husband and told him it was a gift from my mother. Sewgeeky, this is an unforgivable sin, the dreadfulest sin I can think of, especially because I have no clue how I'm going to hide the payments from him (one year, no money down, no interest, lol) But, Sewgeeky, the machines are my dream machines and I let greed and lust get the better of me. Forgive me if you can sewgeeky, I am a humble sinner, a hopeless addict, and must turn over a new page and start at least being honest! It helps to type this out, you have no idea how bad I feel about this. First Name: Jackie City/State: Somewhere in the Rocky Mountains Sin Category: Other can't leave it behind Confession:: My husband and I are in the process of moving out of state for my job. So I'm driving out with what I can fit in my car until the husband sells the house; then he'll pack up, grab the dogs and drive out to our new home. Anyway, I'm insisting on taking my sewing machine with me. Apparently, I can get by with leaving behind my husband, dogs, friends and house, but not my sewing machine? This has become an obsession ... First Name: Julie City/State: Dallas/TX E-mail: PatternNFabricAholic@yahoo.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I started sewing when I was 3 years old -- a vivid memory of running over my finger on the machine, and my mother having to remove the needle through my finger with a pair of pliers. Then I got right back to work on making my doll dress. I go to the Quilt shows with a huge garbage can on wheels with a sign on it that says "FabricAholic On a Binge". Women stop me and take my photograph so they can show it to their husbands and/or quilt guild members at home, because they will never believe it without photographic proof. So my photograph is up on bulletin boards in meeting halls, quilt stores, etc. all over America -- I guess that makes me officially a certified nut. Sometimes, I have to take the can back to the car at lunchtime to dump it out into the trunk to make room for what I buy in the afternoon. I have taken up TWO large rooms in my home for my garment and quilt fabric, notions, patterns, yarn, cross-stitch, silk ribbon, crochet and miscellaneous craft items, plus all those books, magazines and leaflets. I have snuck fabric in the house while the Fabric Control Officer was not looking. I have LIED TO MY MAMA about buying fabric [my family nickname is "Ohhhh, Honey!!"]. I have carried it around in the trunk of my car, hidden it in the garage, and in the back of my closet to conceal my purchases. I once took a part-time job at a quilt shop for extra money. I spent what I made plus more. When I quit, the Owner's husband figured it up and found that even with my 20% employee discount, I had been the store's best customer for the year I had worked there. I became so addicted to buying vintage dress patterns on eBay, I got fired from a job for spending too much time on the web. It was a really boring job -- I am not very sorry. You know you are an addict when you spend some of your unemployment check buying vintage patterns and lace on eBay. My fabric stash started when I worked at Hancock's in high school, and now that I can buy on the Internet in my jammies, I have several hundred photocopy paper boxes full. And I just love it, and I am not ashamed, AND I AM GOING TO WIN THAT CONTEST ABOUT HAVING THE MOST WHEN I DIE!!! :-) I love your site. Rock on, sewers! First Name: E.Rak City/State: VA E-mail: leenathetomboy@aol.com Sin Category: Other Pattern? What pattern? Confession:: This is a big BAD sin, I'm sure.....I'm 15 years old, working on my first big sewing project as a costume for a convention, and I'm doing it all OUT OF MY BRAIN! I'm not using any pattern, muslin, or anything, I'm just running into Jo-ann's, running out with fabric, going home, and sewing everything up on my little beloved Toyota. Stupid? Yea. Disasterous? Yea, probably.. Wish me luck. (PS- It's not that bad so far! It's just a pleated skirt, but, sheesh, we never did skirts in Home EC, just pillows and boxer shorts....) First Name: Joanne City/State: Ottawa, Ontario E-mail: jtait@iwsinc.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I can't believe the timing in finding this site. It's kismet! Just two nights ago my hubby laid it on the line and said I had to go through the stuff in the basement or it was all going to the Sally Ann (Salvation Army). I looked him square in the eye and told him that if he did that, I'd kick his a**. The "conversation" continued in this vane for a few minutes until he said, "OK, don't worry about your sewing stuff, just go through the other boxes and separate out the things you want to keep." What a doll! I'm still mad at him, though. What nerve, giving me ultimatums!!! LOL. Guess it's time I went through the stuff though. First Name: Renee City/State: Warner Robins, GA Sin Category: Other Didn't the MIL Prewash this before she used it? Confession:: My MIL had bought lovely red fabric and a white printed with red & other crayon colors with a design of little girls......she made a print quilt with a red ruffle, crib bumpers in the print with red piping and ties, and print sheets. Lovely crib set for the expected grandbaby. I got the leftovers so that I could make doll clothes for the cousins (one of whom was the big sister). Since MIL had been sewing since the 1950s or so - I figured that she had already pre-washed it and just cut & sewed doll clothes galore for my daughter and the other two granddaughters. Daughter promptly got the doll clothes grubby - so I threw them in the wash......which came out dark pink from the red dye. I called MIL and asked her if she had had to wash the crib set yet? Then I took the pink clothes over to show what I meant. (I had gotten a "duh?" comment on the phone call.) This was before Dye Catcher sheets for the washer & dryer - so those baby things got washed seperately for weeks until they quit bleeding red dye. MIL quit buying red fabric.....she still didn't see why she should wash the fabric before sewing with it - she likes the way that NEW fabric handles and looks so crisp...... Me - if I no longer remember if something was prewashed - I wash it AGAIN. I am allergic to dust mites, any way, it can't hurt me to work with freshly laundered fabric! First Name: Knotty Sin Category: Other Cheating in general? Confession:: I'm a boy. And when I was a teenage boy and very much impovrished,.. I would repair my ripped and torn clothing by hand. I lacked in thread and would use dental floss,.. I am assuming that this would qualify. KK! First Name: Melissa City/State: Traverse City MI E-mail: Iconfess@hoppintots.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I learned this sewing sin naturally, I swear! I subscribe to my mother's hard-taught theory of "She Who Dies With The Most Fabric Wins" (also applies to beads, rhinestones, and appliques by the way!). First Name: muffy City/State: paris france E-mail: muffy@post.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: sewgeeky, i have sinned. I bought a quilt top on ebay, quilted it, and gave it to a friend for christmas, 'handmade with love from muffy.' i never mentioned that the top wasn't actually handmade BY ME. I still feel guilty about that one. First Name: Ivy City/State: fl to london Sin Category: Other all of the above and then some Confession:: Forgive me father for I have sin and will continue to sin until I'm dead. I was taught how to sew by my grandmother and you know things are bad when she's regretting that decision. My recent conquest was winning several auctions from Ebay for 215 zippers and a box weighting 20 lbs full of thread. I havent used a single thing yet! But I will. My mom considers a friend that works in a thrift store my "dealer" because she gives me boxes of fabrics, sewing machine attachments, and other related things. Skipping steps? Ha There was a bet going on that if a pattern gives you 24 steps I can make it in 15,ironing whats that? prewashing??? I once won a contest showing of my beautiful 1912 tea party dress. Nice you say! congradulations?? If the judges knew what they were doing I would have won the wooden spoon award! No interfacing, the collar didnt stand up(it sagged,)the panels in the back were cut against the grain and on the wrong side and as such didnt match the front in color, raw edges,the list goes on. Family and friends still want me to make something for them. Im looking foward to moving out of the student hall Im in now, I cant keep anything here no space. :( And yup I did bring some of my stash with me. Ahh to be a pack rat and a sewaholic. life is good ^____^ First Name: Kairi City/State: Citrus Heights, CA E-mail: r0wantree@aol.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I was reading these confessions and laughing my head off, reading the especially appropriate ones to my hubby. Then the BAD QUESTION happened- "How many boxes of fabric do you have, honey?" oh oh!!!!!! "About twenty..." I replied. He actually made me go count them and there were thirty eight. Working at Hancock for two years really expands your stash......and Renaissance costuming takes ten yards a costume........yeah, thats it!!!! First Name: anonymous :-p City/State: Philly :-) E-mail: SewWhatsGoingOn@aol.com Sin Category: Other Sewing Lies to Fuel Sewing Addiction Confession:: I have to admit - I've lied to my husband , in order to continue my sewing addiction. I've snuck out of the house to go to house sales,flea markets etc., when I've seen sewing supplies advertised , - and snuck all kinds of things into the house , - tons of fabric , books, patterns, - you name it. I've bought sewing stuff on the internet, and then told him that I "won" it in a contest. (snuck out of the house to send the money orders when I bought stuff,and told him i was just going to the drugstore) Our whole basement, garage and some of our upstairs is full of sewing stuff. I have 4 machines to date. I even bought an antique Singer sewing machine for $35.00, complete with all the accessories - and I had to call him on the cell phone to tell him that i was at a house sale because I needed someone to come and pick it up for me. He was yelling at me to "get out of the house sale", and that he would NOT have another sewing machine in the house. So I told him that it was for my niece, not me. ( major lie ). When I couldn't get my brother to pick it up in his truck - my husband had to go get it in his Lincoln Towncar. I even bought a life- sized mannequein for $10.00 once, and kept it in my car trunk for about a month because I couldn't find the right time to get it into the house, when he wasn't here. then he found it when he borrowed my car to do some food shopping. He popped open the trunk and for a moment thought it was a body !!!! I could go on and on with my sewing lies, but you get the idea. I love my husband , but let's face it - when it comes to sewing , I'm an addict. And it's only normal to behave like one. :-) First Name: Jeanette City/State: aylesford Nova Scotia E-mail: jeanettedionne@eastlink.ca Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: Fabric Junkie!! I have yard and yards and yards. thank god for rubbermaid totes! and patterns and books and my latest is downloading hundreds of embroidery designs that I will never use. At least they just take up hard drive space :-) My husband just shakes his head (if he says anything I just mention the new Harley on order you don't wanna know how much that puppy is costing) I'm also up to 4 machines old machine, new machine, serger, embroidery only machine plus a treadle but it's more like furniture. And my mother (the source of the sewing bug) just informed me she got a kiddie machine for my 3 year old for christmas. The saga continues.... First Name: Laura City/State: Bloomington, IN E-mail: jobsluder@yahoo.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Quilt blocks: to date I have never used a template or any kind of pattern. I just sew them freestyle. The random look actually works great for log cabin blocks or stars. I greatly admire quilters who do precision piecing, but I just do not have the patience... First Name: ......... Sin Category: The wonders of fusing & gluing Confession:: i um, once duct-taped myself into a dress when the stiches fell apart at the last minute First Name: Alex City/State: Montreal Sin Category: Other inappropriate level of emotional investment Confession:: Perhaps this isn't the type of thing I'm expected to confess, but I do believe it belongs. Last night my husband mentioned off-handedly that he is planning on buying me a new sewing machine...I _know_ I was more speechless than when he proposed! Cheers, -Alex First Name: Jo City/State: Cincinnati, OH Sin Category: Other Books, books and more books Confession:: Along with a lot of you, I, too, am addicted to patterns, fabric, etc. I've also gone out in public in dresses with taped hems because I just didn't have enough time to sew it. But something I've found myself doing lately is not telling my husband when I've purchased a new book. I've actually snuck books into the house in hopes he wouldn't notice my quickly expanding collection. I even look at them from time to time--for ideas of things to try, and of technqiues I couldn't learn elsewhere. First Name: JoAnn City/State: Severn MD E-mail: joann.mcintyre@avendra.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I have to admit that when we got a house with a basement, my husbands first words were "we don't need to fill every spot with your sewing junk". He went on to build me a sewing room, which was intended to confine me to one area of the house. This idea failed. He bought cabinets from someone remodeling their kitchen and put them into my sewing room. Well, last summer he bough more cabinets from another neighbor because the sewing room exploded. When he gets totally annoyed with bulging closets and hidden stashes, I casually mention the air compressor and nail guns that he had to have (and have not used)and he meekly continues to build closets He has also tried hiding the ads from JoAnns and Hancock but that didn't work either. I am unable to let a 50% coupon expire and he doesn't understand that at all. First Name: Denise City/State: South Jersey Sin Category: Other Pattern Addiction Confession:: I am sooo glad I stumbled onto this site and found other sewing sickies and kooks like me. My addiction is patterns: I'll go into Jo-Ann and look at the patterns. I do this on many, many more occasions than I actually buy patterns (which is often enough!). I've been doing this since I could drive, and now I'm 40, so that's a lot of junkets to the fabric store. My mom told me that my grandmother (her mother) used to do the same thing...so this is probably wired into my DNA. Great. I'll also buy a pattern, with no intention of making the garment: I just like to "read" the instructions, for entertainment. Then Mom told me, oh yeah, your grandmom used to do that, too. As you see, the concept of free will is merely an illustion. No pattern is ever constructed exactly according to the instructions: everything must be creatively improved upon, and the ineveitable boo-boo fixed up in an inspired manner. No project is complete without at least half the seams having to be ripped out. Sometimes I just draft my own patterns from scratch. I don't know what makes me do this, but I think about patterns all the time and cannot stop. When I spend the day sewing, I keep the Weather Channel on all day for company. Put off peeing until my kidneys back up. Frantically vacuum up the thread-bits before my husband comes home from work. My cats play with my patterns: tried giving them patterns I will not use, but nooo, they want to skid across whatever pattern I am actually using. "Are they helping you, dear?" asks my husband. Majored in illustration and painting at Moore College of Art; currently work as a freelance graphic designer. I always think how great it will be, someday when I am old and rich (ha) to get a masters degree in painting. But do I paint on my days off? Noooo. I sew, or else lay around browsing through my many back issues of Vogue Patterns and Threads. I always think that if my graphic design career dries up, I'll just get a job at Jo-Ann Fabrics. One moved into my town a few years ago, so it is quite handy, and heavenly as well, though they don't have enough fashion fabric—but I have made many jackets from upholstery fabric, to rave reviews. I try to make whatever Jo-Ann gift certificates I get for Christmas last until my birthday in July, when I'm sure to get another batch. Patterns...mmmmmmmmmm. First Name: Sarah City/State: Guelph,Ontario,Canada E-mail: Roundtablentrope@hotmail.com Sin Category: Other Sewing Addiction and Denial of Basic Body Functions and Requirements...... Confession:: Bless me Sewgeeky for I have SINNED. It has been approx 30 minutes since my last confession. These are other Sewing related Sins: I have held off going the the bathroom untill I was in AGONY (at least 1.5 hours after I felt the need to go)(OKAY 2.5 hours)and then in serious pain for the next 4hours, rather than tear myself away from the project to go pee. I have gone DAYS, DAAAYYYYSSS without bathing/showering, saving this time for getting that exta 15 minutes of piecing, cutting or sewing done...After awhile you no longer smell yourself, right!? And as long as no one else complains, especially if that project I am working on may possibly be theirs and the smell being conpansaited for by having it done for them THAT much faster well... Eating? What's Eating? TWO DAYS WITHOUT EATING more than a can of baked beans in that time; out of the can, cold. Sitting at the machine, with a bath towel spread over my lap to keep from slopping on the fabric... I did wash my hands and face before I continued sewing though... Thats when I relieved my poor bladder one time. 'Well I am here now...' Changing cloths: Why? No one else will see or smell me, I can avoid getting that close... Sleep: Only when I knew I was aproaching the 'Getting TOO Stupid and Making TOOO Many Mistakes, to Possibly Justify Further Avoiding a Trip to Snoozeland.'point. A.K.A. 3-5 hours past the time a none sewing addicted person would have crawled there sorry butt into bed... Sincerely Yours, A Fellow 'Sister of the Cloth' Nov 1 2002 First Name: Sarah City/State: Guelph,Ontario,Canada E-mail: Roundtablentrope@hotmail.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: Bless me Sewgeeky, for I have sinned. I am GUILTY if the SINS of: Fabric Addiction: which extends to clothing(I could never wear the same cloths twice for at least 1.5months)(OKAY 2 months!!), yarn(have not bought any yarn in a few years though I will eagerly accept it if offered),clothing that will be recycled, and by-proxy patterns. I have managed to nearly fill my HUGE townhouse basement with said Stash. Not to mention, my double size closet, tumbling out with garbage bags of fabric. Yes I do and have snuck fabric into the house where ever I have lived... Procrastination: Projects some that are at least 10 years old ( okay 12YEARS!!)and unfinished lurk in said basebent and closet... ( I am 26 years old ) Patterns and fabrics enough to cloth small Renaissance AND Medieval Towns (I love said time periods clothing), aswell as numerous dogs (dog coats) Baby and child patterns bought when friends kid where these sizes now long out of diapers; and the children getting zits and hickies... Finding New ways to Feed Addiction: INTERNET. Blameing Others 4 My Addiction: I come by 'Pack-Rat-ism EXTREMELY NATURALLY!!! Both of my Parents are Major Pack-Rats, (although I think my mother is in denial)as well as my paternal and to a lesser extent maternal grandmothers, large parts of whos own stashes where handed down to ME. :) My paternal aunt to a lesser degree... Odd how none of my 6 younger siblings seem to have the 'pack-rat-gene' as a dominant trait...YET. Justifying Addiction and Procrastination: Okay this one is a good reason for not starting any more starting Renaissance costumes...Until yesterday (literally) I could not find a decent grommet/eyelet that would not rip-out/fray-out in short time...ON THE INTERNET through a link on this site......THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SEWGEEKY !!!!!! https://www.farthingales.on.ca/ AHHHEEEMMM Therefore I did not want to go to all the work on those Renaissance/Elisabethan/Medieval Costumes UNTIL I could find decent grommets; as I REFUSE to put in a ZIPPER if it would NOT have had one in that time period (I Also do Era-Fusion!!!! :) 'Cutting Corners'(no puns intended): I cut time by serging the hems and then rolling it up till the serging is hidden(Sometimes) then straight stitching. I detest hemings that require such thing as turning under,ironing and pinnings. Especially with the MILES of hemming that go into even the most modest Renaissance gown. Nevermind the Simplicity Medieval costume #8728. (11yards/10.70m+ just for the mantle/cape)... MORE Procrastinationings:Also my sewing machine keeps seizing up and it will cost me $80 canadian to have it fixed AGAIN, which will probebly only work for a month... (its sister machine which MY sister has, has the SAME defect!!! Brand:JANOME. Borrowed a friends machine which is retarded at the best of times and will give it back once it get it working again or when she asks( she warned me it sucked when she handed it over)Another friend is lending me her machine tomorrow, which does work well so that I has no excuse for not getting the numerous sewing crafts I have to do for a Craft sale we are in, at the End of this month of Nov. Starting little Renaissance dresses for my children to be and not finishing yet... Well they have not been born yet, or even concieved!!! There are many more sins of procrastination and fabric+ hording that could fill at least a childs book, in adult print in writing... I too have a hard time getting myself to actually USE it thinking ' what if I find a BETTER project for this piece'... Sincerely Yours, A Fellow 'Sister of the Cloth'! First Name: Robyn City/State: San Francisco E-mail: princessarobyn@hotmail.com Sin Category: Other I'm lazy Confession:: i went to a ritzy formal wedding in that fancy part of manhattan with scotch tape holding up my hem and a row of safety pins keeping the zipper together First Name: Tish City/State: Oakland, CA Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I've counted quarters out of my car to afford a nice piece of remnant fabric - I'm so ashamed! First Name: Nina City/State: Nashville Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: The first time I ever sewed from a pattern I was home for the summer after my freshman year of college and my parents were on a trip. I'd done simple projects under Mom's watchful eye before, but I'd never really had an urge to make any clothing until I was bored out of my mind one night. First of all, I helped fabric from Mom's stash. I didn't have permission, of course, but I was so sure I knew EVERYTHING and that my mother wouldn't ever in a million years get around to using it so it was only right that I use it. Yeah, right, what-ever. Luckily Mom is pretty forgiving. Then I decided that since I couldn't figure out what purpose a facing would serve it obviously was totally superfluous. So I made a scoop neck, sleeveless top with no facings. The edges were simply turned under with raw fabric. I think you can all imagine the ravelled mess that it became after the first wash. And how long it took me to get up the guts to wear it in front of my mother. Despite all that I still like the top a lot, believe it or not, and I wear it quite a bit in the summers. I've since gone back and painstakingly trimmed and serged the edges and even hand tacked them into place so they won't flip out to the front, a process that easily took as long as constructing the garment the first time around. First Name: sharon City/State: Eagle Rock, CA Sin Category: Other measure twice, cut once Confession:: I made the folkwear afghan dress, using size L. It turned out when I tried on the bodice that it was the same measurement as my bust, zero ease, and I'm not busty. Since that bodice has square panels, cutting of strips of contrast fabric ensued. By applying them at the edges of the panel, 2 inch strips with 1/2 inch seams, 4 inches of wearing (taking off and putting on) ease was added. People who have seen the dress can't tell it wasn't intentional. Storal of this mory: Folkwear patterns in versions several years old use different sizing. Measure the dimensions of pieces, add them up and see if you CAN fit in FIRST. First Name: Henri City/State: Princeton E-mail: paauwe7@gibsoncounty.net Sin Category: Other Confession:: I love to sew and have since I was a little girl sewing for my Barbie on my Singer Sewhandy. I too have WAY too much fabric. "The one who dies leaving the most fabric, wins." At least thats what I heard...lol. First Name: Andrea City/State: Salem Oregon E-mail: mynameisqwerty@attbi.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: And all this time, I thought that I was the only one with a fabric addiction. Whoo-Hoo!! I usually tell people (who come over to my house, and see the big see-through boxes in my office and garage(I suppose I could have used the non-see-thru kind huh?) that I am a self-proclaimed fabric-a-holic. And then I feel better. It's kind of like a A-A meeting(no offense to anyone out there) that I can proclaim my indulgences and then feel pretty good about it. What ever will I do with all this fabric? Well, like one other person said in the confessional, somehow they are inspired to make something and then they freeze up and never get around to doing it. Brain over-load. Just for everyones FYI..the bargin stores and Goodwill stores(my favorite Goodwill outlet(you buy the second hand stuff by the pound!!)have wonderful and sometimes very vintage peices of fabric..no, make that yards of fabric!! And it really is cheap..all the better to stash it, huh? Thanks so much for listening..I would love to hear if you have the same problems as I do..**SMILES** First Name: Nancy City/State: Van Wert, Ohio E-mail: ntarman1@earthlink.net Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I presently have a 12' X 12' room completely full of fabric, cross stitch books and kits, and quilting resources and fat quarters. Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby to purchase (yes? and me broke!) MORE fabric. I am making a custom designed stole, so what an excuse! I left with 4 ultra special quilt books (to pull patterns for liturgical sewing), 3 yards of burlap (not expensive), cords, threads, tapes, stiffeners. Aah, Help me God, and my woman in the confessional! First Name: Megan City/State: Vancouver, BC Canada Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I hate buying patterns, so I draft my own from an old dress block I had made up when I was a teenager. Except... -I hate making muslins. I never do, so I never know what my finished product will look like -My dress block is 7 years old and I'm not as, um, perky as I was then. My bust darts are always an inch and a half too high. -Ease? Who needs ease? -Prewash? Oh, I'll just handwash that when it's done (says I. sure) -Drycleaning? Whats that? -Who needs laundry when you can just MAKE a new outfit? -The front of my clothes always looks and fits great. The back? Well, I wouldn't know, would I? -Who needs blue thread when you can sew with blue as a 'design option'? -My patterns don't have instruction. Therefore, my slacks have no pockets. AND... I used to work in a fabric store. Actually, an outlet store for a high end garment company. My roomate had to BUILD me furniture to hold all the fabric I have... and I haven't yet hit 25. First Name: Lia City/State: Baltimore, MD Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: As a teen, I thought myself resourceful. On the way to a babysitting job, a pair of pants got somehow split in a vertical line down the front left leg. As I was in a rush, I didn't have time to sew them up, and they were the only clean pair, so I just used safety pins. The pants held up for four years that way, and when punk was in style, everyone asked where I bought the pants. First Name: sarah City/State: Columbus, OH Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: So the step I skipped was the part where you learn how to sew...I took home economics in seventh grade (made a pillow - Woo hoo!) but since forgot everything I learned. So when I inherited my boyfriend's recenlty deceased grandmother's sewing machine (god bless her soul)I decided to "just wing it" in the hopes that all my skills would just "come back to me". Hm. Well, after cursing for about an hour until I finally threaded the damn thing correctly, everytime I started to sew it would get all knotted and jammed. Many hours later, I finally looked at the book at realized I was feeding the fabric sideways, i.e. THE WRONG WAY and that was why it wasn't working! Yikes...what can I say, I am stubborn... First Name: Magdalen City/State: Middletown Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I'm terribly addicted to fabric. Thank God I'm no longer working at Jo-Ann Fabrics...now if I could just stay off e-bay! I still buy fabric and stash in the car until I can sneak it into the house...hope I don't get caught! First Name: Nico City/State: Vancouver Sin Category: Other check twice. Cut once. Confession:: I was making a shirt and pinned the back piece not on a fold like I was intending to, but on a selvage. It's a busy pattern. If I finish the shirt, I'm playing stupid, and pretending nothing's wrong with it. First Name: suze Sin Category: Other ...a sewing theory Confession:: DH is watching a football game as I write this after reading EVERY SINGLE ONE of the confessions, laughing at some so hard I nearly croaked because I have a cold and fever & cough like a whiskey-soaked sailor. My "mind" is somewhat crazed from being ill and from also packing to move...ha ha, I am sitting in my sewing room where, instead of restitching the dagnab boned bodice of my friends bridesmaid dress that is too big,I am procrastinating. Our house closing is day after tomorrow and the moving company is coming the day after that, and I have to turn in the finished bridesmaid dress that day. I have not finished packing my sewing stuff because I cannot because there is no real end to it, I remove something to pack it, and stuff pops into the space I have just cleared. 30 boxes so far. My politically incorrect theory is that women who are crazed for sewing live in states where football overtakes ones sanity. I am from Packer country. Unscientifically & by observation only, I have decided that the reason for this is: while the men in our lives are happily watching & shouting at The Game, those of us with even the remotest affinity for crafts then go into OUR dens and become mad experimenters. Unless there's a playoff & then we deign to watch. Go Pack, hey. First Name: patricia City/State: Knoxville/TN Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I made a gorgeous (okay, more than one)tea party dress for my three year old daughter that had beautiful teapot fabric, doily collar, and even pewter teapot buttons (and matching hat). Got alot of compliments on it, but the only problem was that when people wanted to get a closer look, my SECRET WAS EXPOSED! There were no buttonholes (my mother-in-law never taught me how to do those) and while there WERE buttons SEWN ONTO the bodice, the bodice was actually being held shut by three SAFETY PINS!! Boy, I feel alot better now, thanks. First Name: Lee City/State: Niles E-mail: lee@pyrzqxgl.org Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: Devon Avenue in Chicago has the best fabric. Sari shops, 6yds for as little as $10. I buy it, more than I can ever sew, but I have managed to meet the goal of making at least one item per shopping trip. I made a friend's wedding dress this spring from a pale blue fading to paler blue crepe chiffon sari. Because I had no pattern and only 6 yards of material I first made the pattern out of broad cloth and then made one in another fabric she liked and then finally made the one in the chiffon. I cut the front a little too long, but fortunately there was just engough for the dress to be ankle lenght, like the bride wanted it. Lucky me! First Name: kai Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I moved thousands of miles away from home and left my sewing machine with my mother. On a trip back to visit, I thought it would be nice to make a circle skirt. First: I bought the wrong fabric, and not enough of it. The cherry print was adorable - and for some reason I ignored the wide border print on both selvedge edges. Did I mention I was making a circle skirt? Get to my parent's house, show my mother the fabric, and have her patiently point out that the hem wouldn't look charmingly asymmetrical, it would look drunk. And, of course, even if the print had been fine, I was at least a foot short. So we raided her stash, made a pattern, and everything was going smoothly until...the hem. At that point, I had been working on the skirt for six hours straight and I guess my hand-eye coordination for the day was all used up. I pinned, I ironed, I stitched, I ripped. Re-pinned, re-ironed, re-stitched - and re-ripped. Me and my friend the seam ripper. I wound up throwing the skirt across the room and ignoring it for the next few days. Realizing I had only a day or two left before leaving, I sewed the zipper in by hand. My mother, bless her heart, secretly hemmed the skirt at night while I snored. The daughter of a seamstress, she helped me with all the hand-tailored details, and the skirt fits and drapes perfectly. So where's the step I skipped? The buttonhole. I didn't have enough time to do it on the machine, thanks to my tantrum, and I'm back to being thousands of miles away from it. I keep meaning to do one by hand...but for now, I use a safety pin. And no-one has ever noticed. First Name: Jennifer City/State: Walnut Creek, CA E-mail: jenotto@hotmail.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Ok, here is another one. Back in high school, my dad said he'd buy me some fabric for myself if I'd make him a shirt. Well, I'd put most of it together, but I hadn't hemmed the sleeves & bottom of the shirt. I was procrastinating because, let's be real, I wanted to work on my stuff more. So, finally, he threatened my allowance or something & I went to hem the damn thing. (I should point out here that he'd picked out this awful Hawaiian print for a short sleeve button up shirt...when Hawaiian prints weren't in style). I folded up the bottom about 1/4" then I folded it up another inch (I eyeballed it, btw) and pinned it. I did this for the whole bottom & the sleeves, too. Didn't iron, didn't make sure the hem was even. The right side of the bottom of the shirt ended up being about an inch shorter than the left sleeve...and of course the sleeves were different lengths, too. Like the snotty teenager I was, though, I gave it to him anyway & tried my best to look angelic when he tried it on. Needless to say, he never asked me to make another shirt for him again. :D First Name: Jennifer City/State: Walnut Creek, CA Sin Category: Other What did I do right? Confession:: I decided to make my dress to go to my boyfriend's friend's wedding. Well, I layed the pattern out without comparing it to my measurements. Since I've lost 40 lb's in the past year, this was probably not the best move. THEN, when I went to attach the skirt to the bodice, I noticed the skirt was about 4" wider than the bodice. I STILL didn't try it on - duh - I snipped the extra skirt fabric off thinking I'd cut the skirt too big. And my 3rd sin on this project was that I started making it 5 days before the wedding (I work, so basically could only do it in the evenings). So, when I put the zipper in, THEN I tried it on & my boobs were squeezed to a -A cup & it wouldn't zip the last 3". And I tried putting in a couple of panels, but I had to detach the zipper, skirt, and bodice sides to do it and since it was already Thursday & that was all the time I had, I opted for the $10 sheath from Ross. :) Guess I lucked out on that one. And the boyfriend promised to take me out somewhere suitable when I finish The Dress. :) Ah - I feel better. First Name: julie City/State: los angeles Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I am a freak. I am completely addicted to fabrics and I have a source that gives me FREE interior design fabric samples. I have boxes of fabric in my closet, in my work area, in my storage lock up. I have so many things I want to do with them, but when I actually sit down and try to start a project, i freeze up. I thinkit's too much pressure! At least I share :) First Name: Ikerienne City/State: New Delhi (India) E-mail: ikerienne@yahoo.it Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I used to make little clothes for the dolls and toy animals of my nieces but I never was fond of sewing till a couple of years back... till then I used to staple the wrong sides of the clothes nicely, turn it the right way out and put it on the toys and dolls... my nieces never knew... lol First Name: stacy City/State: rice E-mail: putnamkt@hotmail.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I don't have a confession, but I did not know how else to ask you a question. I'm curious if you can tell me where a can find a monkey pattern. I love the monkey outfits that you made. I'm fixing to have a baby and he will be about 21/2 months old come halloween and I want a monkey costume. So if you could please help me out and let me know where I can buy the pattern. I wish I could buy the one you made. It is just precious. Thanks- Stacy First Name: Coral City/State: Mount Auburn, OH Sin Category: Other my butt is not Miyake's. Confession:: I bought this blue faux linen, a good colour for me, and an Issey Miyake blazer pattern. I love Miyake; I think he's hilarious. However, his stuff is not for the tender hearted. I ended up sewing the front together in such a way that the pocket welts were on the inside. And, of course, by that point, I'd trimmed the seam allowances so there was no do over. Wadded it up and tossed it under the bed. Of course, that's not the real sin. The real sin is that the jacket would never have fit my magnificent bust in the first place and, none the less, I still buy Miyake patterns. Have mercy on me, a seamstress. First Name: Christina City/State: Germany Sin Category: Other Patterns Confession:: Hi, i have to confess that I'm addicted to patterns! I have a lot of them and some of them won't ever fit me or I even dislike them. I'm addicted to ebay too and I can't stop bidding for patterns. Who ever know, maybe I need them some day.... Christina First Name: Denise City/State: Quebec Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" $$$$ Confession:: Why is it I never have enough money to buy fabric to make curtains and finally finish off my bedroom but I keep getting some for jackets, skirts, pants and so on, and so on ... I have yet to figure that one out. First Name: Heidi City/State: New York, NY Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I made some really cute penguin costumes for my husband and myself--the black/white robe part with flippers was pretty easy. But I waited until too late to make the hoods, and I just *knew* I'd mess up if I rushed. So I took the beaks, threaded some elastic through the ends, then safety-pinned some eyes (made out of white circle scraps with black magic market dots in the middle. . .) onto a black stocking cap, and went with it. Not quite as nice as I'd hoped, but at least everyone knew we were penguins. First Name: Linda City/State: Oakland, CA Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: My name is Linda, and I am a Fabriholic. It's true. I have boxes and boxes of stuff. Yards and yards of fabric, fat quarters, scraps from finished projects. I go to a store, esp. a quilting store and hear the siren call of fibers. I am a chronic Armchair Sewer, visions of wardrobes dancing in my head. I think I like the potential of a fabric better than an actual garment. No disappointments, no ripping, sewing inside out...flawless.... Help... First Name: Charlotte City/State: Lakeland Sin Category: Other - Oh My God! Buttons! Confession:: It started with a tub of buttons I found at Wal-Mart for about $3.00. They had more, so I bought more. Six tubs in all, I think. I have recently aquired a 3 lb. tin of buttons. I hid it from my husband. When he went out of town for work, I stole his new screw/hardware storage thing and sorted all my buttons out by type and color. I counted somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000. Is that enough? Nope. I bought a nice collection on ebay and am hoping it comes in while Hubby is at work. First Name: Colleen City/State: Oh Sin Category: Other How much time do we have? Confession:: I was taught to sew by a grnadmother that believed if a mistake was made, make your way around it and no one but you will ever know the difference. And if they do notice, tie their shoe laces together. I am a Fabric Addict, I have different colors, and copier boxes full of different type with their designated patterns along side. I have done the classic, I don't need to pin that stinking hem, I can eye it and sew it, no problem. * Ha Ha Ha* or that looks right, should be able to pull the material over and everything will be on the correct side. No sorry, wrong answer your interfacing however makes a lovely coverup over the fabric. And last personal favorite, the Halloween meltdown, where every friend/ person who knows that you can sew costumes, waits til the week of the party to ask for a costume and construction there of. Never again will I do the 48 why is the table shaking...ohhh I have my foot on the peddle , wait...what happened to this fabric?" Time to make a pillow and go nighty-nite. First Name: Ruth City/State: Washington, D.C. Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: This is not an actual confession, as my fabric collection fills only two under-the-bed boxes, but I understand how easily a person could slip into fabric addiction. I write to suggest a penance: send any fabric you've owned for over 5 years to the Ugly Quilt Project. They make sleeping bags for homeless people. See www.reese.org/sharon/uglyqult.htm Or make the sleeping bag yourself. First Name: Deanne City/State: NT Australia Sin Category: Other missing sewing Confession:: This is a great site, my fave. I love the thrill of a new project or buying magazines or patterns that encourage me to think about starting a new project. Way too creative to follow a pattern to the letter, I have been known to improvise... My family is on the move to a bigger, better, higher, brighter (more creative) house - and once again I find myself throwing out hours of unfinished (horrible, wrong) work. What a great feeling. A close second to buying new options is my next favourite thing to do whilst listening to music -purging my house of mistakes. First Name: Denise City/State: Mancos, CO E-mail: sharden@sisna.com Sin Category: Other The sins of our ancestors Confession:: I learned to sew from my great-grandmother. She would start a dress for me (from a sketch I gave her in the morning) and have it finished by the time I got home from school. She was one of the most talented seamstresses that I have ever encountered.....however.....she drank (alot)and sewed with a cigarette dangeling from her lips.....All lf the clothes that she made for me had beautiful tiny flowers embroidered randomly on them. I don't smoke and drop hot ashes, however my own embroidery skills have also come in handy to cover mistakes. First Name: Gytha City/State: Albuquerque, NM Sin Category: Other Rampant Carelessness and Not Thinking Through Confession:: I am not Kate Moss. Think "Ruebenesque". Think "Butt and Bosoms." While drafting a pattern for a lovely 12th century gown, I forgot to take my bust measurement into account. I did not realize this until the dress was put together, and I attempted to try it on. Swearing ensued. First Name: Becky City/State: Columbus, OH Sin Category: Other Dang delicate fabrics and not giving enough time to complete a project Confession:: It was my first time ever making a rather fancy dress. It had a bodice and skirt and overskirt. Well, I got to putting on the lace trim on the ends of the sleeves, so happy that I was going to finish the bodice up in time and then the lace got stuck in my machine. I had to take out quite a few things, presser foot, needle, stitch plate and probably a few other things to get the lace out. This happened 3 times and on the last time I accomplished making a hole in my trim and sleeve, which was also lace. Of course, since I had only hours left to finish this bodice, I made a rather quicky fix to it, which I am somewhat proud of. I grabbed the extra trim from my sewing basket and cut a piece large enough to cover where the hole was and hand sewed the small piece on where the hole was. I do wear the dress, get numerous compliments and no one has yet to notice my little fix. I probably should also admit that I cannot cut fabric correctly if my life depended on it, said bodice became an off the shoulder bodice due to that. Funny thing is, I like it better that way. Amazing sometimes how mistakes can make something nicer. First Name: Sondra City/State: Chicago, IL E-mail: sondra_lewis@yahoo.com Sin Category: Other Ooops I did it again! Confession:: OK, I just sat and read every single confession and laughed my head off denying that I need to confess - but, the truth (as they say) will set you free. Here goes. I was making my 3 year old daughter the cutest knit dress as a Christmas present in the most adorable blue knit. Well, I sewed the skirt bottom to the bodice inside out. So, frustrated and tired I sat at my sewing table and ripped out every stich poking holes in the knit along the way. No problem right? I'll just make the seam allowances bigger in order to disguise the holes. Well, I took everything apart and re-stiched it...INSIDE OUT! First Name: Pop City/State: Melbourne, Australia Sin Category: Other All of above Confession:: I am a terrible sewer, yet I am addicted to fabric and the yippee of creating something from hardly anything! Which means, buying mounds of fabric I never use, NEVER EVER basteing and worst of all, doing the fitting after completing the whole project... Most my clothes don't fit me, luckily enough, as most of them aren't hanging together to well.... Lucky for me, i'll never be seen in the same thing twice so poor workmanship isn't too much of a problem. First Name: Laura Calmus City/State: Findlay, OH Sin Category: Other unexpected disaster Confession:: When my sons were young I didn't have time to sew for fun so I decided to sew for "profit" (this made sense at the time). The job was a mother of the grooms dress, with only small complications it turned out well. I did find out early on that the fabric did not forgive water marks, that's ok, no steam iron solved that. The day had come. It was finished and it was on a dress makers dummy in our computer room. I'd sneak away from making dinner several times just to look at it. Darn, it looked good. On one "visit" to the dress I was dumbstruck, there all over the front of the dress was what had been on my 3 year olds face only monents earlier. Food, sweat and snot. I felt a weakness over come me. I began to scream in such a way that my sons dissappeared and then I called my husband home from work for the first time in my life. Remember that this fabric held water stains. I was besides myself. After sitting on the floor for sometime, by now my husband had dissapeared with my sons, I realized that the only possible solution was a drastic one. I filled the sink with woolite and threw the entire dress in. I then spent the evening watching it drip dry into the bathtub and return into the lovely dress it once was. Needless to say I gave up my sewing for others and became the Halloween costume Queen, much more fun! First Name: Melanie City/State: Cleveland, Ohio Sin Category: Other I tried so hard . . . Confession:: I was making Vogue 2308, a really cute designer wrap blouse. I had just read Claire Schaeffer's _Couture Sewing Techniques_ and was eager to try couture methods. I bought about 5 yards of cream 2-ply crepe de chine, planning to cut out the blouse double. I concientiously made a muslin, which fit like a glove, and was about 25 hours into the blouse (everything done, by hand, except the sleeves) when I tried on the blouse body. I nearly cried when I realized that the blouse was completely unwearable. It turns out that if you are using a soft, light fabric like 2-ply crepe de chine, you need to include considerable design ease or else the garment looks skimpy. What had looked wonderful in the comparitively heavy and firm muslin looked cheap and slutty in my silk crepe. I concluded that the blouse was a very valuable learning experience and threw it away as quickly as possible to rid myself of the guilt and chagrin associated with it. First Name: Charlotte City/State: State of Denial Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I have discovered that a perfectly satisfying use for lovely but un-sewn yardage is to wrap the whole piece around myself like a giant shawl and wear it around the house. In fact, a fellow fabric addict has taken to advising the purchase of certain pieces of fabric solely for this purpose. Try it - it's very liberating as well as therapeutic. First Name: Sue City/State: Napa, CA Sin Category: Other Creative mistake recoveries Confession:: When I do a really good job on a garment, no one ever notices it, but when I have to come up with something to cover a mistake, people rave about my design skill and creativity. My "disaster" lined silk vest didn't fit right, so I chopped the finished armholes, added darts, and bound the edges with self fabric; the welt pocket was screwy, so I topstitched discreet decorative tabs, and to draw attention away from all these adjustments, I did a freehand, metallic floral motif on the upper left in fabric paint--drawing compliments every time I wear it! On other garments, contrasting elements (from mistakes in calculating yardage), decorative pockets (to disguise stains or flaws), or amazing buttons (to draw attention from unflattering fit) always impress my co-workers. The disasters almost always turn out to be my favorites-- go figure! First Name: linda City/State: kitchener, ontario,canada Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: This is actually no none will notice if I add a step and skip thinking. Sometimes my creative urge overwhelms my common sense. like the time i was making a delightful vintage pattern halter style sundress. unfortunately i didn't have enough fabric and the fabric was a tad stiff for the full circle skirt. What to do? change it to a short jumpsuit. Of course! then my creative side took over. I raised the back to be identical to the front, changed the closure from the back to the side, added a shaped waist yoke, short raglan sleeves, etcetera and so on. after a few days I thought, maybe I should try this monsterosity on. It was then i realized I made a jumpsiut with only a side opening with no way to get into, or out of. I tried to turn it back to a dress with a shorter skirt, but my short skirt days are long gone. I keep it in a secret box in a secret closet and look at it when I start getting strange urges. First Name: Marie City/State: Australia Sin Category: The wonders of fusing & gluing Confession:: Task: I needed an outfit for a NYE fancy dress party. I decided to go as a traffic light, as there was a "T" theme and I wanted to be a bit different. I had planned to sew on the coloured circles, but then I got lazy so I just glued them on with "liquid pins." This actually worked out fine, because I could wash the top, remove the circles and contiue to wear the top. First Name: Teresa City/State: Ohio Sin Category: Other excuses, excuses Confession:: I avoid doing complicated projects for people by exaggerating the sorry state of my old sewing machine. For example: Oh, I'd love to sew your wedding dress, but my machine drips oil sometimes.... Well, bridal satin tends to get caught in the bobbin race and tears to shreds..... Jeans zippers are impossible, as my old machine jams up on denim..... You really need the seams finished nicely, and my machine only does the basics..... Yeah, I could do it, but my machine sews so slow it would take a long time..... You really need some embroidery on that, and my machine doesn't do that.... or simply, For a garment that special, you ought to have it done on a newer machine..... I know, it's cowardly, but I've avoided a lot of frustration! First Name: Julie City/State: England Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I was making this skirt and I wanted it to be just a purfect fit so I pinned it up and tryed it on. Ever had 6 pins in your bum? It hurts. First Name: Michelle City/State: Olympia, WA E-mail: alpha_grrl2001@yahoo.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I don't know if the is a "skipped step" or a "fabric addiction" story. I found a classy piece of challis on clearance at my local fabric store. Loved it. Had no idea what I would make with it. It sat around for a while and I finally got the notion to make a two piece outfit...long, loose jacket/top and elastic waisted slacks. It was a fairly simple pattern. I did a terrific job on it. Finished all the seams beautifully, all the little details perfect. Gorgeous buttons. THEN! THEN! I tried it on. What was I thinking? The color of the fabric was the most unflattering thing I had EVER worn! I looked worse than dead! It was hideous! I still loved the fabric, but I NEVER wore tht outfit out of the house. Here's a step not to miss...hold the fabric up in front of you before you buy it! First Name: lindsay City/State: sparta, tn E-mail: girlnamedspike@gurlmail.com Sin Category: Other oh i'll just make all the dresses for my wedding Confession:: unless you're starting on your dream wedding when you're five don't try to make all the dresses for it in 6 months. big big BIG mistake! aahhhh! but hey everyone's bridesmaid dress has a perfect fit for each individual body type so that's good. First Name: Lianna City/State: Midland/Michigan Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Okay, so I bought this cool denim at Jo- Ann's -- it was on clearance. Dark blue with a black shiny zebra-stripe pattern on it. I didn't prewash it. Mistake, because I might've been able to return it... anyway, I made a long skirt. There was a small mistake on the waistband but my shirts covered it so I didn't worry. I threw it blithely in the wash and went off to do other things. Took it out -- and every single stripe had WASHED OFF! There was black plasticky stuff all over my other clothes, the inside of the washer, falling out on the floor... took me ages to get it all out of the dryer. Fortunately it didn't stick to the other clothes. I double-checked the washing instructions, and it said "Machine wash cool, delicate." I didn't use the delicate cycle but my mom, who knows such things, said it shouldn't have made *that* much of a difference. I'll be remaking this pattern with a much more sensible fabric, needless to say. First Name: sher City/State: Columbus, MS E-mail: MrsSippi@bigfoot.com Sin Category: Other nosiness, actually Confession:: no confession, as I don't confess until I know the priest well :0) When I looked at your sewing journal I noticed (!) that you sew vestments and linens. I'm doing that, too... right now altar frontals and large wall hangings for our parish. I loved the green and red stoles! First Name: Rebecca City/State: Canada Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I recently opened up a box from the base ment and found some lovely palm tree print fabric that would be perfect for a dress for child #4. I just need to confess that I had originally bought it for child #1. Therefore the fabric was free, having amortized itself over the past 15 years or so. See! here is proof that keeping a stash is a useful and profitable activity. First Name: Gavrila Chase City/State: Pocatello, Id. E-mail: Gabygav@aol.com Sin Category: Fabric Addiction Confession:: I am only 24 and starting to get a small collection. I have been sewing for at least 10 years. My mother actually got me into collecting. She had a friend who also collected and was giving some of it away. Well I took most of it . This woman was older so you can imagine that some would be outdated. I have been buying fabric ever since. Ever time there is a sale I can't resist. I am even concidering getting a job at Joanns, but I know I would spend it all there. I actually made my one year old son a 4th of july outfit from some of the fabric and I went through the stash and am getting rid of the super ugly stuff First Name: Molly Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: During my first major sewing project, so many errors were commited, it was somewhat scary. I guess it all begin with using a decorator fabric on a pattern designed for stretch knits. I saw no need for extra steps, like easing the sleeve. But the true problem was when I decided it would be so much faster to simple sew the whole thing by hand. I still though it was a good idea ,until midway through school, someone pointed out to me that my dress was spontaneously First Name: Ruthann City/State: Cresrview FL E-mail: matildasmom@hotmail.com Sin Category: Other learning to serge Confession:: I have sewn since I was 9 yrs old and was pretty proud of my abilities. But there is nothing like a serger to teach you that you are not quite as intelligent and talented as you thought. I was making costumes for a church party and had yards and yards of fabric all sewn together and almost ready to wear and I thought how pretty it would be if I finished all of the seams with the serger. I was a greenie at the serger and all I did at first was finish seams with the machine. But I just knew that I was a whiz at the serger, no reading of the book for me I had watched my mother serge on draperies at her drapery shop and I KNEW how to use the machine.HAHA. I was whizzing along at top speed and ended up with a pretty finished seam. The only small problem was that the seam ran across the center front of the mile wide skirt,having cut off all of the extra fabric. The only good thing that came from that experience was that I have never sat at the serger without realizing that it is a very dangerous machine and it can do irreparable damage in a heartbeat. It can maime and kill a beautiful creation even before you are aware of the danger. When I teach anyone to use the serger now the first thing I point out is that it is a treacherous machine and it is sitting there waiting for you to be even a little too cocky or inattentative and Whoops, IT wins. No more cockiness at the sewing machine for me. I am not the Queen or Super Seamstress, I am just a lowly servant of the Evil Beast and must at all times remember that fact. I guess insruction manuals are printed for a reason besides proper tension setting and threading proceedures. First Name: Connie City/State: La Plata, MD E-mail: sewrelaxing@aol.com Sin Category: Other BIG Cutting Mistake Confession:: My DH asked that I make a shirt for my father-in-law in celebration of his upcoming visit. We went to the fabric store (a huge feat - getting him to willingly enter the store, much less to actually LOOK at anything. Finally (and I mean finally), he finds the perfect fabric. A gorgeous (expensive although on sale) tone-on-tone chambray with ships sailing across. The first time I attempted to sew the shirt, I wasn't able to make the collar meet in the middle (an entire inch off the mark - don't ask me how). Since I had already trimmed seams, it was back to the fabric shop. The second time, I cut one front upside down. Not enough fabric to cut out another one. So, off to another fabric shop located about an hour's drive away (the first location had sold out). The third time(still the same shirt, now), I cut one back "inside out." This time, luckily, I had enough fabric leftover from the previous two mistakes to cut out another back. My hubby, I, and our local fabric shop saleslady STILL laugh about that one! I'd like to see someone beat THAT! :) First Name: Anne Linde City/State: Mercer Wisconsin 54547 E-mail: alinde@baysat.net Sin Category: Other one up and one down Confession:: During my college years, I decided one cool autmn day to sew up a corduroy jumper-just the right thing to wear to class when the weather turned really cold. The pattern had a seam down the middle on both front and back so I made my alterations, laid out the pattern and snipped away at my beautiful (and expensive) piece of moss green DESIGNER corduroy, of course, not paying any attention to the pattern layout and instructions. I finished the entire garment quite beautifully, and when I went to try it on, I discovered that not only had I not cut "with the nap"on each side of the center seam both front and back, but that the patch pockets, which were to adorn the front of the jumper had also been cut facing each the other way. The next day, after classes, I returned to my appartment and, furious with myself and the money I had wasted, tacked the jumper diagonally to a large undecorated wall of the apartment. My roomate said that she thought it reflected our lifestyle, and that it added just the right touch to the decor of our domecile. First Name: Laura City/State: Texas Sin Category: Other Confession:: What's prewashing? LOL First Name: Vicki City/State: Rawlins, WY E-mail: vtaylor@coffey.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Until I found this site, I thought I was the one-in-a-million person who skipped, hoarded and otherwise did things backwards! I am not alone! I don't have a machine to do decent buttonholes, so I just sew the buttons on as if the shirt was already buttoned. Do you know, until a few weeks ago, no one ever noticed? First Name: Christine City/State: Barrington, IL E-mail: olsonac@uic.edu Sin Category: Other cutting out the fabric Confession:: How many times will I ruin a piece of fabric. I cut a jumper out of a lovely hunting print which was an incredible buy. It would have been really nice if I had thought to do a with nap layout since I cut the back of the skirt upside down. The hounds and the horses are all upside down. arggghh. I should have learned my lesson on the corduroy slacks I simialarly cut out wrong. Luckily I have more fabric then I will ever use. First Name: mary City/State: massachusetts Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: i will never,ever,ever,ever,ever,ever sew without a pattern agian!! First Name: PAM City/State: CROWN POINT IN E-mail: SCHUE5@AOL.COM Sin Category: Other First Name: Nicole City/State: Michigan E-mail: nmy@umich.edu Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: I used to skip lots of steps. The worst was not ironing, and folding hems over only once. They looked fine at first, but after a washing the fabric would unravel along the edge and little strings would hang out from the bottom of my shirt. I'm better about that now, but I still don't fit anything before cutting it out. I err on the large side, and if it doesn't fit, I put in extra darts. And I use velcro instead of zippers and buttons. First Name: Carla City/State: New Orleans, Louisiana E-mail: carla_pendergrass@hotmail.com Sin Category: Other Recovering from a Brain Fart Confession:: I designed costumes for Madrigal Dinners at a local university for several years. I am also an inveterate procrastinator, so I often (actually, always) finished just in time for 1st dress rehearsal. One night, in the grip of up-all-night delirium and smelling-the-barn euphoria, I was cutting a Thomas More-type long gown for one of the guys. Somehow,I overlooked the fact that the fabric had a Very Obvious Diagonal Design with a Distict Right and Wrong Side. Now we will skip forward to the part where I notice that I have two left front and two right back sides. The fabric was from my personal stash and I had had it for several years, so there was no chance of getting any more (even if it had not been 4 a.m.) so I just flipped the offending bits over and made the gown up as if I had meant to do that. At rehearsals, I patiently explained to the director (and everyone else who asked) that there was an elaborate symbolism regarding this type of thing in the early Renaissance. The moral of this story: Always act like you know what you are doing and that you meant to do it that way! First Name: Ken City/State: Glendale, WI E-mail: kjnelan@yahoo.com Sin Category: "No one will notice if I skip this step" Confession:: Okay... So I should have taken my time mending the beadspread that I destroyed to get a good pattern from. Okay... So I should have put the edging back on properly instead of not pleating the edging properly. Okay... So I was tired and straight stitched on the sewing maching the edging without pleating and cutting off about 1 yard of edging. I was tired from finishing 3 chasubles! First Name: Gigi City/State: FL Sin Category: Other Mending? What mending? Confession:: I am absolutely, positively hooked on sewing. If I'm not at my machine, I am out buying more (!) fabric, reading a sewing book/magazine or buying sewing stuff on the internet. But I am so bad about mending - I detest it! My feeling is that if I have time to sit at my machine I'd rather be working on some delicious piece of fabric than putting a new zipper in my husband's pants. It took me awhile but I finally came up with a plan: I just keep putting it off until my family forgets what is in the mending pile, then I throw it out. My most recent toss was a bag of olive green checked napkins that my mother-in-law wanted me to sew together to make a tablecloth for her round patio table. Luckily her memory isn't so good anymore! First Name: Gigi City/State: Ft Lauderdale/FL E-mail: gigi.louis@gte.net Sin Category: The wonders of fusing & gluing Confession:: I volunteered to babysit my friend's sewing machine shop last week and was determined to bring a project to work on in case it was slow. When I started working on the lovely Elle shirt from Sewing Workshop I realized that my knit interfacing wasn't preshrunk. Refusing (no pun intended) to let that deter me, I just used some steam and a prayer. The shirt turned out great and I couldn't wait to make another. BUT, after the first washing the interfacing shrunk and my facings/collar are all bubbly - ick! Good thing I have just a few more pieces of white linen in my stash so that I can make it over..... First Name: Kitty City/State: Southern Cal Sin Category: Other --Guilty of Sewing When Half Asleep Confession:: I consider myself a pretty good sewer within a limited range of styles but I stay completely away from buttonholes, zippers, and anything tailored. Thus my wardrobe is mostly made up of loose Stevie Nicks style silk n' velvet n' lace floaty garments (i.e. stuff that can be pulled on over the head, laced up, or cinched in with ribbon or scarves). I have one great dress I have made over an over in professional type materials for work. This past weekend I decided to whip up another version of this dress for a Monday meeting with bigwigs. Unfortunately I didn't start until Sunday night (telling myself I had made this dress so many times it would only take a couple hours). Well around 9 pm I started to cut it out. I was too impatient to iron the black rayon so I put it on the cutting board completely crumpled. Then I suddenly decided that it would be nice to cut the skirt on the bias for a little extra swing. Unfortunately after I got the skirt and back bodice cut out on the bias, I found I didn't have enough material to cut out the front bodice. I was about six inches short in each direction. !!!! Then I decided to cut the front bodice out of some other (almost matching) black rayon and put a sheer overlay on the front bodice so no one would see the non matching material. I pulled out about 10 tote boxes I keep under the bed (trying not to wake up my husband who had gone to bed before this whole fiasco started). Could not find the sheer overlay material but did find some cotton velveteen. Decided that the front bodice could be made from black cotton velveteen for a dressy look. Cut it out, then tried to sew the black rayon back to the black velveteen front. Velvet slid all over the place and the shoulder seams looked like they had been sewn by a drunken sailor. Put both the back & front in the trash and went back to the bedroom for more material. Decided that the top of the dress could be made out of stretch velvet. Cut out the new back & front bodice from the stretch velvet (it was now about 11 pm). Sewed the bodice together, it was looking OK until I got to the bias trim which stretched the neckline and armholes horribly. Decided I would add trim to neck & armholes to disguise stretching & kept going. Attached bodice to skirt which went pretty well, but then when I flipped the dress right side out i had caught up a big fold of the skirt front in the seam. At that point I was almost ready to quit but picked out the folded stitches & took a 1/2 hour break to walk the dog. Came back & resewed the seam, feeling better. Flipped it over to the right side and saw that I had AGAIN sewn a big fold into the skirt, this time at the side of the dress. At this point I felt myself ready to scream, so I took the dress, cut it in half (so I wouldn't be tempted to fish it out of the trash can) and went to sleep. Sewing is so relaxing!!!!