Progress Perfect !

Hey again, hard to believe a week has passed so quickly, seems like someone for the fast-forward button here lately. We’re still in Blackberry winter around here. But I am finally seeing the blooms, so hopefully, warm weather is just around the corner. I know I am sure ready for it, and to sew all the pretty things to go with it. It’s the first week of Me Made May! How exciting is that ?! This week, we wanted to talk to you all about progress. You know sometimes, when you start something, it’s scary. It’s like this blog for us. It’s a risk, and scary for us. You are putting yourself out there without a guarantee. It’s like that when you first start sewing, it can be intimidating, especially in this world of Instagram perfection. You see a glimpse of a perfect seam, and those perfectly aligned points on a quilt. And you think you have to be that from the start. And we just want you to know it’s okay not to be. Things are still challenging in the fit department for me, some of the time. And I am still learning how to quilt. Luckily for us, we have one another. If I can’t figure something out I can call Sam, and she can call me, between us we can usually figure it out. I will say I wish now, that I had taken more photos to document my progress along the way.

But I will share a personal story with you all. During that first year of sewing, I made a lot of ill-fitting clothing, and at the time it was fabulous! There was this one time, that I bought some expensive fabric for my sewing level. I got five yards of this beautiful spring green with tiny white bunnies and tiny strawberries on it. I loved that fabric and was so excited to make it into something beautiful. So I decided on the Kew Dress, by Nina Lee, I chose my size based on my measurements. I pinned the pattern down, cut it out, and started sewing! I chose a perfectly matching thread and cute buttons that wouldn’t distract from the fabric. I fought every single buttonhole and had to seam rip them out several times. Y’all I stayed up most of the night making that dress and then got up early the next day to finish it. I was so excited when that moment arrived for me to try it on. And it was a complete flop. It was way too big in the neck and shoulder area, the bust was really snug. And I just remember that feeling of being so deflated.

I had no idea where to even begin, I thought ok, let’s address the neckline first, how did I get rid of all that gapping fabric in the neck? I came up with darts because isn’t that how you take out excess fabric ? Y’all there was so much gapping, I was taking like three inches out of that neckline. It took me like three darts in the top of that dress, which made me have less movement in the bust area. But that neckline led me to figure out a hollow chest adjustment, which I did for a long while. Until I later realized it wasn’t the actual problem. Through trial and error, I later figured out the actual issue was that I have narrow and petite shoulders and a larger bust. And I learned that for me, I do better by going off the finished garment measurements. But I wouldnt have known that without that first Kew Dress (https://www.ninalee.co.uk/products/kew-dress) . I ended up cutting the bodice off , and making it into a skirt. Which lucky for you all, I still have.

The point is few of us are naturally amazing sewist from the get go. It takes time and practice. And usually it takes time and practice to become where we want to be, in the sewing world. Sometimes the technical way works, and sometimes the less technical , works the best. You won’t always see the improvements you’re making , until you look back. So take pictures, keep those first makes, you won’t regret it. I’ve been sewing for four years this May. And I’ve yet to participate in a Me Made May. Sam has, and is again this year. But for y’all I’ll share some of those close up photos of that first real dress I made. Progress , is never seen in the moment it’s only when you’re looking back, that you’ll see how far you’ve came !