So you know that post a few weeks ago where I talked about being a Perfectionist as it applies to me. You know where I worry about doing things because I think I will not be good at it. Well...my fears of sewing were slightly confirmed. For reference in this story here is the pattern, maybe not so aptly names Kwik Sew (I wonder if this will be like the Lion Brands One Hour Scarf that took me a week plus when I first started knitting).
(Here is the specific pattern I am attempting to do)
Now to compound my Perfectionist nature, I am also competitive, a bit of an overachiever and very rule oriented. Now don't get me wrong, I am flexible and creative in my own right, but before I go adding my two cents to inventing the wheel, I want to do it right the first time, you know the way it was intended and then expand from there.
Anyway, back to the sewing. So the class is quite full with only one teacher for 12 deeply dependent students. We got right to work on the pinning of the pattern, then the marking of the pocket and then the cutting. This is where my sewing actually ended because the next hour and half was spent felling kinda dumb.
The teacher showed us how to thread the bobbins which was pretty cool, but when it came to my machine it was different, so she threaded it for me. Then she threaded the machine which was far more loops around this and that for me to have caught on anyway. Next I began to sew, I put my fabric in and slowly pressed the peddle. I WAS SEWING!!!! For all of 4 stitches because subsequently my machine jammed and ate my fabric. I was horrified!! My fellow student turned around and within seconds figured out my error and lowered my pressure foot. But by then it was too late. I called the teacher over who was already pretty overworked with the students and she began to fiddle with it. About 5 minutes later I was told to ditch this machine for another one and start again.
Well remember that whole thing about the teacher doing all the threading? Well, I proceeded to wait for another 30 minutes for her to get back to me for help. She set me up and wallah....I had to pressure foot on this machine (guess I can't have the same error if I don't even HAVE a pressure foot this time). So we quickly find a foot, she threads my machine, I run a line of stitches and the class was over. 2.5 hours of sewing resulted in a cut, pinned and marked pattern with 4 stitches on a practice piece of fabric.
Man, talk about trailing the pack. I felt like I hit every hurdle at the Olympic race. BUT!!! I tell myself that this is BEGINNING sewing, I am supposed to make all these stupid mistakes..right? RIGHT?!! Given I think I should be sewing quilts like Kaffet Fasset by now, but in the world of realistic expectations, I now know PRESSURE FOOT DOWN!!!
So I licked my wombs and consoled myself in the fact that I am a damn OK knitter.
3 Comments:
Greetings from London,
Your post made me chuckle! I felt the same way about sewing, which is why I sew everything by hand!
Persevere, be patient and you will get there!
My first sewing experience was much like yours! I sucked at it!! Luckily it gets a lot easier with practice! I'm sure you will be an ace sewer in no time!! :)
Don't feel bad. I was the only one in my sewing class, so the instructor thought that it wouldn't take the entire class time of 4 hours...said she'd had a class earlier that week with many students and she got out a couple of hours early. Well, I STILL hadn't finished my gauchos by the end of class. I felt so stupid.
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