Peace family, what was the last fun challenge that you had? I mean, not something that was just frustrating, but something that was just difficult enough that you had to work at it, and you felt proud once you accomplished it?
At the end of the month, I’ll be serving as a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding, and as it turned out, she needed me to sew my own dress! It has been just at the cusp of my experience level; I can do most of the work on my own, but about every three steps or so, I have to look up a term I’ve forgotten (such as gathering stitch), ask friends or search on the internet how to follow a direction I don’t understand (for example, how to layer a seam and how to under stitch), and figure out why an instruction is the way that it is, considering the longer-term goal of the complete dress.
Cutting the curves on the interfacing that will end up under-stitched inside of the neckline will give a beautiful and smooth finish!
It has taken a lot of time, a good amount of mental energy, and a lot of care (if I make a mistake, there is no more extra fabric!), but it has been so rewarding to watch as curved cuts of fabric and string become a beautiful neckline, bodice with lining, and sleeves! I still have a lot of work to do, but every completed step encourages me to press on to the next one.
The table gets messy as I pin the inside of a sleeve to an inside-out bodice to stitch it in!
Since starting this project, there are two things I’ve been thinking about. One is, we can’t know how to do everything, but I get to do so many kinds of interesting things because I have friends who know more than I do. Am I getting in over my head with sewing, water-color, basketball, or even riding an electric bull? My friends are a fantastic source of varied interests and skills, and they are so good at teaching me, if I just ask!
Also, mistakes are not the end! I have made several mistakes in the construction of this dress, and there are some that I could live with, but some where I’ve just had to take a deep breath, take out the seam ripper, and get to work! No one likes having to fix mistakes, but the sooner it’s corrected, and corrected well, the sooner you can move to the next step. Plus, it just makes you feel good, to know that it’s going to be excellent!
Something else about challenge and accomplishment is this; if I’m not stretching myself and I’m just trying to stay comfortable all of the time, I’m never going to experience that reward of doing something new and succeeding. If there’s something you need or want to learn, why not jump in?
Peace family, don’t be afraid of failure, and don’t be afraid of asking others for help! You’d be surprised at all of the wonderful things you’ll be able to accomplish!
You must be logged in to post a comment.