Wednesday, April 22

Don't do it!

I now know why I lose my sewing mojo when reading some Pattern Review postings and some blogs posts.

So many of us home garment sewists are TOTAL BUMMERS sometimes!!! (I include myself) A lot of times we are so self-deprecating in judging/assessing our sewing skills, our bodies, our age. Then we blame that on the pattern companies have too much of this and too little of that to meet our needs.

We constantly point out the "negative" aspects of our bodies, the bad pattern drafting and bad design. We need a resolution.

We talk all this $#!t whenever new patterns come out, but we still patronize the pattern companies, giving them our good hard earned money - most of us, anyway (ok mostly me). But I think this kind of talk also discourages new sewers, which in turn discourages the industry - all those great fabric shops closing.

NO MORE NEGATIVITY LADIES!!!

The young, thin, even-proportioned "standard" does not apply to the majority of the population so that should actually EMPOWER us.
We sewists actually have an advantage because we have the tools to alter and customize our garments. and if we are unsatisfied with our bodies we can alter and customize those too!
**We have the ability to look good no matter what our bodies look like**
  1. Let's use the patterns as a template to get the look we want. Yes, their instructions suck, the drafting is different from our figures, but we have a bunch of books, Internet resources and measuring tapes to help get us where we want to be.
  2. Let's use the fashion trends of the moment as inspiration to get the look we want. Even the weird ones.
  3. Let's use the knowledge that has been put out there to learn how to make things that fit & flatter your shape.
  4. Let's keep the encouragement & compliments flowing!
TRUST ME WHEN I SAY THIS:
  1. RTW uses most of the same techniques as home sewers, so most RTW looks the same as "home sewn."
  2. You do NOT look pregnant. I know the difference now.
  3. Being plus size is NOT a disadvantage to style. Carolyn should write a book, or have her own TV show, forget Tim Gunn & Lloyd Boston, I have NEVER seen a real plus size person on their shows. She KNOWS her body and KNOWS what she likes and KNOWS how to combine those two to create an awesome wardrobe. She inspires all sizes and that's what matters.
  4. Broad shoulders are beautiful (Adrienne you crack me up), and so are narrow shoulders, and big bootays and noassatalls....OK. I could go on... You get it. Don't discredit those features. When something doesn't fit right. Just focus on finding a way to make it work and then celebrate! (& show us how you did it)
  5. Nobody is paying attention to every little wrinkle in you garment, EVEN WHEN YOU POINT IT OUT, WE STILL CAN'T TELL!! Of course if something doesn't "feel" right or if a body part is on the verge of busting out of the fabric by all means fix it, but you are really being a downer pointing out every wrinkle & crease when most of the people who are checking you out think your garment is beautifully made.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this post -- too true. We're frequently too hard on ourselves and we should simply celebrate the fact that, as Tim would say, we can "Make it work.". We can sew great clothes that flatter whatever features we have. Go us!

Jodi

Christina said...

Did you have to show a picture of that woman's belly?? That picture grosses me out every time I see it. Anyway, I totally agree about using the patterns as a jumping-off point, not the be all end all of what we are able to create for ourselves.

Elaray said...

You are absolutely right about every point! I am guilty of everything! Thanks for the thoughtful post.

Adrienne said...

Guilty as charged!!!! You might also add that no two people sew the same so stop comparing the stuff you make to what someone else made! ok...so maybe that is just me lol.

.x.Helen.x. said...

Great post. You really made me smile today! Its all so true!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

What a wonderfully expressed post! And everything you wrote is sooooo true. Thanks for mentioning my blog because I do believe that the only thing stopping a sewist from looking good is herself...we have all the tools at hand! So sit down and sew something...don't like it...change it up...make it again. It really is just fabric and we are not solving the problems of the world...just enjoying the creative sides of our lives!

Again...great post!

Melodye said...

You are so right!! I think that as women we are progarmmed to be self deprecating. The majority of what we make is better than ready to wear AND we've all bought and worn ready to wear that was horrendous. It's what drove us back to sewing in the first place. I'm going to print your post and keep it in my sewing room. Thanks for the kick in the bootay!

Omega said...

Great post, in fact I needed it. Words truely spoken!

CarlaF-in Atlanta said...

True. True. So very true. Thank you for writing this post. I needed it.

CarlaF-in Atlanta

JumpTheStitch said...

I'm a new sewer and the first thing I did when waiting for my machine to come in the mail was subscribe to several sewing blogs. Honestly there is a bit of negativity that is useless to me since I have no idea what they are talking about so it can seem rather pessimistic (kinda puts a damper on my mood that I will have difficulties since the pros said it would be hard). You never know who's reading you.

Oh yea I used to follow you on fotki and now here.

narcissaqtpie said...

Thanks for the feedback! I was hoping I wasn't alone in these thoughts. I have a new outlook on sewing now.

Unknown said...

Amen and hallelujah! Uh oh, uh oh... here the come Hammer!

I am so guilty of this kind of thinking. Usually when I get that way, I stop reading blogs for a while. I guess I feel like I should be looking for smile/frown lines when, in reality, I don't really care -- I just want to be comfortable.

So, thank you for this post.

Unknown said...

I totally agree 100% with your post! We are too hard on ourselves, and it's not healthy or encouraging. Sewing should be fun! It's not brain surgery. It's creativity!