Keeping it real

People.  You are all under some strange impression that I do not make mistakes when I sew.  I just wanted to give you a run down of how many STUPID things I have done while trying to put together a shower curtain tutorial for Moda Bake Shop.

My directions call for 12 grommets to be installed across the top.  That is standard in the shower curtain industry.  But how many did I mark and cut holes for?  13 
Yep.  And I didn’t have any more that matched or were the same size so I added a larger golden grommet to one end.  Classy.

My pattern calls for a certain number of pieces to be sewn together to reach a 72″ length.  uhm yeah…I sewed them together and my pieces I was trying to match together after that were over 2″ off.  I don’t know why it happened.  The math is perfect.  (I have a degree in mathematics so I know I’m good)  But my sewing is not.  So I added a cheeky little piece to square it up.

I went to sew two 72″ long pieces together (read REALLY long seam that you don’t want to have to rip out) and managed to sew one piece to the wrong side…so all of my text prints that I carefully lined up the same direction are now upside down.  Sigh.  Oh well.

Went to iron the piece and stupidly thought that I could iron it on my carpet…in theory yes…but only if you DON’T iron your actual carpet.  Now I’m waiting for my iron to cool so that I can clean it up before I go back and work on the shower curtain again.

And this is just ONE project.  TRUST me.  I make mistakes all the time.  This project has been slightly ridiculous but that’s what happens.  And you just have to roll with the punches.  Because when I show this project to you, you’ll never know anything crazy happened.  Because I’ll make it work.  But just know that all this went on to get that final product!

Off to clean my iron!

34 thoughts on “Keeping it real”

  1. Oh NO! And here all along I thought you were the sewing goddess! Well, not really, but what the hey!!! It's always nice to hear that the pro's make mistakes as well as the rest of us do! Hope your carpet and iron aren't both toast, and that your day gets better!

  2. You're so awesome for sharing! I think it is easy to see beautiful finished projects by others and just imagine how perfectly they were created while we're at home struggling! If I don't make at least one mistake each project, I wonder what's wrong with me!

  3. The 13th grommet is a design feature, right? 😉 I find that when I end up with small "pattern changes"–some would call mistakes lol!–they sometimes actually make a project more interesting, like adding that unexpected twist that you wouldn't have thought up otherwise. It's good to remind ourselves that we are only human and that the reason we like handmade is because it does have inconsistencies. And even when the mistakes we make are truly mistakes, it's nice to remember that everyone has been there and owns a seam ripper for a reason!

  4. I've accidentally ironed my carpet before. Iron was better off than the carpet which now has a definite melty patch. Thanks for sharing your sewing drama's though. It makes someone like me, with far less talent than you, feel so much better for all the messes I get into when making. 🙂

  5. Oh no. LOL. I hate when stuff like that happens. I can't tell you how many times I've sewn a back to a front and had to rip it out. Usually this stuff happens to me when I start a home improvement job around the house though.

  6. Oh, those totally sound like things that would happen to me! Can't wait to see your MBS project! I have a quilt for MBS in the works – just need to baste/quilt it now! I have the tutorial done, just need the finished pics for it 🙂 ((can't wait for the mario bros. quiltalong BTW!)

  7. Ha ha – I just hung up some fabric yesterday over the current shower curtain to test it out since I want to make a shower curtain. I'm glad I don't have a carpet, so I wont do that at least, but thanks for the reminder – 12 grommets it is!!! 🙂
    Can't wait to see it turn out awesomely regardless of the issues!

  8. Oh yes, this sounds familiar!! At least you are making time to sew 🙂 The adventure part of sewing is what gives us the memories 🙂 Love it!! And I have TONS of memories 🙂

  9. HI Angela! I just posted a quilt top I made using your Last Call block. I love how it turned out-so thank you for the pattern-I've never done curves and they were surprisingly easy once I got going. Thanks again!

  10. Lol, well in the spirit of the confessional, I just managed to cut out my 241 tote main bag body pieces by following the pattern all the way round the edge, and yep, that included up the darts… We'll call it a feature with the extra squaring off ;o)

  11. Somehow it's always comforting to know that we aren't the only ones sitting in our sewing space going, "did I really just do that?" Guess we all have those days.

  12. Where does all that fabric go? The measurements are correct yet when sewn the fabric fairies have taken it. Ruffles were probably invented for that reason. Also, dare I say printed written fabric at bottom or top of project looks like it was meant to be there. Other fabric has got to be good for an edge.

    Glad to know you are not Super Angela. Next time pop a bath towel/sheet on the carpet/lounge/bed/table…..Looking fwd to seeing it in the Bake Shop (not the carpet or iron)…

  13. Glad to know I am not alone. My OCD kicks in sometimes and I get frustrated that mine line isn't 100% straight. And fabric has a mind of its own, no matter how precise you can be cutting and sewing. lol

  14. Yay for keeping it real! In my humble opinion, I love to see where people go wrong on their projects, it makes me feel less alone and them more like a person to me.

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