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You are here: Home / Wardrobe / How I reinvent the wheel

How I reinvent the wheel

June 30, 2013 by Alexandra - 6 Comments

The working title of this post was How I reinvent the wheel. All. The. Time.

I find this really embarrassing so I don’t generally discuss it, but I can be very indecisive when it comes to sewing. In every other aspect of my life, I make decisions quickly and efficiently. In sewing, I tend to reinvent the wheel.

Recently, I admitted this in an email to Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic. She assured me she did the same every time she sewed. Umm, okay, but it’s probably not quite this bad. Let me illustrate:

Last week, having fixed the dart position on the KS3003 knit top pattern, I was ready to move on to the dress (next to the last garment in this summer 6-PAC). I wanted to try the M6355 Diana made so successfully. I compared the pattern pieces to the KS3003, and decided it would be too much in terms of pattern adjustments. Then…

Patterns - morph

I thought, maybe I could just morph the bottom of the M6355 to the KS3003. A-ha! Neat idea! I did just that, made the whole pattern and was set to cut some fabric, when I realized I never really like wearing T-shirt dresses. They’re always too loose and need to be belted, which is not good for summer. Back to the drawing board…

Summer casual - garments

I remembered the dresses in the above picture. I drafted the pattern back in 2009. It fits well, curves in all the right places, and doesn’t require a belt. Oh, but I want a different neckline. I always feel sort of naked in collarless necklines. I think it’s because I don’t have long hair to accessorize the sides of my neck. So I prefer necklines with some stand in the back, not necessarily a full collar. I looked through my pattern collection and found these:

Patterns - necklines

Oh cool, a dickey would be nice! I could make a bunch in different colors! Hmm… I don’t know, not really a fan. How about one of the collared ones? Maybe. Wait! Let me look in my Burda index and see what’s there. How about a wrap neckline? With a contrasting band? This pattern:

Burda wrap detail

Yay, we have a winner! I traced off my base pattern and copied the Burda neckline in the front. It’s ready for fabric.

Me? I’m stuck trying to decide between the black Sophia knit and a dark gray woven. (Today I’m leaning toward the knit.)

So dear readers, fellow sewers, please tell me, is this normal? Do you do this?

Filed Under: Wardrobe

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Comments

  1. Carolyn

    June 30, 2013 at 8:28 pm

    I do this mental exercise but I do it as I’m riding the bus to and from work and in very boring meetings. Sometimes my notes are all about the different changes I would make to a garment. It’s just that I use my commuting time to work out those things so that by the time I’m actually in the sewing cave, I know what I’m going to do and do it. There are so many decisions to make when sewing a garment that it’s not surprising that sewists dance around the process before we finally settle on what we are going to make.

    Reply
    • Alexandra

      July 2, 2013 at 5:49 am

      Thank you, Carolyn, I feel better now. Mental exercise sounds much better, very purposeful. I’m adopting the term.

      Reply
  2. Beryl

    July 1, 2013 at 11:57 am

    Yep! that is normal….well if I’m normal that is, and I have been doing that for many years,……what to make out of a certain fabric …or what fabric to use for a certain pattern. Then realising I only like that style on other people!
    I have found that when the right thing comes along, I get so excited I can’t wait to make it…….sometimes you just have to browse.

    Reply
    • Alexandra

      July 2, 2013 at 5:53 am

      Thank you, Beryl! It’s good to know there are others who will work out a new project only to realize that it isn’t for them. I think that was the part that bothered me the most – feeling like I had wasted all that time.

      Reply
  3. June

    July 1, 2013 at 7:59 pm

    If that’s not normal, then there are a bunch of us weirdos! ๐Ÿ™‚ I tend to make the garment in my head so many times (with variations in style, with solutions to anticipated problems, in 5 different fabric combinations, etc) that by the time I’m actually in front of fabric and pins, I’m a little bored and ready to move on. Amazing how I get anything done, really. LOL.

    Reply
    • Alexandra

      July 2, 2013 at 5:59 am

      Thank you, June! It sounds like you take this mental exercise (new term, yay!) to an even greater depth. I bet working out solutions to potential problems makes your sewing time that much faster and easier.

      Reply

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I’m Alexandra; Alex for short. I streamline and right-size everything from wardrobe to social commitments in order to craft a peaceful happy life. I’m always working on a sewing or polymer project and have recently bought my first cutting machine. Follow along on my adventures and let me know what you think.

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