{make do and mend} better in theory than in practice (9 October 2009)

A while back I made an apron out of a couple of Marcus’ old dress shirts. I was very unhappy about the way it turned out, so when I posted it on Facebook, I noted my dissatisfaction. I mean, look at it:

The feeling gets worse every time I see it. Ew.

Me, I try to remember the skills I absorbed from my mom and home-ec, put my trust in a book or pattern, follow the instructions religiously and hope for the best. Clearly, this is not a fool-proof method. But! Lucky for me, I have some Facebook friends who are a dab hand at the old sewing machine. It’s like having a sewing circle, only not really.

So, Esther suggested I put darts in the neckline; Bernadette recommended removing the binding and putting in pleats. I decided, in the end, that history has taught me that I usually screw up darts. Think Madonna’s pointy bra phase. So I tried pleats. Here is the result:

Pay no attention to the wrinkles; that’s just evidence of use. By no means is it perfect, but much much better. I don’t feel like a saggy-bosomed failure anymore when I put it on!

How is this blog about the joy of life? I love sewing, even though I’m sometimes not very good at it. But what I love more, is that when I throw my mistakes out there in the public domain, someone helps me out and I learn from it. 

Thanks Esther and Bernadette!