Wednesday 22 June 2016

The Dreaded Request - Can you sew, mend, make ...

Today my brother mentioned in passing that his girlfriend had a dress she wanted me to hem.  I responded with a look of horror and pleaded "Please don't make me!".

I absolutely HATE mending.  Yes, that's right, I shouted out in all caps my immense dislike for mending.  It's tedious.  There are also techniques involved that I have never learned, and likely special tools that I don't have. 

It seems that when you quilt and make gifts for others that people think you are open to taking requests, such as mending clothes.  I don't like mending my own clothes.  Doing so for others is that much worse.  It also has the added pressure of what if you make a mistake?  It happens.  I have more than once hemmed pants too short, then been stuck with the mistake as there was not enough fabric to let down the hem.

I quilt and sew for enjoyment.  I like the flexibility of putting down a project and picking up again when it suits me.  It may be a few days, weeks, months, or even years.   Yes, years.  Like many crafters I have a stash of patterns and fabric waiting to be used.  I have pants that need to be mended.  I also have a pair of pajamas my mom asked me to make her.  All that's left to complete them is to add elastic to the waistband and button holes to the top.  They have been 90% finished for 10 years, but I don't mend.  I don't know how to tailor clothes to make them fit.  And, I don't know how to make button holes that are the right size.  So I put the pajamas aside and made her a quilt instead.  Hours more work then finishing the pajamas, but the quilt wasn't a request.  I sewed at my own pace and I sewed something that inspired me.

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