I hope you enjoyed the slightly different video style! Let me know your thoughts and what your own experience has been, dealing with/ getting over your own fear of making mistakes and learning it's all part of the process?
Evelyn, thank you so much for the video and for your channel! After I found it I finally bought a sewing machine and started learning to sew (5 months ago now). You've inspired me so much as I am also a vintage fashion lover but I never truly believed that I am capable of learning how to sew. Your refashioning videos influenced me a lot and I've refashioned several second hand items after it and they turned out beautifully!
Hello! Thank you Evelyn ! Being in a cast , starting a project and not knowing why everything is getting stuck every step .........hearing you made me feel and decide to embrace my boo-boos(😉 a lovely way to avoid calling it a mistake!) and get up and get going!✌
Thank you for the video Evelyn! For me I find that the fear of mistake comes from the fact that I don't want to waste fabric, especially thrifted pieces because I'm afraid I won't be able to find the same item ever again to iterate on. I was wondering what your thoughts are on this aspect?
I once took cabinet making classes with a master craftperson. She said that "nobody can be perfect; the masters just know how to hide mistakes". I would further add "or take advantage of the mistakes". Thank you for the videos!
I know this was posted several years ago, and I've been sewing most of my life, but I cannot tell you how truly grateful I am for this positive reminder! Thank you!
Grandma said, "Rule Number One....As Ye sew, So shall Ye Rip!". She was a tailor who after fifty years of sewing could cut away everything that didn't look like a dress. I saw her do it. She had a brain like a computer and did all the things a pattern does, in her head! The most important thing she taught me was..."If someone can do it, you can do it, too. YOU are someone!" Of course she told me not to expect perfection in the first try...remember rule #1? I met Lillie Rubin in my Grandmother's dining room in her slip! She came to OUR house to have my grandmother fit her clothes, when she wintered in Florida. I met a LOT of important ladies in their under garments in that dining room including the wife of every new mayor, the minister's wife, the principal of our school, several Miss Floridas and teams of cheerleaders and choirs. The first Corporate Xerox Salesmen were there whining that they received their corporate monogrammed shirts and the company name was spelled wrong!! Someone made a mistake and I got a lesson in ripping stitches off of cuffs. I watched her reupholster a French sofa...one salvaged after the burning of Versailles had been discovered in the 1960's. Someone had covered it before. It needed recovering, she was someone, so she did it. The fact she ended up in the newspaper with accolades didn't matter to her. She took the job to learn something new from something old and told me the best way to learn to make something is to find a good one and take it apart. She gave me a velvet ball gown and a seam ripper. I sliced the fabric at one point. She looked at it and said, "Well, you didn't much like that seam there anyway. That will disappear when you recut it. " I got to recut the piece and make a velvet coat from the fabric. What ripped/sliced seam? that was in the scrap pile. Seriously, she told me, it's fabric. It isn't a bomb, it won't explode if you get it wrong. You just make it right or make something else. So, now I sew costumes for my grandchildren, lots of costumes! . How do I turn a three year old into Skye from Paw Patrol? or a seven year old into Baby Deadpool? Or a 15 year old into a greek goddess for a play? Or all those Harry Potter robes? I just cut, and pin and stitch and rip and sew till it's done.
Aww Carol I so enjoyed reading your story ❤ What a wonderful women she was! So skilled, kind and patient! I love the low stress approach. I will have to take a few of these sayings and put into my own repertoire!
She passed at the technology point of Windows 95 just launching! She would have loved all these TH-cam tutorials. She would approve ALL the teachers showing what to do, how to do and all the tips and techniques given away for free. She would have let me put her on the web, too. I remember the year she retired, her department store brought in the newest computerized cash registers. Her manager told her she could stay on the floor while 'the girls' took the classes in how to operate. Well, she followed him in to the conference room and sat down. He looked at her, she looked right back and she took the class! She told us, what was he going to do? fire her? Who did he think he was telling her she didn't need to learn it. She TRAINED HIM in her department! She would have LOVED youtube. She never stopped learning.
I think one of the issues is that people watch sewing videos and are too afraid to start themselves. Sewing is flexible. Often you figure out as you go. I don't think I ever made something perfect, eg. I sometimes forget a topstitch that I can hardly sew on later. Then I guess I won't have a topstitch. I waited 4 years to this year until I made a bodice for a dress because I didn't want to waste fabric or make mistakes but it is important to just start and try and draft and make a mock and sew and dart and draft again. It is tedious at first but I have never felt so confident about my sewing ever. The biggest blocker is fear of ruining a fabric or be disappointed after you put in so much work. But you can always change the garment. Add a panel, make guff ruffles, sew a trim. Everything is salvageable.
This was me for the LONGEST! I was so afraid to cut up that first piece of fabric. It too my ex forcing me to just do it already to start this hobby. :-)
@@deejustdee1234 same here, I'm literally being forced by the husband to just start ALREADY so that I could get the hang of it...have I started you may ask? Nope 😅😫
Incredible outlook, this is where I see myself at one point in my life. I feel like fear really is getting in my way and once I hopefully defeat fear I might actually start a good enjoyable journey 🙂
Yes! You've just debunked myths about not just sewing but any process of creating something! Painting, writing, sewing.... Thank you for making the point so clear: there's no such thing as mistakes, just opportunities for learning. Love the idea of the sewing journal. Could you do a video on what and how you would do that?
I've been sewing since I was 16. I have 2 degrees, a college degree for tailoring and a university degree for fashion design. 4 years into my career and I stopped sewing, got frustrated with things not fitting properly. Realising that the model I thought up and made toiles for did not complement my body shape. So doing a lot of work for nothing. A couple of years ago I started again with a simple 1/2 circle skirt. Just to give me the confidence that I could sew. SInce then I've made so many skirts, and a couple of tops and dresses. For the latest dress I've made probably 8 toiles before I was satisfied, made the dress, and it's still not perfect. This time though I'm not giving up.There is just one more alteration it needs (I hope) and she will be perfect. A fashion design youtuber said "Practice not Magic" and I take that to heart.
I love this! It is practice that makes it work, it is never magic! I'm happy to hear your back into it, and so determined! Youll get it just how you want for sure! x
This is so true. I'm a newbie, at 55 years old, and I make constant errors. My first make left me heartbroken until I decided to see if I could salvage it. Well, my dress is a skirt now and still not very good. But I didn't give up. Sometimes though I think some patterns are flawed. I made a shirt based on the finished measurements(3+" bigger than me) and I could barely get it on. My second attempt is better and I went a bit larger. I also changed the construction a bit because when I followed instructions for the first time the shirt looked all wrong. So I made a few slight changes the second time and it looks better. I'm already planning a third one and making a couple more changes. Thank you for being real.
I have been sewing for over 40 yrs and only within the last 10 years did I find out that Simplicity patterns are very ill-fitting. My sister told me she never uses Simplicity.
Thank you very much. I tried sewing twice before and both times I stopped before I really started because I thought I would never learn. You are one of the persons that inspired me to start for the third time. Thanks again. Stay well and keep up the good work.
Yes!!! This is exactly why I felt I had to make this video! It does take time, if you stick it out you'll learn! But those 'mistskes' will never stop! It's truly part of the creative process!
I have a coworker who gets very anxious. I told her that sometimes I will make an intentional mistake at the beginning because it allows me to relax and enjoy the process as I'm not worried about "ruining" it.
I'm so excited that my Instagram comment inspired this wonderful video! Yay and thank you!!! With social media so often showcasing (perceived/pretend) perfection, it's wonderful to hear the honest truth. And in this video, you teach us even more! It's SO helpful to be reminded of the complexity of garment design - we're designing for an intricate form (the human body) that moves in an assortment of ways. Knowing your hip measurement wouldn't tell you how many buttons you'd need to get in/out of these. You'd need complicated computer modeling - or just to make the pants and see! Plus you'd learn what else you might want to change by actually making them. This video made me think about that TV show Project Runway. You know how contestants hope judges won't notice flaws on their runway pieces and sometimes act like mistakes were intended? How much more interesting would it be if judges asked instead, "What would you do differently on the next version of this?" Wouldn't we learn SO much more about the contestants as designers (and so much more about the reality of fashion design)? Thank you again! I'm off to make some boo-boos and mistakes just like you, my youtube Vintage-Designer-Dressmaker-Superhero! Hurray!
I love your take on project runway! It makes much more a TV show to nit pick and pretend like it was meant to be there! But asking questions like what would you do differently next time, are much more like a good fashion school!
Yeah, I love videos that show you how TH-camrs overcome mistakes. I use TH-cam to learn. I feel I'm missing out when videos make it look like things are all perfect.
I learned early on, every sewer, even the experienced, make mistakes. Hopefully it's on a muslin rather than expensive silk, but mistakes happen....and they're also a chance to learn. I keep notes on everything and store them with the pattern. Thanks for a great video, and for just being such a genuinely warm and engaging person.
Greetings from France! Many thanks for this video Evelyn, I needed to hear that from you today. Recently I picked up crochet and it reminded me how humbling learning a new craft or skill can be. None of us were born holding a sewing machine or a crochet hook! Also, I've been binge-watching your videos ever since I discovered you here a few weeks ago. Your work, your positive attitude and your style inspire me more everyday.
Omg!!! Thank you so much to your subscriber for making that comment! I super needed this video! I've been sewing off and on for about 2 years and everytime I complete a project there's mistakes and then I don't like what I made and I put it in the abyss of a box. Then I don't want to try again for a while. And you are right I've learned how and how not to do things. But sometimes I think I should just give up and it's not my thing. But it's apart of the process! Thank you so much for reiterating that to me and anyone else that is struggling with just the basics of learning sewing or any craft! You are awesome! Thank you for the inspiring words of seamstress wisdom!
This is why I am enjoying your videos. My mind envisions things in pieces and I don’t see one part until after I do the the parts before. Thank you remind me that the process isn’t really a mistake, it is the process. I do learn better by doing and some things work better than others. I am getting more excited to sew and create. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and encouragement.
Thank you for this video, I have a daughter, who when she got her first pay, bought a sewing machine. Now I am teaching her, and relearning the stuff I haven't done for many years. She has a problem with making mistakes, and gets frustrated that it is not perfect the first time. so I've shared this with her to show her that it is all part of the learning. Thank you so much.
One of your first suggestions in your online sewing class wax to buy practice garments cheaply at thrift stores. You encouraged us to give ourselves room for mistakes. That was great advice! Sometimes I get into a supposedly simple refashion and realize I have no idea what I'm doing. But I only spend a dollar on a piece of clothing, so I give myself permission to dig in and mess up. I've learned a lot about garment construction that way! Thanks for the encouragement for us newbies!
Aww I'm so thrilled to see your progress and excitment about it!! I think planning for mistakes makes how you feel about it very different! And don't worry, I had a typo in title until soneone pointed it out! See, we all make the same mistakes! 🤣😗
I saw another video about making mistakes on sewing, but I dont remember the channel unfortunately but she said that before doing a new technique she will practice it in around 20 times so It can be done as polish a it could be !, I really liked that you addressed this topic in one video because we ofthen quick to quit due to those mistakes, never improve on something we might get really good at .
Thank you so much for this video! I am a self taught sewist and started drafting patterns right from the beginning. I am tall and have longer arms and torso and that really pushed me to learn to sew. I was disappointed to find that the first few purchased patterns I tried had similar fit problems. This motivated me to try making my own. I have to say, I have been really frustrated with the "process". Obviously, learning to sew and learning to draft patterns at the same time is a huge challenge. But, I couldn't see myself using patterns and making clothes that didn't fit well. Recently, I was commenting to my partner that maybe I should give up sewing because I still make so many errors. I do love making clothes and have had some real successes, mostly for the people in my family because they have an easier time fitting purchased patterns. It was such a relief to hear you talk about "product development "! I am working on a shirt pattern and I've made it four times and still have work to do to make it fit correctly. I was feeling like a failure because it wasn't working out. You've helped me think about this in such a different way now. I feel much more confident and less anxious about refining my pattern! Also, I work almost exclusively with knits, so there are times when mistakes are made that are extremely difficult to seam rip and often result in holes. I try to look at these mistakes as "opportunities for embellishments ". 😄 Thanks so much for your encouragement! I'm definitely going forward with a new understanding and feeling much more hopeful!
Aww I'm so glad you have been able to see your work through a different lens now! You're doing fantastic to still be working on perfecting the one pattern, a lot of people would just give up or move on and they will never get the pattern they wanted! You're doing it true fashion creator style! Especially as you said, learning both at the same time is very tricky! I think of those accidental holes or such as 'a design feature Im just working out right now!" xx
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am tall, self taught and drafting along the way too! Thoughout the process, I have kept my eye out for bed sheets made of t-shirt material at the thrift stores. They make great mock-ups for little money. Lets keep going and make some great tall clothes! Good luck to you on your journey!
Hi Evelyn! I love the way you approach things and I love your style. I would like to remind everybody that failure is the mother of success. There is no such thing as 'mistakes'. It's all part of the learning process.
Those white buttoned pants.....they just have me swooning. They're excellent motivation to improve my sewing skills so I can make something similar. Thank you for the wonderful videos!!
I totally love this video.. ❤ I'm a quilter wanting to jump into costumes and cos-play. This has given me the confidence to give it a try.. I'm currently working to make a sloper and go from there. Wish me luck.. Your fan from Maui, Hawai'i.
THANK YOU for explaining the process of fashion industries and how many changes are made before the perfected product has been created. So many times I would give up on a project because it just didn’t fit or work out the way I wanted. And your honesty about your own experience brings me a lot of hope! I have designs that I would love to make for my baby girl and myself. Nows the time to face those “mistakes” and learn more!
Thank you for reminding me that it is a process. I can tell people everything I did wrong on a project, when what I should do is smile and thank them for the compliment. I know what In would change, but don't need to broadcast it.
Thanks Evelyn - inspiring is all!!!! Yes, we all make mistakes and learn from them. I shortened a blouse for myself and made it too short. I was from the thrift store, but it was a quality blouse worth a lot of money. I learned my lesson 😩
Adore this. I found this lovely 60s style fabric at an op shop. There was only a tiny amount. I was just learning to cut pattern pieces and I cut one side of the front the wrong way with the back of the fabric being the front facing side. I decided to encorparate the mistake but making the collar pieces from the back side of the fabric too. It turned out ok and made the mistake looked intentional so it just became a "style choice"
I was always told in all manner of art and craft that there are NO mistakes in any creative process--it is all part of the process, just as Evelyn said. It is all learning.
Great video. I need to stop procrastinating so much and just jump in, especially because I'm using mainly reclaimed materials. Make it and then make it again better.
Hi Evelyn Yes this is what I have really enjoyed about your videos. It’s great to reinforce that refining fit, design and restyling are a stepwise process. Too often, with some other youtubers, we are left with the impression that the completed item was produced from an idea and then executed without change from that idea. Although I KNOW this is not at all likely to be true, it still makes me feel a bit like a doofus because I can only seem to do these things step by step. It’s also great to reinforce that the clothes we buy in shops have been through many rounds of test garments. Often home sewers will make only 1 or 2 items from the same pattern.......and then be surprised that there are so many changes that have to be made to finesse the fit and finish. I constantly remind myself of this process that commercial designers go through in order to cut myself a bit of slack when a make seems to require SO MUCH fiddling with to make it work. So. Thanks for your reality checks. Love your work PS it’s great to hear an Australian accent too. I seem to have trouble finding local content. Not that it should matter.......but it sort of does (and not that local anyway ..... Melbourne girl here)
Needed this encouragement, I'm stuck in an ball gown project, thought I would finish yesterday, and realized that I'd done it a smidgeon to tight and broke my zipper. So feeling a little bummed out, but knowing it's just the zipper that's left is the light at the end of the tunnel for me now.
Evelyn, thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. I started sewing this year and could not find any good resources. You’re so inspiring, kind, and creative. Thank you again!
Thank you. You teach us that to sew successfully, we need the attitude that sewing is an ever evolving learning process of creation an individual embarks on.🥰🤗💚 Thank you.
Very thoughtful and informative and now I am off to the notions section to buy some more seam rippers! But I would like to add one observation of my own...when I am refurbishing a garment or constructing a new one from two, I notice I make fewer mistakes. I think that needing to engage my brain at the beginning of the project to figure out what needs to be done makes me maintain my focus more. So now when sewing from a pattern, I read through it thoroughly before starting and I try to visualize what is happening in each step. Less time with my unpickers I am finding.
Thank you so much for this talk. I am definitely one of those people that put down everything I do. It's because I can see EVERY mistake I have made, even if no one else can. But, thanks to you, I have begun changing things I don't like on commercial patterns and sewing certain things my way as it gets a better result an easier way. It is thanks to you that I am trying more of my own style and adapting patterns (I'm not quite at the stage of drafting my own yet) to suit myself. I have saved every one of your how to series. Please keep them coming and thank you!
Aww Anne I can't tell you how much this makes me smile!! Thankyou! I'm so glad your getting the confidence to do things your way, to suit you! You'll be a great sewer for sure! As, no one will notice Thise 'mistakes' for sure xx
I learned how to sew from my mom was I was 12 yrs old. I remember her telling me with any project I was working on(Not just sewing)that everyone makes mistakes. You don't usually get the chance to "start over" so figure out how to pull off your "mistakes". Make it look like they were intentional. I have taught so many kids this.
This is great encouragement. Sometimes I make mistakes when sewing or trying something new and I can feel defeated, but then I remind myself of all my successes and I realized this is part of the process. So nice to hear you say it, to honor that we all make mistakes and it is part of the journey. At times, I can feel paralyzed by fear that I might ruin a nice piece of fabric or that maybe the task is too far beyond my skill level. It takes courage to push past this fear and jump in and just do it. Often I surprise myself when I see that I can do that which seemed to daunting. Even if I fail, I still learn in that process.
I have started making samples/toiles with new patterns, using cheap fabric. I am also a fan of vintage styles and those garments tend to more structured so have to fit me just right. I don't have a dressmaker's form, so there's a lot of trying on and altering in the process. It is time consuming and I am sometimes tempted to give up, but so worth it when it works out in the more expensive fabric after many trials!
You have made me see my mistakes and the process of garment making in a different light I always strive to get what ever I make to be perfect the first time and If it isn't I think it is not good enough but now you have changed my thought process so thank you
Aha!!! ‘Product development’. Thank you so much. I feel so excited and encouraged. I have actually attempted drafting my own pattern of a jacket with collar and lapel, for the first time. (I had done with from a pattern and had to discard the front of it after making several mistakes). I am making 3 jackets , one by commercial pattern, 2 my own, and they are looking pretty good, even though I know they can be improved upon. Thank God, they are ‘wearable garments’ as Patrick Grant used to say, and people will have to ‘look close ‘ to see anything wrong. My mother and my aunt were seamstresses, I am tuning in to their DNA…
I haven't gotten to the point of designing or creating yet. I am still working on getting good fit from patterns, sometimes making small hacks. This video was still tremendously helpful and encouraging for me! Thank you so much!!!💜
Evelyn Wood love all your videos! I have been sewing for many years and still make mistakes and love learning new techniques. I do a lot of alterations for people and have learned some new techniques from you. Thank you for your dedication.
I love this channel and I just love your persona. I am new to sewing. Since the birth of my son about 4 months ago, I've been teaching myself through TH-cam and Pinterest. Your videos have given me the most useful info. And it's so entertaining. I will be sharing your channel with my fellow seamstresses in training. ;) By the way, I totally sewed wrong sides together in a minkey blanket just before watching this. 🤦♀️ Oh, also because of you, I now know what salvage is and the bias. It was so cool to grab some cotton fabric that I've been using for my drool bibs and pull on that 45 degree angle. And my next one, guess what? I'm gonna mark my pattern with the grain lines and cut it out on the bias. Let's see what happens. Kind of excited now.
I think that it is human to make mistakes. I am a teacher and we critically reflect on our work daily .I I therefore think that it makes sense that other professionals think about what they would do next time, and think about what worked and what they would like to change in the future.Thanks for sharing.
I make my own patterns for years now. I'm just an amateur, selftaught, and yes, I had a lot of mistakes, or things that were not like I planned, or projects in which I found out while sewing that it won't work like I planned and I need a different approach. Some things were a case for the bin. But the majority turned out "good enough" to be worn, and I get a lot of praise for the things that I sew, even if I still see the little misshaps. The more I do these things, the less I have problems because experience prevents a lot. Starting out like this is not the easiest way, but it has a hell of a learning curve. Now I get confused when I buy patterns 😆
This view of things is very motivating!And when I make a mistake I say to myself thar sewing is not easy, it helps me stop feeling like a dummie For now on,I will remeber your precious words.Thank you!
Greetings from across the Pond. I wanted to stop and say that this was a very good video. I am anxiety ridden. I worked a sewing machine on an assembly line. I did a few different tasks in the line. When I broke into sewing recently as self crafting I ran into the designer block, fear about mistakes and then when I messed up a beloved outfit, it took me a moment to recoup myself. I am thankful you have offered your wisdom up. I will remember Apple o.o.1
Love the message of this video. Mindset is so important to learning and developing. One of the downsides (?) of this platform is the necessity of editing gives an unrealistic perception of the time things take. The other point you didn't address in detail but I think is so important to remember is that beginner's can get disheartened when they compare their outcomes to that of an expert: "Don't compare your beginning to some else's middle".
Evelyn, I completely understand what you are saying. I have been there more than I care to talk about, lol. It happens in sewing and creating called trial and error. Just when you think you worked out all the kinks in the construction of a garment, design, the dress form and muslin, you find something that needs tweaking and ripping is my least favorite thing to do, lol. I have also been there when after I have sewn a garment and think about another way I could have done it and sometimes do it right away. But, yes, this is what happens in garment construction. As you said it is a part of the process. For all intents and purposes sewers are also doing product development.
Hi Evelyn, I know this is a old video however I have recently found you on TH-cam. I began taking is Sewing Class, for the first time in 20 years. Your encouragement and insights I truly appreciate it,I love your videos! I am learning so much from you. I’m so grateful for everything you share. I have recently subscribed to your channel and I look forward to learning more and more. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Anita from California
Thank you for this video Evelyn! I've recently discovered your channel and I find your videos sooo helpful! I'm much more patient with my sewing recently and I really believe it's thanks to you. You emanate such kindness, empathy and understanding!
Evelyn, this was a great video! We can be our own worst critics when it comes to home sewing. We set the bar too high for ourselves, and a less than perfect finished project is viewed as a failure. Thank you for keeping it real and admitting that mistakes are OK, despite your level of experience. Sew for the joy of the process; not just the outcome. It's a wonderful and creative way to spend your time. TFS.
This is a wonderful uplifting video that can be applied to learning any new skill, not just sewing. We always want to strive to do our very best at things but some element of failure needs to be allowed for improvement to happen. Perfection mindset is the enemy.
Thank you so much for this video! I have not sewn garments since the early 1980's and really want to be successful at it. It has been a bumpy start, and frankly I was trolling TH-cam trying to find something to give me a reason to keep going. This video is exactly what I needed to see and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making it. I am off to try another iteration (instead of quitting, like I was thinking) with renewed excitement! :)
I just made the decision to sit down and figure out how to use my grandmother's sewing machine. I'm so proud of myself for starting this learning process and I kind of brag about how I made every single mistake I could possibly make but I kept going. No one is over my shoulder telling me how to do anything. I'm figuring it out myself. I threaded the top thread wrong in at least 2 places. I had not the slightest clue how the bottom bobbin worked or what a bobbin is. Once I finally figured out how a bobbin worked I realized mine was in clockwise instead of counter. I couldn't figure out why it was getting jammed and I couldn't even get a straight line...turns out that's what happens when you dont put your foot down. The important part is that I was able to figure out the problem and fix it.
Just starting out.... so making lots of mistakes🤪 I have been watching you trainings..... they are so helpful..... also taking an online course of yours...... you are a great seamstress and teacher and I thank you 🙏😊
Thank you so much for your generosity, It is so easy to become discouraged. I constantly try to keep in mind that it is an ongoing education. Thank you again, I enjoy your tutorials immensely.
In any creative process mistakes will happen, the important thing is to learn from them. I'm not a competitive person, that makes it easier not to compare my work with other's, I am however extremely curious and love learning new skills, I look for mistakes in my own work and figure out how to do better next time. I also try not to be too perfectionist and take pride in what I've made because I did better than last time.
My dear mother was a magician with a needle and thread. She had me making my own clothes when I was 12...50 years ago 😳! She would always ask me, even with a rare 1st time successful make “what went well? What would you do differently?” And that was a great help. And you’re right...just last week I made an absolute rookie mistake that set me back days. No one else would notice...but I do. Thanks!
These are great questions ask!! I remember my college teacher asking 'do you think you could do better', and everytime I knew I could so I re did it! We all still have rookie mistske moments 😂 best to laugh at it I think!
Wonderful video Evelyn!!! This was such a comfort to know, even though everybody knows that the “pro’s” also make mistakes we seem to forget it all the time and we amateur sewers can be very hard on our selves when we make mistakes. This was such an encouraging video❤️Thank you sooo much for reminding us about this!
You have a great grasp on this. Creating is a process. Like you I see things I will change if I make something and it is not quite how I envisioned it in the old noggin on the next make. I dont usually drawing things out but create on the fly and love that freedom. Going from a flat drawing to a 3D object doesn't always work without some tweaking!
You're such a lovely person. I know you are going through an extremely difficult time and hope you're fairing as well as possible. Mistakes are part of any learning process so I'm glad to see this video. I've made a ton and still in the beginning stages. I've learned from every mistake and it's usually the only way to learn for me. Lol seam ripping has helped me thoroughly. I am learning to make ruffles and it has been frustrating but each attempt makes it better. One day I know I'll ease through it and barely recall my struggles. Hehe
You are so Amazing! I hope you don't mind if I share this with my students ( and my mom). You explained such a difficult concept so eloquently, and so lovingly. So many people will gain so much understanding and confidence hearing your message. I hope that you keep using your platform to encourage the concept of the design process and growth mindset. This is so important!
A great video, and yes, most enjoyable too. I agree with what you say here. Not mistakes in that sense, but progress. Be encouraged you know what to do next time ! Thanks for sharing this.
I love yr positivity.......yes I fear I will not like the finished garment as it will not fit the way I would like it to 😂😅. However NOW if this happens I just say 1 . I gained sewing experience and tried different sewing skills and I learned from what I did wrong 2. If I do not want to wear it I give it to a Charity Shop ! 3. Do not gloss on mistakes and ignore those people who say they sewed a perfect dress in two hrs ! We are all different the most important thing is that we keep trying 😋.
A very long time ago my sewing teacher at school said to us, this is how you use your machine to make a tack stitch, this is where we try to make all our mistakes, this is a stitch ripper, this is for when you get past the tacking stage and make a mistake, On those rare occasions when it all comes together first time I'm very suspicious, always thinking, what have I missed! Would love to see a tutorial on those trousers, would they work with a wool mix? A light weight tweed maybe, it gets cold in the Lake district lol So glad I found you, you make things so clear for me ❤
Bravo Evelyn!!!!! Thank you for this video. I don't know how many times I wanted to give up. What an inspiring video. Keep up the good work. Texas Great grandma, Glenda
Very in lightening.I always looked at sewing as a project to follow instructions and complete. My biggest issue has always been with fit.Since watching TH-cam I have learned alot.Could you do a video talking about fitting?
Loved this video! I get sooo aggravated with fitting! Usually I finish the garment and just donate to a thrift store and usually I don’t make it again😝, now I’m stuck because it seems like an unsurmountable effort. I will watch your video again😃
I loved this video Evelyn. It is really really helpful. I feel inspired again after a period of not being able to feel any inspired. I am a perfectionist and am hypercritical of my work. Which gets disheartening. I got so much from your wise words. I am thinking from what you said I need to chooses a pattern I like and work in a number of items in that pattern till I get it just comfortable to me. then do the same with another until I have a collection of patters I love. Thank goodness for thrift store material. Great for the first drafts. Thank you again. I just haven’t been able to get any motivation for a few weeks now. You just said it’s ok. Not to be hard on ourself. ❤️👌🌹
I've only just started to watch your wonderful videos I have been sewing since a teen but never felt my garments were quite good enough. But as you say with practise I have learned is To do things better for me. As I still feel I'm not good enough to make and sell. But you are truly inspirational I've never gotten into upcycling but now intend to try after all what is the worst that could happen ? Not to much to lose just another trip to charity shop. Keep them coming thank you. Irene . North of England UK
Not sure if this adds much but when I started trying to sew I was 13. Nothing I made for the first two years even came close to looking like actual clothes (as you would expect from a 13 year old who had no instructions and no experience). But after that it gradually started getting better and better. It's like I got fluent in what doesn't work. Of course things I make now don't always work but most of the time it comes out very nice. So don't get discouraged if something you make as a begginer is completely and utterly garbage
When you make something, you are the one who gets to decide if it is worth redo or changing or just not worry about that bit. (If it bugs you fix it later, but it may not bother you as much as you thought!) Happy accidents are waiting for you to make them and be surprised at how wonderful it all looks, but you have to keep going to even get to the happy accidents! I never viewed ripping (picking) out as a mistake, just a chance to do it differently. Maybe ripping (picking) thrift garment's helped, because I certainly picked up many homemade (or altered) garments at the thrift stores and learned how other people did things. I view cooking the same way. If it doesn't taste as good as I want, I can try adding this or that so that it tastes different. I rarely have to throw things away, but sometimes have needed to wait until the next day to truly fix a dish. Of course, my family often eats "one of a kind" dishes and it's a problem when they want it again!!! (Usually it is good enough, but no one really wants it repeated and I pick a different recipe.)
I learned growing up to laugh at your self and your OOPS! Because if it is fixable, fix it, learn from it and move on. It shows you are a thinking human! My most recent and quiet funny Boo boo is my truck seat covers! Well, the back looks great! I was smug about the test fit! It fit like a glove! AND, I had put the seat pocket on the front! Cool!! I ripped out about 4 yards of serious stitches put in by my Singer Class 16 Walking Foot Industrial, and it's not my first set of covers!!!! All I could do was laugh!!! I got smug and cockey!! LOLOL!!! My Mom taught me some basic stuff at age 7 because I destroyed my clothes wearing them. "If you are ripping them, you're fixing them". I did. Wasn't pretty but got better. I laugh and I fix it. My heart is Happy because my hands and my head are working together!!
Aww I love this! I'm so glad your mum made you fix the rips in your clothes!! And sewing something on the wrong way it the funniest of all! ( though never at the time of course!)
Thank you for this vid. I’m really new to sewing and it’s great to know my ‘boo boos’ are normal, expected and common. Definitely makes me feel better about my progress 😊.
I’m a new subscriber and this video really encouraged me! TFS! I love your style. I haven’t started making clothes but I have refashioned thrift finds. I get stuck on designs in my head and stop there. I hope to make something for myself from scratch one day.
I haven’t made hardly anything I actually like and wear. One is an elastic waisted high/low circle skirt I got right but used an ugly sheet- I hate the pattern but it’s fit is perfect and I haven’t been able to replicate. 1 is another high/low circle skirt with pockets and a zip, but I’m heavier now and alas it’s too small. And one is a nightgown I made my daughter. Totally just made it up. Had 2 pleats or tucks in the back and the heavy knit jersey flowed so well. Can’t wait till I actually sew things I like!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO.. YOU TOTALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO CONTINUE MY SEWING.. IM ALWAYS HARD ON MYSELF WHEN. I MAKE MISTAKES.. YOU ARE AWESOME. AND I ASWELL LOVE THE THRIFT STORES VINTAGE CLOTHING ANY WERE I CAN FIND ANYTHING VINTAGE# TOTALLY.
I hope you enjoyed the slightly different video style! Let me know your thoughts and what your own experience has been, dealing with/ getting over your own fear of making mistakes and learning it's all part of the process?
Evelyn, thank you so much for the video and for your channel! After I found it I finally bought a sewing machine and started learning to sew (5 months ago now). You've inspired me so much as I am also a vintage fashion lover but I never truly believed that I am capable of learning how to sew. Your refashioning videos influenced me a lot and I've refashioned several second hand items after it and they turned out beautifully!
Hello! Thank you Evelyn ! Being in a cast , starting a project and not knowing why everything is getting stuck every step .........hearing you made me feel and decide to embrace my boo-boos(😉 a lovely way to avoid calling it a mistake!) and get up and get going!✌
Thank you for the video Evelyn! For me I find that the fear of mistake comes from the fact that I don't want to waste fabric, especially thrifted pieces because I'm afraid I won't be able to find the same item ever again to iterate on. I was wondering what your thoughts are on this aspect?
I once took cabinet making classes with a master craftperson. She said that "nobody can be perfect; the masters just know how to hide mistakes". I would further add "or take advantage of the mistakes". Thank you for the videos!
Thank you for this video! I needed to see this. ♥️
I know this was posted several years ago, and I've been sewing most of my life, but I cannot tell you how truly grateful I am for this positive reminder! Thank you!
Grandma said, "Rule Number One....As Ye sew, So shall Ye Rip!". She was a tailor who after fifty years of sewing could cut away everything that didn't look like a dress. I saw her do it. She had a brain like a computer and did all the things a pattern does, in her head! The most important thing she taught me was..."If someone can do it, you can do it, too. YOU are someone!" Of course she told me not to expect perfection in the first try...remember rule #1? I met Lillie Rubin in my Grandmother's dining room in her slip! She came to OUR house to have my grandmother fit her clothes, when she wintered in Florida. I met a LOT of important ladies in their under garments in that dining room including the wife of every new mayor, the minister's wife, the principal of our school, several Miss Floridas and teams of cheerleaders and choirs. The first Corporate Xerox Salesmen were there whining that they received their corporate monogrammed shirts and the company name was spelled wrong!! Someone made a mistake and I got a lesson in ripping stitches off of cuffs. I watched her reupholster a French sofa...one salvaged after the burning of Versailles had been discovered in the 1960's. Someone had covered it before. It needed recovering, she was someone, so she did it. The fact she ended up in the newspaper with accolades didn't matter to her. She took the job to learn something new from something old and told me the best way to learn to make something is to find a good one and take it apart. She gave me a velvet ball gown and a seam ripper. I sliced the fabric at one point. She looked at it and said, "Well, you didn't much like that seam there anyway. That will disappear when you recut it. " I got to recut the piece and make a velvet coat from the fabric. What ripped/sliced seam? that was in the scrap pile. Seriously, she told me, it's fabric. It isn't a bomb, it won't explode if you get it wrong. You just make it right or make something else. So, now I sew costumes for my grandchildren, lots of costumes! . How do I turn a three year old into Skye from Paw Patrol? or a seven year old into Baby Deadpool? Or a 15 year old into a greek goddess for a play? Or all those Harry Potter robes? I just cut, and pin and stitch and rip and sew till it's done.
Aww Carol I so enjoyed reading your story ❤ What a wonderful women she was! So skilled, kind and patient! I love the low stress approach. I will have to take a few of these sayings and put into my own repertoire!
WOW! Thanks so much for sharing this! I loved reading about this spectacular woman!
What a beautiful story and we'll done to your grandmother she is an amazing person
She passed at the technology point of Windows 95 just launching! She would have loved all these TH-cam tutorials. She would approve ALL the teachers showing what to do, how to do and all the tips and techniques given away for free. She would have let me put her on the web, too. I remember the year she retired, her department store brought in the newest computerized cash registers. Her manager told her she could stay on the floor while 'the girls' took the classes in how to operate. Well, she followed him in to the conference room and sat down. He looked at her, she looked right back and she took the class! She told us, what was he going to do? fire her? Who did he think he was telling her she didn't need to learn it. She TRAINED HIM in her department! She would have LOVED youtube. She never stopped learning.
Thanks for that!
I think one of the issues is that people watch sewing videos and are too afraid to start themselves. Sewing is flexible. Often you figure out as you go. I don't think I ever made something perfect, eg. I sometimes forget a topstitch that I can hardly sew on later. Then I guess I won't have a topstitch. I waited 4 years to this year until I made a bodice for a dress because I didn't want to waste fabric or make mistakes but it is important to just start and try and draft and make a mock and sew and dart and draft again. It is tedious at first but I have never felt so confident about my sewing ever. The biggest blocker is fear of ruining a fabric or be disappointed after you put in so much work. But you can always change the garment. Add a panel, make guff ruffles, sew a trim. Everything is salvageable.
I love this so much! Everything is salvageable! I think I will have to use this line!! Thankyou 😘😘
This was me for the LONGEST! I was so afraid to cut up that first piece of fabric. It too my ex forcing me to just do it already to start this hobby. :-)
@@deejustdee1234 same here, I'm literally being forced by the husband to just start ALREADY so that I could get the hang of it...have I started you may ask? Nope 😅😫
Incredible outlook, this is where I see myself at one point in my life. I feel like fear really is getting in my way and once I hopefully defeat fear I might actually start a good enjoyable journey 🙂
Yes! You've just debunked myths about not just sewing but any process of creating something! Painting, writing, sewing.... Thank you for making the point so clear: there's no such thing as mistakes, just opportunities for learning. Love the idea of the sewing journal. Could you do a video on what and how you would do that?
Omgg i that's the video I needed and I don't even sew! What you said feels so true for every aspect of our lives :)
Yes I think your right! It is true for everything! 😙
What an insightful response! Reflection, encouragement, and support are great teachers as are you. Thank you.
I've been sewing since I was 16. I have 2 degrees, a college degree for tailoring and a university degree for fashion design. 4 years into my career and I stopped sewing, got frustrated with things not fitting properly. Realising that the model I thought up and made toiles for did not complement my body shape. So doing a lot of work for nothing. A couple of years ago I started again with a simple 1/2 circle skirt. Just to give me the confidence that I could sew. SInce then I've made so many skirts, and a couple of tops and dresses. For the latest dress I've made probably 8 toiles before I was satisfied, made the dress, and it's still not perfect. This time though I'm not giving up.There is just one more alteration it needs (I hope) and she will be perfect. A fashion design youtuber said "Practice not Magic" and I take that to heart.
I love this! It is practice that makes it work, it is never magic! I'm happy to hear your back into it, and so determined! Youll get it just how you want for sure! x
This is so true. I'm a newbie, at 55 years old, and I make constant errors. My first make left me heartbroken until I decided to see if I could salvage it. Well, my dress is a skirt now and still not very good. But I didn't give up. Sometimes though I think some patterns are flawed. I made a shirt based on the finished measurements(3+" bigger than me) and I could barely get it on. My second attempt is better and I went a bit larger. I also changed the construction a bit because when I followed instructions for the first time the shirt looked all wrong. So I made a few slight changes the second time and it looks better. I'm already planning a third one and making a couple more changes. Thank you for being real.
You've worked all this out on your own, you're going to be a great sewer for sure!!
I have been sewing for over 40 yrs and only within the last 10 years did I find out that Simplicity patterns are very ill-fitting. My sister told me she never uses Simplicity.
@@judyjennings-gunther4022 That is so true, I find the "big 4" are very flawed.
Thank you very much. I tried sewing twice before and both times I stopped before I really started because I thought I would never learn.
You are one of the persons that inspired me to start for the third time. Thanks again.
Stay well and keep up the good work.
Yes!!! This is exactly why I felt I had to make this video! It does take time, if you stick it out you'll learn! But those 'mistskes' will never stop! It's truly part of the creative process!
I have a coworker who gets very anxious. I told her that sometimes I will make an intentional mistake at the beginning because it allows me to relax and enjoy the process as I'm not worried about "ruining" it.
I'm so excited that my Instagram comment inspired this wonderful video! Yay and thank you!!! With social media so often showcasing (perceived/pretend) perfection, it's wonderful to hear the honest truth. And in this video, you teach us even more! It's SO helpful to be reminded of the complexity of garment design - we're designing for an intricate form (the human body) that moves in an assortment of ways. Knowing your hip measurement wouldn't tell you how many buttons you'd need to get in/out of these. You'd need complicated computer modeling - or just to make the pants and see! Plus you'd learn what else you might want to change by actually making them. This video made me think about that TV show Project Runway. You know how contestants hope judges won't notice flaws on their runway pieces and sometimes act like mistakes were intended? How much more interesting would it be if judges asked instead, "What would you do differently on the next version of this?" Wouldn't we learn SO much more about the contestants as designers (and so much more about the reality of fashion design)? Thank you again! I'm off to make some boo-boos and mistakes just like you, my youtube Vintage-Designer-Dressmaker-Superhero! Hurray!
I love your take on project runway! It makes much more a TV show to nit pick and pretend like it was meant to be there! But asking questions like what would you do differently next time, are much more like a good fashion school!
Yeah, I love videos that show you how TH-camrs overcome mistakes. I use TH-cam to learn. I feel I'm missing out when videos make it look like things are all perfect.
I learned early on, every sewer, even the experienced, make mistakes. Hopefully it's on a muslin rather than expensive silk, but mistakes happen....and they're also a chance to learn. I keep notes on everything and store them with the pattern. Thanks for a great video, and for just being such a genuinely warm and engaging person.
Greetings from France!
Many thanks for this video Evelyn, I needed to hear that from you today.
Recently I picked up crochet and it reminded me how humbling learning a new craft or skill can be. None of us were born holding a sewing machine or a crochet hook!
Also, I've been binge-watching your videos ever since I discovered you here a few weeks ago. Your work, your positive attitude and your style inspire me more everyday.
Aww thankyou so much!! This is one of my favourite videos too! And I need reminding sometimes too!
So, mistakes are what you need to rip n re-do.
Improvements become the new n improved next version, in the process.
Gotcha!👍 Thankyou Evelyn
Omg!!! Thank you so much to your subscriber for making that comment! I super needed this video! I've been sewing off and on for about 2 years and everytime I complete a project there's mistakes and then I don't like what I made and I put it in the abyss of a box. Then I don't want to try again for a while. And you are right I've learned how and how not to do things. But sometimes I think I should just give up and it's not my thing. But it's apart of the process! Thank you so much for reiterating that to me and anyone else that is struggling with just the basics of learning sewing or any craft! You are awesome! Thank you for the inspiring words of seamstress wisdom!
Aww Im so glad this wad just right for you! Don't give up, everyone struggles at times! Xx
This is why I am enjoying your videos. My mind envisions things in pieces and I don’t see one part until after I do the the parts before. Thank you remind me that the process isn’t really a mistake, it is the process. I do learn better by doing and some things work better than others. I am getting more excited to sew and create. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and encouragement.
Thank you for this video, I have a daughter, who when she got her first pay, bought a sewing machine. Now I am teaching her, and relearning the stuff I haven't done for many years. She has a problem with making mistakes, and gets frustrated that it is not perfect the first time. so I've shared this with her to show her that it is all part of the learning. Thank you so much.
One of your first suggestions in your online sewing class wax to buy practice garments cheaply at thrift stores. You encouraged us to give ourselves room for mistakes. That was great advice! Sometimes I get into a supposedly simple refashion and realize I have no idea what I'm doing. But I only spend a dollar on a piece of clothing, so I give myself permission to dig in and mess up. I've learned a lot about garment construction that way! Thanks for the encouragement for us newbies!
Wax should be was. I need to edit with my glasses!
Aww I'm so thrilled to see your progress and excitment about it!! I think planning for mistakes makes how you feel about it very different! And don't worry, I had a typo in title until soneone pointed it out! See, we all make the same mistakes! 🤣😗
Thank you for your support!
I saw another video about making mistakes on sewing, but I dont remember the channel unfortunately but she said that before doing a new technique she will practice it in around 20 times so It can be done as polish a it could be !, I really liked that you addressed this topic in one video because we ofthen quick to quit due to those mistakes, never improve on something we might get really good at .
Thank you so much for this video! I am a self taught sewist and started drafting patterns right from the beginning. I am tall and have longer arms and torso and that really pushed me to learn to sew. I was disappointed to find that the first few purchased patterns I tried had similar fit problems. This motivated me to try making my own. I have to say, I have been really frustrated with the "process". Obviously, learning to sew and learning to draft patterns at the same time is a huge challenge. But, I couldn't see myself using patterns and making clothes that didn't fit well. Recently, I was commenting to my partner that maybe I should give up sewing because I still make so many errors. I do love making clothes and have had some real successes, mostly for the people in my family because they have an easier time fitting purchased patterns. It was such a relief to hear you talk about "product development "! I am working on a shirt pattern and I've made it four times and still have work to do to make it fit correctly. I was feeling like a failure because it wasn't working out. You've helped me think about this in such a different way now. I feel much more confident and less anxious about refining my pattern! Also, I work almost exclusively with knits, so there are times when mistakes are made that are extremely difficult to seam rip and often result in holes. I try to look at these mistakes as "opportunities for embellishments ". 😄 Thanks so much for your encouragement! I'm definitely going forward with a new understanding and feeling much more hopeful!
Aww I'm so glad you have been able to see your work through a different lens now! You're doing fantastic to still be working on perfecting the one pattern, a lot of people would just give up or move on and they will never get the pattern they wanted! You're doing it true fashion creator style! Especially as you said, learning both at the same time is very tricky! I think of those accidental holes or such as 'a design feature Im just working out right now!" xx
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am tall, self taught and drafting along the way too! Thoughout the process, I have kept my eye out for bed sheets made of t-shirt material at the thrift stores. They make great mock-ups for little money. Lets keep going and make some great tall clothes! Good luck to you on your journey!
Hi Evelyn! I love the way you approach things and I love your style.
I would like to remind everybody that failure is the mother of success.
There is no such thing as 'mistakes'. It's all part of the learning process.
Those white buttoned pants.....they just have me swooning. They're excellent motivation to improve my sewing skills so I can make something similar.
Thank you for the wonderful videos!!
I totally love this video.. ❤ I'm a quilter wanting to jump into costumes and cos-play. This has given me the confidence to give it a try.. I'm currently working to make a sloper and go from there. Wish me luck.. Your fan from Maui, Hawai'i.
THANK YOU for explaining the process of fashion industries and how many changes are made before the perfected product has been created. So many times I would give up on a project because it just didn’t fit or work out the way I wanted. And your honesty about your own experience brings me a lot of hope! I have designs that I would love to make for my baby girl and myself. Nows the time to face those “mistakes” and learn more!
Just keep practising, you'll get there for sure! x
Thank you, Ma'am, For teaching us and inspiring not to given up in our sewing journey.
Thank you for reminding me that it is a process. I can tell people everything I did wrong on a project, when what I should do is smile and thank them for the compliment. I know what In would change, but don't need to broadcast it.
Absolutely!!! No one notices thing snot of the time until you point them out!
Thanks Evelyn - inspiring is all!!!! Yes, we all make mistakes and learn from them. I shortened a blouse for myself and made it too short. I was from the thrift store, but it was a quality blouse worth a lot of money. I learned my lesson 😩
Adore this. I found this lovely 60s style fabric at an op shop. There was only a tiny amount. I was just learning to cut pattern pieces and I cut one side of the front the wrong way with the back of the fabric being the front facing side. I decided to encorparate the mistake but making the collar pieces from the back side of the fabric too. It turned out ok and made the mistake looked intentional so it just became a "style choice"
Not this is not a mistake... just a design feature you figured out on the fly! 🤣 Its wonderful!!
I was always told in all manner of art and craft that there are NO mistakes in any creative process--it is all part of the process, just as Evelyn said. It is all learning.
Another great video. We are our hardest critics. I need to work on being my best idea man rather than critic.
The title of the video it self is a motivational sentence, thank you
Great video. I need to stop procrastinating so much and just jump in, especially because I'm using mainly reclaimed materials. Make it and then make it again better.
Absolutely!!! "Its only fabric, not a bomb!!" wise words from another commenter's grandma in here!
Hi Evelyn
Yes this is what I have really enjoyed about your videos. It’s great to reinforce that refining fit, design and restyling are a stepwise process. Too often, with some other youtubers, we are left with the impression that the completed item was produced from an idea and then executed without change from that idea. Although I KNOW this is not at all likely to be true, it still makes me feel a bit like a doofus because I can only seem to do these things step by step.
It’s also great to reinforce that the clothes we buy in shops have been through many rounds of test garments. Often home sewers will make only 1 or 2 items from the same pattern.......and then be surprised that there are so many changes that have to be made to finesse the fit and finish. I constantly remind myself of this process that commercial designers go through in order to cut myself a bit of slack when a make seems to require SO MUCH fiddling with to make it work.
So. Thanks for your reality checks. Love your work
PS it’s great to hear an Australian accent too. I seem to have trouble finding local content. Not that it should matter.......but it sort of does (and not that local anyway ..... Melbourne girl here)
Needed this encouragement, I'm stuck in an ball gown project, thought I would finish yesterday, and realized that I'd done it a smidgeon to tight and broke my zipper. So feeling a little bummed out, but knowing it's just the zipper that's left is the light at the end of the tunnel for me now.
Evelyn, thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. I started sewing this year and could not find any good resources. You’re so inspiring, kind, and creative. Thank you again!
Awww thanks for watching!
Thank you. You teach us that to sew successfully, we need the attitude that sewing is an ever evolving learning process of creation an individual embarks on.🥰🤗💚 Thank you.
Very thoughtful and informative and now I am off to the notions section to buy some more seam rippers!
But I would like to add one observation of my own...when I am refurbishing a garment or constructing a new one from two, I notice I make fewer mistakes. I think that needing to engage my brain at the beginning of the project to figure out what needs to be done makes me maintain my focus more. So now when sewing from a pattern, I read through it thoroughly before starting and I try to visualize what is happening in each step. Less time with my unpickers I am finding.
Thank you! I feel like I have to be perfect and tend to freeze up and stop when my projects aren't perfect. Please keep making videos, I love them!
Thank you so much for this talk. I am definitely one of those people that put down everything I do. It's because I can see EVERY mistake I have made, even if no one else can. But, thanks to you, I have begun changing things I don't like on commercial patterns and sewing certain things my way as it gets a better result an easier way. It is thanks to you that I am trying more of my own style and adapting patterns (I'm not quite at the stage of drafting my own yet) to suit myself. I have saved every one of your how to series. Please keep them coming and thank you!
Aww Anne I can't tell you how much this makes me smile!! Thankyou! I'm so glad your getting the confidence to do things your way, to suit you! You'll be a great sewer for sure! As, no one will notice Thise 'mistakes' for sure xx
Mistakes can teach us our most important lessons. Even in sewing.
I learned how to sew from my mom was I was 12 yrs old. I remember her telling me with any project I was working on(Not just sewing)that everyone makes mistakes. You don't usually get the chance to "start over" so figure out how to pull off your "mistakes". Make it look like they were intentional. I have taught so many kids this.
This is great encouragement. Sometimes I make mistakes when sewing or trying something new and I can feel defeated, but then I remind myself of all my successes and I realized this is part of the process. So nice to hear you say it, to honor that we all make mistakes and it is part of the journey. At times, I can feel paralyzed by fear that I might ruin a nice piece of fabric or that maybe the task is too far beyond my skill level. It takes courage to push past this fear and jump in and just do it. Often I surprise myself when I see that I can do that which seemed to daunting. Even if I fail, I still learn in that process.
Yes!! Im so glad you don't let it stop you! ❤
I have started making samples/toiles with new patterns, using cheap fabric. I am also a fan of vintage styles and those garments tend to more structured so have to fit me just right. I don't have a dressmaker's form, so there's a lot of trying on and altering in the process. It is time consuming and I am sometimes tempted to give up, but so worth it when it works out in the more expensive fabric after many trials!
Exactly!!! You practice before a race!!
Thank you for this video. "Part of the process" is my new mantra.
Sewing, like any other skill, improves as you continue doing it. Problem solving is part of the process. Thanks for sharing your views.
You have made me see my mistakes and the process of garment making in a different light I always strive to get what ever I make to be perfect the first time and If it isn't I think it is not good enough but now you have changed my thought process so thank you
If you’re not “unsewing” you are not learning. I’ve seen items upside down. I learn.
Aha!!! ‘Product development’. Thank you so much. I feel so excited and encouraged. I have actually attempted drafting my own pattern of a jacket with collar and lapel, for the first time. (I had done with from a pattern and had to discard the front of it after making several mistakes). I am making 3 jackets , one by commercial pattern, 2 my own, and they are looking pretty good, even though I know they can be improved upon. Thank God, they are ‘wearable garments’ as Patrick Grant used to say, and people will have to ‘look close ‘ to see anything wrong. My mother and my aunt were seamstresses, I am tuning in to their DNA…
I haven't gotten to the point of designing or creating yet. I am still working on getting good fit from patterns, sometimes making small hacks. This video was still tremendously helpful and encouraging for me! Thank you so much!!!💜
Evelyn Wood love all your videos! I have been sewing for many years and still make mistakes and love learning new techniques. I do a lot of alterations for people and have learned some new techniques from you. Thank you for your dedication.
I love this channel and I just love your persona. I am new to sewing. Since the birth of my son about 4 months ago, I've been teaching myself through TH-cam and Pinterest. Your videos have given me the most useful info. And it's so entertaining. I will be sharing your channel with my fellow seamstresses in training. ;)
By the way, I totally sewed wrong sides together in a minkey blanket just before watching this. 🤦♀️
Oh, also because of you, I now know what salvage is and the bias. It was so cool to grab some cotton fabric that I've been using for my drool bibs and pull on that 45 degree angle. And my next one, guess what? I'm gonna mark my pattern with the grain lines and cut it out on the bias. Let's see what happens. Kind of excited now.
Aww I'm so glad I can be part of your sewing journey! Thank you for sharing!
I think that it is human to make mistakes. I am a teacher and we critically reflect on our work daily .I I therefore think that it makes sense that other professionals think about what they would do next time, and think about what worked and what they would like to change in the future.Thanks for sharing.
I make my own patterns for years now.
I'm just an amateur, selftaught, and yes, I had a lot of mistakes, or things that were not like I planned, or projects in which I found out while sewing that it won't work like I planned and I need a different approach.
Some things were a case for the bin. But the majority turned out "good enough" to be worn, and I get a lot of praise for the things that I sew, even if I still see the little misshaps.
The more I do these things, the less I have problems because experience prevents a lot. Starting out like this is not the easiest way, but it has a hell of a learning curve. Now I get confused when I buy patterns 😆
This view of things is very motivating!And when I make a mistake I say to myself thar sewing is not easy, it helps me stop feeling like a dummie
For now on,I will remeber your precious words.Thank you!
Yes!!! Don't give up, we all feel the same and we ALL make mistakes! 😙
Thank you so much for this video. I have recently taken the plunge to start selling my work and your videos have inspired me so much.
How fabulous!! Congratulations!! That is a big step and can be very scary! xx
Greetings from across the Pond. I wanted to stop and say that this was a very good video. I am anxiety ridden. I worked a sewing machine on an assembly line. I did a few different tasks in the line. When I broke into sewing recently as self crafting I ran into the designer block, fear about mistakes and then when I messed up a beloved outfit, it took me a moment to recoup myself. I am thankful you have offered your wisdom up. I will remember Apple o.o.1
I really like your distinction between learning experiences that are part of the creative process, and actual errors. :)
Love the message of this video. Mindset is so important to learning and developing. One of the downsides (?) of this platform is the necessity of editing gives an unrealistic perception of the time things take. The other point you didn't address in detail but I think is so important to remember is that beginner's can get disheartened when they compare their outcomes to that of an expert: "Don't compare your beginning to some else's middle".
Evelyn, I completely understand what you are saying. I have been there more than I care to talk about, lol. It happens in sewing and creating called trial and error. Just when you think you worked out all the kinks in the construction of a garment, design, the dress form and muslin, you find something that needs tweaking and ripping is my least favorite thing to do, lol. I have also been there when after I have sewn a garment and think about another way I could have done it and sometimes do it right away. But, yes, this is what happens in garment construction. As you said it is a part of the process. For all intents and purposes sewers are also doing product development.
Hi Evelyn, I know this is a old video however I have recently found you on TH-cam. I began taking is Sewing Class, for the first time in 20 years. Your encouragement and insights I truly appreciate it,I love your videos! I am learning so much from you. I’m so grateful for everything you share. I have recently subscribed to your channel and I look forward to learning more and more. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Anita from California
Thank you for this video Evelyn!
I've recently discovered your channel and I find your videos sooo helpful! I'm much more patient with my sewing recently and I really believe it's thanks to you. You emanate such kindness, empathy and understanding!
Aww I'm so glad to hear that!! Happy sewing!
Thanks for teaching that I need to be patient with myself and to keep at it till it's done! It's very encouraging!
Genuinely like this video style. While I am, by nature, a patient person, I listen for encouragement while I'm figuring out the next step.
Thank you.
Ms. Wood, this is an encouraging life style video. Thank you for walking me through this.
You're most welcome! thanks for watching!
Evelyn, this was a great video! We can be our own worst critics when it comes to home sewing. We set the bar too high for ourselves, and a less than perfect finished project is viewed as a failure. Thank you for keeping it real and admitting that mistakes are OK, despite your level of experience. Sew for the joy of the process; not just the outcome. It's a wonderful and creative way to spend your time. TFS.
You are so right! Sew for the joy of the process; not just the outcome - I love it! x
Love the idea of keeping a sewing journal. Thanks
This is a wonderful uplifting video that can be applied to learning any new skill, not just sewing.
We always want to strive to do our very best at things but some element of failure needs to be allowed for improvement to happen. Perfection mindset is the enemy.
Thank you so much for this video! I have not sewn garments since the early 1980's and really want to be successful at it. It has been a bumpy start, and frankly I was trolling TH-cam trying to find something to give me a reason to keep going. This video is exactly what I needed to see and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making it. I am off to try another iteration (instead of quitting, like I was thinking) with renewed excitement! :)
I just made the decision to sit down and figure out how to use my grandmother's sewing machine. I'm so proud of myself for starting this learning process and I kind of brag about how I made every single mistake I could possibly make but I kept going. No one is over my shoulder telling me how to do anything. I'm figuring it out myself. I threaded the top thread wrong in at least 2 places. I had not the slightest clue how the bottom bobbin worked or what a bobbin is. Once I finally figured out how a bobbin worked I realized mine was in clockwise instead of counter. I couldn't figure out why it was getting jammed and I couldn't even get a straight line...turns out that's what happens when you dont put your foot down. The important part is that I was able to figure out the problem and fix it.
Just starting out.... so making lots of mistakes🤪 I have been watching you trainings..... they are so helpful..... also taking an online course of yours...... you are a great seamstress and teacher and I thank you 🙏😊
Wonderful Michelle I'm happy you're finding the course helpful! Don't let the mistakes get to you, just keep going, and you'll be a great sewer! X
Thank you so much for your generosity, It is so easy to become discouraged. I constantly try to keep in mind that it is an ongoing education. Thank you again, I enjoy your tutorials immensely.
In any creative process mistakes will happen, the important thing is to learn from them. I'm not a competitive person, that makes it easier not to compare my work with other's, I am however extremely curious and love learning new skills, I look for mistakes in my own work and figure out how to do better next time. I also try not to be too perfectionist and take pride in what I've made because I did better than last time.
My dear mother was a magician with a needle and thread. She had me making my own clothes when I was 12...50 years ago 😳! She would always ask me, even with a rare 1st time successful make “what went well? What would you do differently?” And that was a great help. And you’re right...just last week I made an absolute rookie mistake that set me back days. No one else would notice...but I do. Thanks!
These are great questions ask!! I remember my college teacher asking 'do you think you could do better', and everytime I knew I could so I re did it! We all still have rookie mistske moments 😂 best to laugh at it I think!
Wonderful video Evelyn!!! This was such a comfort to know, even though everybody knows that the “pro’s” also make mistakes we seem to forget it all the time and we amateur sewers can be very hard on our selves when we make mistakes. This was such an encouraging video❤️Thank you sooo much for reminding us about this!
I'm glad you found it encouraging! It is hard to remember this when your neck deep!!
You have a great grasp on this. Creating is a process. Like you I see things I will change if I make something and it is not quite how I envisioned it in the old noggin on the next make. I dont usually drawing things out but create on the fly and love that freedom. Going from a flat drawing to a 3D object doesn't always work without some tweaking!
This is exactly right!!!
I had to learn this lesson the hard way! It ALWAYS pays to press on! Could you make a video about your sewing journal? That is one thing I don't have!
Thats a great idea!! 😘
You're such a lovely person. I know you are going through an extremely difficult time and hope you're fairing as well as possible. Mistakes are part of any learning process so I'm glad to see this video. I've made a ton and still in the beginning stages. I've learned from every mistake and it's usually the only way to learn for me. Lol seam ripping has helped me thoroughly. I am learning to make ruffles and it has been frustrating but each attempt makes it better. One day I know I'll ease through it and barely recall my struggles. Hehe
Lol I needed this video!!!!!! Sometimes I have an urge to chuck the machine- certainly needed your words today!!!!!!
Everyone gets that urge!!! 🤣🤣🤣
You are so Amazing! I hope you don't mind if I share this with my students ( and my mom). You explained such a difficult concept so eloquently, and so lovingly. So many people will gain so much understanding and confidence hearing your message. I hope that you keep using your platform to encourage the concept of the design process and growth mindset. This is so important!
A great video, and yes, most enjoyable too. I agree with what you say here. Not mistakes in that sense, but progress. Be encouraged you know what to do next time ! Thanks for sharing this.
Brilliant! I love the learning process...... You are so correct! Thanks for defining this.
I love yr positivity.......yes I fear I will not like the finished garment as it will not fit the way I would like it to 😂😅. However NOW if this happens I just say
1 . I gained sewing experience and tried different sewing skills and I learned from what I did wrong
2. If I do not want to wear it I give it to a Charity Shop !
3. Do not gloss on mistakes and ignore those people who say they sewed a perfect dress in two hrs ! We are all different the most important thing is that we keep trying 😋.
A very long time ago my sewing teacher at school said to us, this is how you use your machine to make a tack stitch, this is where we try to make all our mistakes, this is a stitch ripper, this is for when you get past the tacking stage and make a mistake, On those rare occasions when it all comes together first time I'm very suspicious, always thinking, what have I missed!
Would love to see a tutorial on those trousers, would they work with a wool mix? A light weight tweed maybe, it gets cold in the Lake district lol
So glad I found you, you make things so clear for me ❤
I love story! And yes the pants I made are tropical weight wool suiting!
Bravo Evelyn!!!!! Thank you for this video. I don't know how many times I wanted to give up. What an inspiring video. Keep up the good work.
Texas Great grandma, Glenda
Very in lightening.I always looked at sewing as a project to follow instructions and complete. My biggest issue has always been with fit.Since watching TH-cam I have learned alot.Could you do a video talking about fitting?
Loved this video! I get sooo aggravated with fitting! Usually I finish the garment and just donate to a thrift store and usually I don’t make it again😝, now I’m stuck because it seems like an unsurmountable effort. I will watch your video again😃
I loved this video Evelyn. It is really really helpful. I feel inspired again after a period of not being able to feel any inspired. I am a perfectionist and am hypercritical of my work. Which gets disheartening. I got so much from your wise words. I am thinking from what you said I need to chooses a pattern I like and work in a number of items in that pattern till I get it just comfortable to me. then do the same with another until I have a collection of patters I love. Thank goodness for thrift store material. Great for the first drafts.
Thank you again. I just haven’t been able to get any motivation for a few weeks now. You just said it’s ok. Not to be hard on ourself. ❤️👌🌹
You'll get there for sure! Don't force it! 😘😘
If at first you don't succeed try try again xxx good luck happy sewing
Yes!!!
Gosh, this speaks volume to me. So on time 😍
I've only just started to watch your wonderful videos I have been sewing since a teen but never felt my garments were quite good enough. But as you say with practise I have learned is To do things better for me. As I still feel I'm not good enough to make and sell. But you are truly inspirational I've never gotten into upcycling but now intend to try after all what is the worst that could happen ? Not to much to lose just another trip to charity shop. Keep them coming thank you. Irene . North of England UK
Not sure if this adds much but when I started trying to sew I was 13. Nothing I made for the first two years even came close to looking like actual clothes (as you would expect from a 13 year old who had no instructions and no experience). But after that it gradually started getting better and better. It's like I got fluent in what doesn't work. Of course things I make now don't always work but most of the time it comes out very nice. So don't get discouraged if something you make as a begginer is completely and utterly garbage
When you make something, you are the one who gets to decide if it is worth redo or changing or just not worry about that bit. (If it bugs you fix it later, but it may not bother you as much as you thought!) Happy accidents are waiting for you to make them and be surprised at how wonderful it all looks, but you have to keep going to even get to the happy accidents! I never viewed ripping (picking) out as a mistake, just a chance to do it differently. Maybe ripping (picking) thrift garment's helped, because I certainly picked up many homemade (or altered) garments at the thrift stores and learned how other people did things. I view cooking the same way. If it doesn't taste as good as I want, I can try adding this or that so that it tastes different. I rarely have to throw things away, but sometimes have needed to wait until the next day to truly fix a dish. Of course, my family often eats "one of a kind" dishes and it's a problem when they want it again!!! (Usually it is good enough, but no one really wants it repeated and I pick a different recipe.)
I learned growing up to laugh at your self and your OOPS! Because if it is fixable, fix it, learn from it and move on. It shows you are a thinking human! My most recent and quiet funny Boo boo is my truck seat covers! Well, the back looks great! I was smug about the test fit! It fit like a glove!
AND, I had put the seat pocket on the front!
Cool!! I ripped out about 4 yards of serious stitches put in by my Singer Class 16 Walking Foot Industrial, and it's not my first set of covers!!!!
All I could do was laugh!!! I got smug and cockey!! LOLOL!!!
My Mom taught me some basic stuff at age 7 because I destroyed my clothes wearing them. "If you are ripping them, you're fixing them". I did. Wasn't pretty but got better.
I laugh and I fix it. My heart is Happy because my hands and my head are working together!!
Aww I love this! I'm so glad your mum made you fix the rips in your clothes!! And sewing something on the wrong way it the funniest of all! ( though never at the time of course!)
Thank you! This was a confidence inspiring talk that I needed. :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Your welcome! xx
Thank you for this vid. I’m really new to sewing and it’s great to know my ‘boo boos’ are normal, expected and common. Definitely makes me feel better about my progress 😊.
I'm very glad! And calling it boo boo's makes it more fun laughable right!
I’m a new subscriber and this video really encouraged me! TFS! I love your style. I haven’t started making clothes but I have refashioned thrift finds. I get stuck on designs in my head and stop there. I hope to make something for myself from scratch one day.
I haven’t made hardly anything I actually like and wear.
One is an elastic waisted high/low circle skirt I got right but used an ugly sheet- I hate the pattern but it’s fit is perfect and I haven’t been able to replicate.
1 is another high/low circle skirt with pockets and a zip, but I’m heavier now and alas it’s too small.
And one is a nightgown I made my daughter. Totally just made it up. Had 2 pleats or tucks in the back and the heavy knit jersey flowed so well.
Can’t wait till I actually sew things I like!
THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR THIS VIDEO..
YOU TOTALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO CONTINUE MY SEWING..
IM ALWAYS HARD ON MYSELF WHEN. I MAKE MISTAKES..
YOU ARE AWESOME. AND I ASWELL LOVE THE THRIFT STORES VINTAGE CLOTHING
ANY WERE I CAN FIND ANYTHING
VINTAGE# TOTALLY.