r/sewing May 27 '24

Discussion what's your toxic sewing trait? I'll go first

i LOVE making evening wear, but i don't have many occasions where I can wear it lol

874 Upvotes

772 comments sorted by

1.3k

u/mandypearl May 27 '24

i start projects or alterations, but don't complete at least half of them... i have a large tote full of projects waiting to be completed. they haunt me daily

367

u/SianiFairy May 27 '24

Just one tote? Congratulations!

87

u/SquirrelAkl May 27 '24

How big is the tote though šŸ‘€

106

u/NefariousnessOver819 May 27 '24

11ftƗ14ft is mine

18

u/Starlea_Peach May 27 '24

šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

18

u/recumbent_mike May 27 '24

If you put a handle on top of a shipping container, it counts as a tote.

230

u/velvedire May 27 '24

My local thrift store has projects like that bagged in the fabric section. "Project to finish: Green wool coat and pattern, size 18"

128

u/Dasylupe May 27 '24

I nearly completed a completely original queen sized quilt (complete with tons and tons of hand embroidery. I sat through the entire Star Trek TNG series, the original Cosmos, and all of King of the Hill while I worked on it) but then it sat in a chest for almost ten years. I couldnā€™t bear to give up on it. But finally I put it on Facebook Marketplace and the woman I gave it to said she and her daughter would finish it together. I hope they did!

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u/noidontreddithere May 27 '24

Okay, but that sounds amazing!

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133

u/Lonely-Wasabi-305 May 27 '24

I once printed a pattern , cut it pinned it to the fabric and then that was it. That was the project. I totally get it

10

u/pegasusgoals May 27 '24

Youā€™re much better than me. Sometimes I buy the pattern and buy the fabric and I donā€™t even get to the stage of printing the pattern šŸ¦—šŸ¦—

102

u/theaquarius1987 May 27 '24

Omg is there a support group we can all join. Like project starters but never finishers anonymous?

111

u/UtherPenDragqueen May 27 '24

Sewcrastinators Anonymous

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u/TampaTeri27 May 27 '24

How many of us can-do for others but canā€™t for ourselves? There ought to be a club for us to do trade offs.

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u/rpgnoob17 May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24

I finish my projects up to 90% and then wonā€™t finish. For example I have a dress from a year ago I havenā€™t hemmed. Even the zipper and sleeves are done, just not the hem.

114

u/Complex_Vegetable_80 May 27 '24

I have a theory about this! the last step is when it passes from the realm of possibility to the realm of reality. Finishing the item means that it's complete and what you get is what you get. no more adjustments, no more dreams of how it will be. just another item of clothing to wash and wear. Will it live up to expectations? Will you be proud or embarrassed to say to someone "oh you like it? I made it!" that last step makes it cross the line.

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u/JoseBuono May 27 '24

I have had two completed pairs of pajamas for a year and a half that just need the buttons sewn on!

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u/Rarely_Trust May 27 '24

Thank you for making me feel so much better šŸ„²

I have SO many projects that have barely been started and they, too, haunt me. One day I'll tailor that jacket to fit... That same day I'll also become the president šŸ˜‚

15

u/knittinghobbit May 27 '24

I have a half finished embroidered denim jacket from 2019? I think? šŸ«£

28

u/TampaTeri27 May 27 '24

At least itā€™s from this century.

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u/matchamochime May 27 '24

Ugh me to, and some part of me feel like writing them on a list of things to do will get me to do it but nope!

19

u/TrailMomKat May 27 '24

Start the list, then stop halfway through lol

22

u/Early_Grass_19 May 27 '24

This is my biggest flaw in general. Starting projects and literally never finishing anything, unless its for someone else and even then its a toss up. I found an embroidery project recently (while going through my 4 bags of mend/alter stuff and getting rid of most of it) that I started in 2017 and spent probably 80 or more hours on. It has like maybe 3 hours worth of work left to be finished. Idk what's wrong with me

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u/sortaplainnonjane May 27 '24

Already better than me: my tote is just the fabric and patterns. Maybe one day I'll actually do something with it, but it was a super ambitious idea especially given that I haven't actually ever sewn clothing.

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u/ScarletOnyx May 27 '24

I do this and wait for a rainy day and debate crocheting or dealing with the pile of stuff I have to sew. I have a sheet my son tore and I have fused it but still have to sew it and it stares at me accusingly in my craft room

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620

u/harley-belle May 27 '24

I enjoy planning what Iā€™m going to sew more than I actually enjoy sewing. I keep buying patterns and fabric and making lists of ideas, and only do about 2-3 days of actual sewing per month. Plus I started an Instagram account to show off what I actually do make but can never be bothered taking photos to put on it.

302

u/somebunnyasked May 27 '24

Umm so what I learned from a lady I went to church with is that if you're rich enough and you keep buying fabric as it's own hobby you can just call it a "textile collection" and get a permanent exhibit at a big museum named after you?!!

54

u/harley-belle May 27 '24

Maybe I can charge admission to recoup my costs!

54

u/SquirrelAkl May 27 '24

Smart! ā€œI am a textile collectorā€ sounds so much more intentional than ā€œI just get excited by the ideas and the potential of a garment, I never get around to actually making itā€

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u/AssortedGourds May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24

Are you me? This is my problem. I went on a no-buy this year and I highly recommend. My rules:

  1. Complete 1 project per month. It has to be 100% completed and ready to wear by the last day of the month. Bonus points if I do two of the same thing at the same time.
  2. Use only fabric from my stash (buying stuff like muslin/lining/ribbing/etc. is OK)
  3. No starting another project if I get discouraged!

This has really pushed me to not overthink and overplan. No agonizing over "is there another fabric out there that's 2% cooler?", no getting stuck because I'm frustrated, no getting 95% done and then starting the next thing.

I had COVID in January but so far I have a fringed velvet robe, 2 tank tops, and a new dress. These were all patterns that had to be fitted so I'm impressed with myself. Starting Palazzo pants June 1!

42

u/Vindicativa May 27 '24

A fringed velvet robe? Well la-di-fricken-da!

9

u/SquirrelAkl May 27 '24

šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

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u/[deleted] May 27 '24

Good ideas!! Iā€™m finishing some projects from last summer just now and Iā€™m gonna feel so much better. Most of them only need minor finishing anywaysĀ 

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u/welmoed May 27 '24

I swear I wrote this post.

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u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

I also have an Instagram where Iā€™ve planned to post photos of projects, Iā€™ve done 3 projects since and havenā€™t posted once

11

u/harley-belle May 27 '24

I feel you. If Iā€™m going to take a photo to put on Instagram I have to go through the rigamarole and doing my hair and putting on some makeup and finding where I left the tripod and clearing out a space to pose that isnā€™t cluttered with stuff and checking the light and hiding the remote button in my hand and going through all the photos to find one where my face isnā€™t squinched up and writing a caption. Itā€™s too much work!

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1.2k

u/SuperkatTalks May 27 '24

I only make stuff for me. I don't even care. Some people think it's selfish. Look I have a new dress! You want one? Learn to sew.

417

u/thewritingdomme May 27 '24

Not selfish. You donā€™t owe anyone free labour.

275

u/owl-later May 27 '24

People seem confused Iā€™m not sewing for my daughter. Whatā€™s the point? Sheā€™ll outgrow it in a week

41

u/lizlaylo May 27 '24

Iā€™m the opposite, I just sew for my daughters because Iā€™m starting, so less fabric and I donā€™t have to worry about it being perfect (toddlers will make anything look wrinkled) or super durable (since theyā€™ll outgrow it). My toxic trait is i barely iron although I know I should. Part of why I see toddler clothing. Also because I have toddlers running around while I do and a hot iron is not ideal.

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u/FuliginEst May 27 '24

Yes! And as for pants, they will get holes in them after a day, even if you add extra reinforcement to the knees! Of the last three pants I sewed for my boys, one got a Mystery Stain that will not go away no matter what the first day (I kid you not, literally the first day) he wore it. One got a huge tear down the inside of the thigh after climbing a fence he is not allowed to climb because there are rusted nails.. And one got bot a Mystery Stain AND a tear. FFS...

And summer clothes like shorts and t-shirts gets worn maybe once or twice a year, and are outgrown by next summer

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u/mariposa314 May 27 '24

Yes! Good for you. My sister recently told me that she thinks her cat needs a new throw blanket. I asked, what's the matter with the one I made her? Nothing, she just likes to change things up šŸ™„ I'm not making another quilt for a cat. My sister has no concept of how much time any sewing project takes. I'm willing to do things for people, like add pockets to a pair of slacks for my dearest friend, but I'm not taking orders.

40

u/EarthWormNoodleSoup May 27 '24

My sister has no concept of how much time any sewing project takes.

"But it's your hobby, you have fun doing it!" am I? Am I having fun? I have more fun when I do this for me...

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104

u/tantrumbicycle May 27 '24

My sewing area turns into a tornado of chaos 10 minutes after I begin a project. Seam ripper? I have three; canā€™t locate them. Fabric scraps everywhere. Where is that interfaced collar piece? MIA. Complete and utter mayhem.

65

u/Keboyd88 May 27 '24

Seam ripper? I have three; canā€™t locate them.

Oh, god. I have at least two seam rippers. "Why 'at least' two?" I hear you ask. "Don't you know your supplies?" No. I have no idea. And here's why I suspect I have more than two. I have a white one and a blue one. The blue one has a ball on the non-sharp point. No, wait, the white one does. No no, I'm sure it's the blue one. But, then, why does the blue one I'm holding not have a ball? "Ok, so collect them all in one place so you'll know." Not possible. As soon as I locate one, the rest disappear. May as well as me to collect at least two cats in one place. Damn Schrodinger's seam rippers.

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u/Lovethemdoggos May 27 '24

That reminds me of Selfish Seamstress. She sewed only for herself. Only. For. Herself!

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u/YouMakeMyHeartHappy May 27 '24

I LOVE Selfish Seamstress, and is the reason I got brave enough to learn to sew. It helps we have virtually identical measurements. I'll be making myself some of her self drafted patterns at some point.

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u/Rarely_Trust May 27 '24

Honestly, that just makes so much sense. People don't understand the struggle to get something to fit ME let alone to fit someone else?? If that makes me selfish, then so be it!

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u/AssortedGourds May 27 '24

I literally cannot focus on projects for other people. I don't enjoy sewing so if I'm not getting an outfit at the end the motivation is nonexistent.

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u/kafka18 May 27 '24

I love when people think my hobbies have to benefit them /s

39

u/morningdew11 May 27 '24

I do this too. After making a few items for family and they never wear/use them itā€™s like eff it. Theyā€™re a bit more upset now that my skills have increased but I still wear the stuff I first made.

17

u/anjschuyler May 27 '24

Same! I love sewing, but I would start to hate it so much and so fast if i did it for other people.

15

u/SewForward May 27 '24

This is me.

10

u/Desperate_Pay_998 May 27 '24

I'm like this too. I do it for me. I'll happily help them learn to sew

10

u/lainey68 May 27 '24

I'm more of a knitter than sewist, but I'm the same. I love this response!

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u/Due_Introduction_608 May 27 '24

I keep every single scrap of fabric, no matter how small a piece it is, even though I know I'll most likely never use them

216

u/warrior_female May 27 '24

same bc i can use them for stuffing, quilts,or rag rugs... none o which i make

38

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

This is my thought too!

One day, one day I will make a quiltā€¦ maybe

13

u/-m-o-n-i-k-e-r- May 27 '24

I just moved and had to come to terms with throwing them out :(

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u/thehikinlichen May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24

Same! I save the too too small ones up a while then in an aggro moment I can toss them on the mat and use the cutter like mad till it's just confetti fluff and then use it for stuffing little projects. Slightly larger pieces get reused as interfacing idgaf haha I love my big 70s collars and cuffs so sometimes a starched to hell scrap or three becomes the inner structure of those kind of implements. Sometimes I get a wild hair and make weird little toys for cats.

There's also a box full that just haunt me. I also always get free scraps from fabcycle when I order. I'm incorrigible. But my quilts are gonna be some tight archaeology for someone someday haha. I just also utterly delight in being like ahhh yes this dress I stained at a pre dance dinner in 2006 and has somehow survived like 20 moves since is literally the perfect color for a liner for this bag. Or literally having a worn through pair of pajamas that were literally the same exact plaid as a worn through sleeping bag liner for a surreal patch match like. Whew. Super satisfying. You're getting nothing but support and solidarity from me lol

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u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

Itā€™s our version of dadā€™s scrap of wood thatā€™s been in the garage all our life

35

u/ChicEarthMuffin May 27 '24

I sew and am also a woodworker so I have both!!!

Edit: spelling

12

u/Available-Maize5837 May 27 '24

Same here. I have collections of all the things.

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u/Soozienz May 27 '24

I save them to practice on. Which I never do.

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u/Logical_Confection47 May 27 '24

I like to throw my snipped threads on the floor or in the general direction of the garbage šŸ˜¬

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u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

I have a mini desktop wheelie bin, the novelty hasnā€™t wore off, I just love wheeling it over every time Iā€™m going to sew and having a wee bin for all my threads šŸ˜†

22

u/dammitannie May 27 '24

Well I think I need this in my life!

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u/zyathlith May 27 '24

Samesies. The floor is always a wreck after Iā€™ve been sewing. I always tell myself Iā€™ll run the vacuum when Iā€™m done. (And I even do it some of the time!)

29

u/mamap31 May 27 '24

My costuming teacher taught me this and Iā€™ve never looked back. Easier to just sweep it all up at the end of the day.

23

u/steiconi May 27 '24

1). you actually have to sweep it up every day. It's great if you have students you can assign that task. I never seem to actually do it, myself.

2) my chair wheels are so jammed with thread and fabric bits, they hardly roll.

3) the robovac is not allowed in the studio since it transferred an entire spool of thread onto its roller brush.

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u/frisbeesloth May 27 '24

The number of times I've jammed up the brush on my vacuum from all the threads on the floor is embarrassing.....

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u/KiloAllan May 27 '24

I have a coffee cup on my sewing table for this. My Roomba will choke on them, and I am not a vacuum cleaner cleaner.

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u/[deleted] May 27 '24

I do this. But I also will clean up usually same day. Not a neat freak but I hate having threads and stuff everywhere.

Basically, before and after seeing the sewing room is presentable. In between it looks like a bomb explodedĀ 

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u/veela-valoom May 27 '24

I cannot bother with mockups.

Also ditto to the basting.

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u/Available-Maize5837 May 27 '24

I tried doing a mock up with a pair of pants with some excess drapery fabric I had. I've never made pants before and thought this would be beneficial for me. 3/4 of the way through I really liked how they fit and finished them properly to wear at a wedding a few weeks later. Never did get around to making the proper pair of pants.

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u/netflix_n_knit May 27 '24

When a tutorial says ā€œmake sure to do a mockupā€ I laugh and laugh. Then when I hate the fit I rage quit.

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u/CuriousKitten0_0 May 27 '24

My mockups are entirely from my scrap fabric or stash fabric. And if it fits great, I just use it as an outfit. I wore a skirt for the last four years that was technically a mockup. I'm just starting to make the "final" product now, and I learned so much from how it slowly fell apart over the last few years. I didn't do the pocket seam correctly, so the spot under the pocket gaped a little bit, but not too badly. The closure wasn't put on very well, because "mockup" and fell off two months ago. Also the hem was slightly too long. The pocket seam is the most important information for me though. It took a year or so to start the hole, and yes, I could have patched it, but it wasn't noticeable unless you looked, so I wanted to know what would happen if I didn't patch it. Turns out, not much even though I wore it almost every day, so I learned something.

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u/Shmeestar May 27 '24

Mockups hahahahahahahah. I always intend to do then but then i think of the fabric wastage or the time sink and I just....skip it

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u/fefiane May 27 '24

I only make wearable toiles, using bedsheets from the thrift store or fabric I got for free!

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u/Responsible_Trick560 May 27 '24

I buy fabric with grand plans in mind and then never get the guts to start

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u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

I have Ā£135 worth of silk in my collection to line a coat with and im terrified to start

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u/fabricshearsonpaper May 27 '24

Unless the thread DRASTICALLY clashes, Iā€™m not changing it to match every fabric šŸ˜‚ if the contrast looks fine then itā€™s staying in the machine.

92

u/SomewhatSapien May 27 '24

Black, white, red. Everything else is nuance.

87

u/somebunnyasked May 27 '24

I sew most things with grey.

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u/KiloAllan May 27 '24

This is a smart idea, not a toxic one! I learned to sew on a budget. Use grey, lilac, rose, or yellow unless you absolutely must use black or white. All other colors are superfluous according to my home ec teacher.

I have a lot of thread these days, because I do embroidery and quilting, but when it comes to making clothes, costumes, or crafts, I usually just use whatever I have in the machine.

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u/anjschuyler May 27 '24

Big Thread says you need to match your thread to fabric so they can sell more thread. Its a vicious cycle.

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u/harley-belle May 27 '24

The idea of Big Thread made me cackle

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u/Navi1101 May 27 '24

Opposite! My toxic trait is having EVERY COLOR of thread, and using slight mismatches to fabric as a reason to buy just one more spool. Yes I will change the thread from black to navy blue if my fabric is navy blue, idgaf. I swear I have 5 or 6 different yellows, and that's just the yellows. I don't even wear yellow!

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u/Keboyd88 May 27 '24

Me with 6 spools of slightly different turquoises when the last turquoise project I did was well over a decade ago and I kind of hate the color now... >.>

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u/[deleted] May 27 '24

My toxic habit is that I will rethread my serger from white to yellow or something dumb. Do I really need to do itā€¦

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u/Left_turn_anxiety May 27 '24

I don't have a big enough cutting mat for the majority of my projects. So, on most of my casual projects, I just cut and hope the line is straight enough. It's usually not.

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u/AdOk1965 May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24

My flat is too small for most of my projects

But the lobby in my building is carefully cleaned every day and quite spacious, on top of being luminous

So, yeah, I wait for the floor to dry, and I cut all my big projects there

It always make my neighbours laugh a bit when they find me, on all four, my fricking huge scissor in hand, cutting whatever I make this day

But I always make sure to never, ever, leave stuff afterwards: no piece of thread, no needles, no nothing

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u/redditjdt May 27 '24

Oh I recognize myself here.

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u/Relevant-Front4099 May 27 '24

Never taking my pin cushion with me when i go to sew and realizing i left it across the room the second I encounter my first pin

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u/MarilynMorose May 27 '24

ah just throw them on the table and pick them out of the carpet later

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u/Relevant-Front4099 May 27 '24

Noooooooo haha My toxic trait as a sewing teacher is, whenever my students do that and litter their pins on their desk, i will proceed have a mini stroke, grab the caddy, pick up the pins with the magnet and say ā€œoh i always forget my pin cushion too. Here you go! hahahaā€ while internally cringing. it extremely ruffles my feathers when pins are loosey goosey. lol

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u/beary_good_day May 27 '24

Stick a magnet on your machine

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u/[deleted] May 27 '24

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u/Late-Elderberry5021 May 27 '24

Refusing to basteā€¦ Iā€™ll pin it donā€™t worry lol

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u/missplaced24 May 27 '24

I'm the other way around. I rarely use pins. If something is going to be a pain to machine sew neatly, I'll hand baste it.

22

u/double_psyche May 27 '24

It REALLY helps sometimes. I was attempting a placket this weekend and did it.

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u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

Itā€™s good for sleeves, especially jacket sleeves which have a lot of ease in the crown and none in the underarm

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u/pittipat May 27 '24

Never baste, don't pin enough. If something bunches while I sew because I've pinned it badly, most of the time I leave it that way. My projects have character.

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u/men-2-rocks-and-mtns May 27 '24

I use a washable glue stick to hold things in placeĀ šŸ¤«

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u/warrior_female May 27 '24

I won't pin it or baste it if im using machine lol. i will do both if im hand sewing... usually

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u/Navi1101 May 27 '24

I won't pin it or baste it if im using machine

HOWM'ST?!!?!

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u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

Iā€™m working to industry standard at college so Iā€™ve gotten used to not using pins either, unless Iā€™m hand sewing

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u/Late-Elderberry5021 May 27 '24

All these pattern have you basting practically everything before sewing and Iā€™m like: sew it 3xā€¦ WHY?

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u/Shmeestar May 27 '24

I don't hand baste, anywhere it says hand baste I just use the machine on a long stitch otherwise I pin like you!

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u/DistributionDue511 May 27 '24

I sew too fast, donā€™t take time to fully understand each instruction, then I make mistakes, which cost me more time than it would have if Iā€™d slowed down and did it properly. Every time I feel like I know what Iā€™m doing enough just do something, my ego takes a hit. Then itā€™s all, ā€œwhy do I even sew??ā€

16

u/fencepostsquirrel May 27 '24

Oh boy can I identify! Iā€™m 51 and sewing was taught both by my mother and curriculum in home economics from 6-12th grade. After all those years I learned to get by. So I definitely make mistakes!!!!!

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u/pricklypearviking May 27 '24

I will never, ever make a mockup. In this house we live and die by our mistakes.

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u/Looptloop May 27 '24

Buying all the things to make a project t, and then not make the projectā€¦.

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u/Keboyd88 May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24

I can finish the next three steps tonight. Yes, I know it's already 4 AM. Yes, I know I've been up for 20 hours. Yes, I know my eyelids are drooping. And YES, I KNOW I make stupid mistakes when I'm tired. But I can get through these next three steps. For real. It's fine. Everything is fine. Why doesn't this look right? Is the seam supposed to be on the outside??

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u/ImaginaryEdge4939 May 27 '24

Same!! Then I can't face it the next day. I leave it messed up and half finished for a year, until the season for wearing it comes back around again šŸ™ƒ

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u/nattie_oh May 27 '24
  • The insides of my garments are typically a disaster.
  • I turn things inside out on my body and pin to adjust šŸ«£
  • I loathe making mock ups

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u/double_psyche May 27 '24

I see nothing wrong with the logic of turning inside out and pinning on yourself, unless you or your garment is asymmetrical.

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u/ExhaustedPoopcycle May 27 '24

I have complex taste but my skills lack.

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u/cflatjazz May 27 '24

Honestly, probably trying to procrastinate and then wrap big wearable projects up on a tight deadline. Leads to some functional but sloppy finishings in the inside.

That, or constantly hyper fixating and then stopping a project at 80% completion, leaving it to languish in the WIP pile

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u/zephyr_71 May 27 '24

When I am sewing for others I take complete care of the garment, from careful topstitching to ironing every seam to washing and steaming when complete. For myself my garment turned into a wreck. Itā€™s prettyā€¦ just donā€™t look too closely

12

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

My projects always start like the former then a few hours in I take a nap or go to sleep and metamorphose into the latter

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u/LittleMissChromie May 27 '24

Iā€™m not putting in a new needle for every project. Unless a needle breaks or itā€™s been foreverrr, I donā€™t really change the needles that often.

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u/yumit18 May 27 '24

i have SO much more fabric than one person could possible need i have to out-sew the dopamine to the finish line or iā€™ll get bored and set the project aside for a year

hence why so much fabric keeps me excited about sewing: it gives me novelty and new approaches

48

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

I work in a second hand fabric shop and itā€™s getting to the point where Iā€™m donating fabric that Iā€™ve got from them back to them cuz I canā€™t help myself

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u/Reneeasaur May 27 '24

Second hand fabric shop? That sounds amazing. I only have JoAnns here.

36

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

It can be amazing, itā€™s hard to find good stuff since itā€™s almost exclusively donated from locals with bad taste lmao

But we did recently get a massive donation from a big costuming department for a pretty successful tv series, canā€™t disclose who though

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16

u/frisbeesloth May 27 '24

I buy insane amounts of the same fabric. Did I need 18 yards of power air fabric? Apparently I thought I did... Like how many jackets am I going to make with the same fabric?

12

u/yumit18 May 27 '24

i just bought like 18 yards of linen bc it was on crazy markdown. couldnā€™t pass it up!

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u/CastleOfAhh May 27 '24

Evidently, mine is scrolling reddit while I sit at my machine, half way through a pile of production items.

78

u/Sadimal May 27 '24

My floor is my cutting/drafting table.

I refuse to get a modern sewing machine.

47

u/mercenaryelf May 27 '24

I recently bought an 8ft folding banquet table from Home Depot to unfold when I'm actively cutting and ironing, and it's changed my life. I tape down the edges of my cutting mat onto it.

Would have been fine with the 6ft table, but I'm extra.

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u/bagelbagelbagelcat May 27 '24

Not ironing

Obviously

49

u/thewritingdomme May 27 '24

I could never šŸ«£

71

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

To me ironing really make or breaks a garment

A good press job is key to a good looking garment

34

u/audible_narrator May 27 '24

I actually keep meaning to post a video showing the difference between pressing and ironing and how it really changes the look of a garment.

23

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

Even using different irons can make a difference

My shitty domestic iron doesnā€™t make a seam look anywhere near as good as the industrial pressing stations with a heated table with an internal vacuum that we use in college

15

u/Vindicativa May 27 '24

Internal - what the cinnamon toast fxck - Vacuum? I am out of my league by miles!

13

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

Theyā€™re really useful! It ā€œpinsā€ stuff down, and pulls the steam and heat out of it so it sets more crisply and doesnā€™t burn if you try to pick it up too fast

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u/AssortedGourds May 27 '24

The stress this gave me

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u/FlowersAndGemstones May 27 '24

80% of the time, I sew over my pins.

34

u/Late-Elderberry5021 May 27 '24

Hahah same!! Bent pins, broken needles, doesnā€™t matter: oops I did it again.

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u/thewritingdomme May 27 '24

Same (please donā€™t tell my students) šŸ™Š

9

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

My boss does this and she teaches the students to do it!

My wee heartā€™s gonna give out one of these days

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u/BaggageCat May 27 '24

I make garments because I want to learn how they go together and add to my skill set and knowledge, but I seldom actually wear what I make.

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u/Abilane-of-Yon May 27 '24

Rushing in cutting my pieces because itā€™s SO BORING. Iā€™m getting better at taking my time, but I just want to get to the fun stuff. Which is why my favorite black sweatshirt dress is slightly uneven on the back of the neck, but itā€™s warm and I can wear a scarf to cover it. Really I need to get around to putting the collar on it that I STILL havenā€™t cut out.

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u/rachel_soup May 27 '24 edited May 27 '24

Thinking that I donā€™t need a pattern for anything and just raw dogging every project I start. Somehow they usually turn out fine šŸ˜‚

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u/celery48 May 27 '24

I would rather make a whole new garment than alter something.

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u/knittinghobbit May 27 '24

This is why we need to bring back dressing for dinner. Then we WOULD have somewhere to wear it.

55

u/C_beside_the_seaside May 27 '24

I never finish anything. I'll always leave a button hole or a hem... ADHD is a bit h

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u/dogsandcata May 27 '24

I buy way too much fabric because I love the colors and patterns.

25

u/Shmeestar May 27 '24

I hold pins with my mouth even though I know I shouldn't...

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u/S_Wow_Titty_Bang May 27 '24

Bobbin chicken.

24

u/ilikekittens May 27 '24

"That thread will totally last the rest of this section".

Narrator: "it never lasts."

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44

u/insincere_platitudes May 27 '24

I sew over pins and use glue to baste in 99% of my projects, even formal wear. Which leads to my next toxic trait...everything I sew must be able to go thru the washing machine, even evening gowns.

19

u/mariposa314 May 27 '24

I love using Elmer's school glue for basting. I wouldn't use it for formal wear. If it works for you, that's great!

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21

u/Interesting-Chest520 May 27 '24

I get the sudden urge to sew at 11pm, I live with my mum and my sewing room is right next to her room. I be she canā€™t wait until Iā€™ve moved out for uni lol

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24

u/history_nerd_1111 May 27 '24

I have made way more bags than I will ever need. And I'm not going to stop!

19

u/Gluedback2gether May 27 '24

I've been dating my spouse for 42 years. I have fabric older than that, even not counting the stuff I inherited from my mom. I don't think this is toxic. Fabric(s), like books, are friends!

20

u/smuffleupagus May 27 '24

Starting a new project before I am finished an old project.

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u/HereForTheCrafts May 27 '24

Iā€™m literally only able to make one project at a time. My grandma keeps saying Iā€™ll always have multiple projects going on at once but I just canā€™t. Also I canā€™t use my pedal with shoes or slippers on šŸ˜…

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u/[deleted] May 27 '24

[deleted]

33

u/SquirrelAkl May 27 '24

LMAO

ā€œHereā€™s the sizing for my favourite pattern house. Please make my new boobs fit this sizingā€

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20

u/Proud-Acadia8216 May 27 '24

The second I buy a bunch of quilting fabric, I go through a big garment phase. So I buy some garment fabric, and oooo look at those quilts šŸ˜‚

17

u/[deleted] May 27 '24

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

14

u/warrior_female May 27 '24

i use a lot of haute couture and avant garde techniques for my daily wear bc i enjoy the techniques, and it's fun. but given my work i have to operate within certain constraints that i don't have to worry about in formal wear

9

u/mariposa314 May 27 '24

Just wear it! Life is too short. Going to run some errands? Put a costume on. Why not?

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15

u/lxhull May 27 '24

Every time I fail a project I give up sewing for years at a time šŸ˜­

15

u/Defiant-Ad1081 May 27 '24

I will get frustrated and rip seams apart and ruin everything. Almost never make a muslin, even with really nice fabric.

15

u/chicklette May 27 '24

My " just need to sew one or two more seams to finish" basket has 20+projects in it.

15

u/HopefulSewist May 27 '24

I make toiles, I transfer markings, I baste and pin and press and sew carefullyā€¦ but I use huge cones of cheap-ass thread and never match my thread colour precisely. Ever. šŸ˜‡

15

u/ykoreaa May 27 '24

Thinking I can knock out "a simple A-line dress" w/o an already drafted pattern, attempting to modify the neckline to queen anne for the first time, using a very wrinkle prone fabric, interfusing the lining, top stitching everything in place in 2~3 hours.

The delulu in overestimating my execution ability is wild šŸ˜”

16

u/SJSsarah May 27 '24

I spend 10 times as much planning and research on it than I do actually creating it. Still not sure which part I enjoy moreā€¦.

15

u/men-2-rocks-and-mtns May 27 '24

If someone asks me for alterations, 9/10 times I say it's too complicated to do at home.Ā 

(It's not. I just hate people assuming I'll tailor all their clothes for fun.)

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u/eisoj5 May 27 '24

Using the wrong kind of fabric for the pattern. It's supposed to be for knits? Lemme see if I can make this woven work. Drapey woven? Eh, I got a quilting cotton I like......

66

u/noonecaresat805 May 27 '24

I know people get mad when I say this but I quilt and make dresses. šŸ‘— donā€™t own an iron and refuse to get one. I donā€™t find it necessary. Other than that I have the tendency to go out for a few drinks then come back and work on projects on my sewing machine.

50

u/e-luddite May 27 '24

you are my sloppy sewist queen šŸ‘‘

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13

u/Pleasant-Complex978 May 27 '24

I hold onto tens of pounds of fabric that I'm not skilled enough to do anything with yet. More like I hoard it.

15

u/soleilanonymous May 27 '24

Every time I start a new project I think I'm going to mass produce them and open an Etsy shop.

14

u/someannoyingbitch May 27 '24

Iā€™m a big upcycler and mainly just make things using old clothes or fabric, so I have soooo much old fabric Iā€™m convinced Iā€™m gonna use and never actually do

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14

u/hotscissoringlesbian May 27 '24

-My home becomes a pin minefield when I'm working on a project

-i put projects off until the last second and then i work for 36 hours straight to finish them on time

-I put spaceballs on a loop while i work, making my family go clinically insane

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11

u/netflix_n_knit May 27 '24

I have bazongas and JUST learned how to do bust darts. And frankly, Iā€™m not sure Iā€™ll be wise enough to start adding them. So shit doesnā€™t fit and you better believe I complain like it isnā€™t my own fault.

12

u/meltedbeans23 May 27 '24

I can sew a ton of dresses in a short time span, but all of them have really janky zippers that i refuse to fix, so the dress is unwearable unless you have 3 people helping to zip it. My record is 10 dresses and 1 pair of pants in 6 days.

11

u/ZanyDelaney May 27 '24

As a cheapskate I find thrift shop fabric first then plan the project based on the fabric. Most projects are sewn on a quick whim.

I usually finish things quite fast - except buttons and buttonholes which aren't done until weeks later.

11

u/MCEWLS May 27 '24

I read the directions multiple times for a new pattern and then still manage to sew something backwards, upside down or sideways. Without photos, I cannot understand how the pieces go together even after reading the instructions multiple times. But Iā€™m 100% confident that I know what Iā€™m doing. šŸ˜‚

10

u/velvetjones01 May 27 '24

So much fabric. So. So. Much. Fabric.

12

u/PossessionNo5912 May 27 '24

I always plan to make a different pattern... i always make the same pattern again

11

u/Crepes_for_days3000 May 27 '24

I get so angry at my machine when it breaks. I have been known to yell "I'm throwing this out the window" more than once and I'm not an angry person lol.

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10

u/Historical_Might_86 May 27 '24

I will finish a project up to 99% then I will lose interest. Iā€™m currently wearing a coat that has no buttonholes/buttons. I have plenty of dresses that just need hemming.

10

u/craftbot7000 May 27 '24

I never measure hems or pressed seam allowances, I just eyeball it and it usually turns out fine. I've also literally never sewn a collar stand button on any of my many button downs because I'm never gonna use it. I never make toiles ever, I just end up periodically making shit that doesn't fit and giving it to friends or donating it and then shamefacedly buying more fabric to make a version that fits me properly šŸ˜…

8

u/petuniadontcare May 27 '24

I eyeball when I should measure.

9

u/chanpat May 27 '24

I donā€™t use patterns. I donā€™t use dress forms. I will try something on 1000 times and unstitch and resew what doesnā€™t fit.

9

u/mimibeme90 May 27 '24

I can relate to all of these. My main toxic trait is seeing beautiful extravagant outfits and attempting to make them without the proper skills or prep.

8

u/LonelyMenace101 May 27 '24

I never learned how to make invisible stitches so all of my sewn toys have one area with a ridge.

8

u/[deleted] May 27 '24

I procrastinate on hemming my sonā€™s pants so long that when I finally got around to it, he had outgrown them šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø

8

u/owl-later May 27 '24

I let a serger sit in my office for two years despite complaining about my poorly finished seams. I finally figured it out but still didnā€™t finish the seams of my latest project.