Sew, you think you can So!

Patience, that will be the death of me. I have none when it comes to certain things. I do not like to wait for anyone or anything. I really want to be patient and sounds like St. Monica is the patron saint of patience. I’ll name my next cat Monica (boy or girl) if I can figure out this sewing thing. Plus, I can relate to Monica Gellar’s competitive and neurotic nature: Success!

I’m trying to decide on a smart first attempt. I’ve read tons of blogs, yea, yea, light-weight cottons, I get it. eeek. Where are the chiffons and silks, pretty knits and flowy things! I hope this blog will slow me down and help me recognize my problem.

I have a few books with patterns and I think it’s best to start there instead of spending more money when I have at least 10 patterns sitting in front of me. I have the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook. I received this for my birthday about 6 months ago thinking it was the perfect beginner book. It is so NOT a beginner. It focuses on custom knit wear patterns, which I famously failed at with a beautiful navy blue knit fabric that was on clearance and probably the last of its kind on Earth. It’s a fun read but it has since been shelved and will remain there until further notice.

And then there’s SEW Workshop. A lovely little book by Diana Rupp. She is so patient, she should change her name to Monica. I attempted four patterns in her book and three were a success. Although, the three winners were non-fashion accessories: a pin cushion, which took way longer than it should have, a zippered pencil case, which gave me the confidence to sew the wrap-skirt: MAJOR FAIL, which forced me to swallow my pride and sew the tote bag, which is cute but fits a slim folder.

I have had my eye on a few of her patterns and I think I’ll start here. The great thing about this book is that she walks you through the patterns, which I find to be rare. I can knit like a crafty fool, but there are specific directions on how and what order to do things. Sewing patterns do not do this! That’s why I like Diana. I think I’ll start with her Cuddle Up Cardigan. The weather is starting to change and I want something I can wear in the next few weeks. It looks awfully big and I was thinking about making a miniature with some scrap footage to test out my skills before I go spend some money. There is no pattern but you make one. I have mad Illustrator skills and I think I can lay this out in 5 minutes between projects tomorrow and then attempt to scale it down and build a mini. hmmm. Who is the smart one? Stay tuned and I’ll try to take pictures of a master at work for all of you who are looking for a sewing mentor.