Monday, October 4, 2010

The pattern that almost made me give up...

Now that I have taken you through my first purse experience, I will speed up the process. I'm not going to write a blog about each project I've done over the past 2 years because that would take for-effing-ever.

After I explain this next hurdle,  I'm going to show some pics of the gradually more successful purses I made. This pattern inspired many other ones I will show in the next blog.

After The Great Disaster, I learned to buy thrift store fabric. Mostly pillow cases and place mats. Place mats work really well because they usually have interfacing in them or the fabric is stiff enough that you don't need any. I will admit, I'm not big on the thrift store fabric these days... but maybe I should start again.

This one is made out of two different pillow cases. On the plus side, they were easy to cut and sew with and the match! On the downside, it's a stupid print to have for a purse unless you live in the 70s. Even then I think it's pushing it. Retro is cool, but I seriously missed the point on "trendy retro" or "mod" if you will. Being able to see what would make a striking and "mod" purse just by looking at the print comes later on (kinda).

Also, on the downside, I used flimsy interfacing. The kind that comes in a bag and is used for giving the fabric more integrity. Not for structure like to stand up. I call it bulls**t interfacing.


This purse was the next purse I tried after The Great Disaster.

I hate this pattern. Then and to this day.

It looks simple ( it always LOOKS simple) but it is actually quite hard. So hard, in fact, it took me a week of literally staring at the instructions and the cut fabric pieces just to figure out how in the world I was going to do the straps.  I finally figured out how to finish it when my then boyfriend and I were watching tv. I shouted out "OMG!" and he was like "WHAT! WHAT HAPPENED!". He wasn't amused when I told him and he gave me a look like i was crazy. He gave me a lot of those looks throughout our relationship...

ANYWAY, It was not what the instructions said but it got finished. To this day, I have no idea what the instructions are trying to say. Most straps are separate from the purse but that top part is all one piece PLUS that middle seam is sewn first. If you know anything about sewing, you know what I am talking about. But if you don't, it's hard to explain.


I took a closer pic of the center because that particular design (two pieces sewn together in the front) is going to be a reoccurring design in future projects but not the way they do the straps. I know it's hard to see here, but future projects will show it better.





This purse really made me think that maybe I couldn't sew purses. That I was in over my head. Patterns were so confusing and the instructions were overwhelming and poorly written. It really put me to the test. Staring at that pattern over and over for a week really made me think that I sucked at sewing. But, I know now that patterns just suck.

This very purse is were my aversion to patterns have steamed from. I do not buy purse patterns now because I can figure out how to make them just by looking and most of the time, the fabric is what makes you want to but the pattern. The design might be cool too, but the fabric is what makes it work. Most patterns don't come with the fabric. KEEP THAT IN MIND!!! ( Amy Butler is challenging my thoughts on this, though. She is amazing with both inventive designs and fabric choice)

Here is the horrendous pattern that should die...
 

1 comment:

  1. Kim! This is really great! you are an excellent write (please don't ever read my blog cause you will see what an un-excellent writer I am).

    I am kind of mad at you though cause now I have another blog to follow and I already have WAY too many to stay caught up on :)

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