Thursday, September 11, 2008

Why I Am So NOT a Sewer



My mom is an AMAZING seamstress. She can make anything from quilts to blessing dresses to bridesmaid dresses to purses to, well, pretty much anything she puts her mind to. Unfortunately that sewing gene fell a little too far off the tree when it came to me (I still make valiant attempts, all of which seem to fail. Like the throw pillows I made last year whose seams are all popping out now). I always thought it was neat how my mom made baby blankets for all 10 of her kids. I still have the one that she crotched for me, it is gorgeous (and that is why I almost had a heart attack last winter when Jason grabbed a stack of blankets out of the closet to cover the plants up during the frost and I woke up in the morning to find my baby blanket and wedding quilt, that my mom hand stitched also, draped all over the front lawn. Typical guy thing.) Anyways, so today I decided I wanted to make a baby blanket. This is where my first mistake starts. Instead of spending the time taking a sewing class, or perhaps at the very least just talk to someone who knows a thing or two about sewing blankets, I decide on a whim that today is the day for blanket making. I mean come on people, we're making a square here, all straight lines, how hard can it be? The second problem is that I'm not a perfectionist. Whereas Jason is quite the opposite, when it comes to projects he tends to go with my dad's motto: "Any job worth doing is a job worth doing well". I have my own motto: "It's good enough, now lets move on". So I drag Jayden to JoAnn's with me (with a nice piece of Power Ranger fleece that he found as his bribery to stay in the cart and stop pulling everything off the shelf) and lucked out to find some fabric I actually liked (with so many fabric choices there, why do I have the hardest time finding anything decent?) As I'm there I remember that most blankets have that satin binding and was glad that I atleast thought to get some of that. Of course I hadn't even thought about how much fabric I would need, let alone how much binding (who has time to take measurements before shopping?), so I ended up cutting off a big chunk of fabric when I got home so that I would have enough binding to go all around. (But try to give me some credit for atleast being resourceful, I used the extra pieces that I cut off and some ribbon I had laying around to make these cute burp cloths):So I get started as soon as I get home and am pretty confident that I'll be done in an hour tops. This is where the real fun begins. I didn't realize there is certain fabrics that are better for quilting (something I would have found out if I had taken the time to do some research) and the one I got is a little stretchy, so of course it keeps puckering up. I am not a patient person when it comes to pinning, I stick a couple in and call it good. Of course that means that my lines aren't straight and I end up picking out every stitch and starting over like atleast 10 times. Almost every time I start a sewing project, I always forget to get the right color of thread and once I get excited about a project I don't want to put it off until I can go back to the store for the right thread. This wasn't a problem since I sewed it inside out, until I got to that last little bit that I had to sew on the outside after flipping it right side out. Then there's the problem with the corners....in my mind I didn't think that it would be too hard to figure out. Apparently my mind was deceiving me. After many failed attempts I finally googled how to sew corners on the binding. Too bad I had already cut all the strips up and you're supposed to leave the binding in one whole piece and just fold it then sew. This is the result of my impatience (Mandy, you may want to close your eyes, I know how corners that don't match up affect you :): Finally about 6 hours later I finish my simple one hour sewing project (meanwhile my neglected children who have been watching tv for the past 3 hours are starving, the house is a wreck, and I have a half hour before Young Womens to get dinner and homework done. Once I start a project I can't stop until I finish). Now that it's finally done, I kind of like it (as long as you stand atleast 10 feet away when you look at it!) But next time I may just save myself the 6 hrs, spend a couple bucks more and just drive to the store and buy one. Although you never know, maybe one day my little man might just look at all the imperfections on his blanket (right before draping it on a plant to protect it from the frost) and think of the blood, sweat and tears that went into making it. Either that, or he may just realize that his mom is a sewing retard. (Man, I really wish my mom lived closer!)

16 comments:

Pays said...

Jamie, you crack me up! This is the story of my life!! Sewing machines hate me. Coby sews better than me, I'm not joking. Good for you though. It really does look good! Your sweet baby will love it.

Chelsea said...

I think its just sweet that you went through all the effort, he will love this story someday!! I think it looks fabulous! and don't you dare rip on your sewing skills, at least you can sew, and you try, two things I cant do. Good work Jamie!

Cammi said...

It is very cute Jamie! I can relate to every step of that (except the finishing it, I usually get frustrated and give up). I definitely recommend taking a sewing class from JoAnn's. I have sewn a few things in my life, and was surprised at all of the basic things I just didn't know. My machine was always jamming so i bought a new machine. My new machine was always jamming, then Niles sat down to use it and it didn't jam a SINGLE time in hours of sewing. That's when I knew it was user error and I needed to go learn a few things! The next class I am going to take there is a quilting class :-)

nicole said...

Jamie - this is hilarious and is inspiring me to make the noodle a baby blanket. I also have no plans to research how to make one. pish posh :)

Chris and Sally said...

I kinda feel like I want to make a baby blanket now. Too bad I don't have any sewing skills. I am the exact same as you when it comes to finishing a project. Everything is neglected until I finish (and it always takes so much longer than anticipated).

Jodee said...

that's funny stuff! I hope he appreciates it instead of draping it over the bushes like his dad, it's too cute for a bush blanket! I attempted one for beckham with satin binding and I ended up having my mom finish the corners when she came out to visit! Good Job Jame, i love it!

Janessa said...

Were you writing this blog in your mind the whole six hours of sewing? You crack me up! I love the way you write. I'm impressed with your get in there and get the job done attitude (even if it does take six hours)! I think it looks so cute and I'm sure he'll love it! You're such a great mom!

Pam Jorgensen said...

Love the colors, and you did so well being so uninformed!

My mother was a professional seamstress and the reason I'm not is because she would get too frustrated and finally yell, "go away, I'll do it myself!" Therefore, I have no sewing ambition whatsoever!!

Nichols Family said...

Ummm...don't feel bad. I don't even know how to turn a sewing machine on. My mom is an amazing seamstress too and has tried to get me to learn. Why would I want to do that when I have her to do it for me?

I still like your work :). Cute colors too.

Andrea said...

Good Work! I think it looks great. I love the colors! Your cute babe is going to love it, too!

Shanen said...

Jamie the colors are great and your little guy will love this one day. But don't stop now, make more, make more and soon you will have it perfected.

Rohm Family said...

I made Owen a blanket too- I think yours turned out way better- I finally took it to DI- it was just falling apart :).

DAVE AND CANDACE BOLLARD said...

I think it turned out awfully cute! You have never seen my quilts close up. They all look like that! I think it's the thought that counts. And you did a great job with the matching burp clothes. Not long now, only a month. I'm so excited for you!

The Morris Fam said...

You are so silly. The blanket looks amazing. Binding the edges with a border is difficult... especially on the corners. I usually skip that part. You did a great job and I love the burp cloths too. We are so excited for you!

Julie and Matt said...

I saw it and thought it looked great-much better than I could EVER do!

MommyRohner said...

It looks great Jamie. If it makes you feel any better, those satin bindings scare me. I don't know anyone who can make them look good.

Way to go! on the burp cloths. They are beautiful.