Monday, May 20, 2013

I don't love you any more: the sad story of Burda 7063

Do any of you remember back in January when I posted about all the new Burda envelope patterns for spring?  And my two favorites, the coat I ended up making twice and 7063, a top or dress with shirred waistline?

I had great plans for 7063.  I had some fabric in the stash I thought would make a cute top, and enough fabric for making a muslin of the dress, with an eye toward making the final dress in a beautiful piece of silk I've had for about a year.  And I did begin the dress muslin, but somewhere along the line, I started hating it, and it ended up here:


Sandwiched in between knit yardage and leftover pieces of fabric.

I'm not really sure why I lost steam on this project.  I think it had to do in part with being really sick of this fabric I used for the muslin - it was one of those things where I had enough yardage to make something, but was really tired of the print (having used it twice already), so I thought using it for a muslin would be a good solution.  But it just kind of made me hate the dress and not want to work on it.


I've also started to realize that when I say I'm making a muslin, what I really mean is "first use of a pattern which I fully intend to wear, and which therefore must be wearable."  This one just . . . isn't.  And yes, I know I need to adjust my attitude re: muslins.


The other thing is that, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that as cute as it is, I really don't like to wear garments with shirring because I find it uncomfortable - the elastic against my skin feels too itchy.  So even if I did make this dress or top, it would probably be one of those things that just hangs in the closet.

So I've decided to let myself off the hook and just not finish this.  Which is actually kind of hard for me - it may take me a while, but I almost always finish what I start.  I really hate to abandon a project.  (Well, not in the case of knitting - I have no qualms about frogging a project if it's not going well.  That's part of the beauty of knitting - you get a do-over if you want!)

Have you guys ever fallen out of love with a project halfway through?  Do you scrap it, or make yourself finish?

10 comments:

  1. Aw. Sorry it failed you.

    I refuse to make myself finish something I hate. If I'm just frustrated with a process or technique I'll come back to it. But if I have truly decided that the garment won't work for me. Meh. I have too many other things I want to sew.

    Onward and upward!!

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  2. ooooh hate that. i've done the shirred waist a few times, and every time i like how it looks, but you're right about it not being so comfortable. i have a top i wore the other day that i keep thinking about taking the shirring out of! i suspect if you muslin in boring muslin fabric, you'll feel less disappointed (and relieved you didn't waste any "real" fabric!) when it doesn't work out so well. then again, i seldom muslin, so there's that...

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  3. It's great that you recognize finishing the top isn't worth your time! I try to do that but it's always a really hard, frustrating decision.

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  4. I have a big bag of unfinished sewing projects, all Burda patterns. When I hate it - I hate it, no point in finishing it. But I still haven't reached the point to throw away the unfinished projects, so they just stay there - in the bag, at the bottom of the big under-bed drawer. It's really so much easier with knitting - a frogged project is actually a new ball of yarn :)

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  5. I hate it when that happens. But life is too short - if you aren't happy then don't finish it. I don't bother if I'm really unhappy with it. You're better off spending your time on something that you like and will wear.

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  6. Well, you know I have. That B&W Colette Pastille now folded nicely in my stash. In the future I can either make it into a skirt or cut a new bodice from the old one and add to the existing skirt. SOMEDAY. Right now it is done, only creativity and motivation will get it out again. Don't feel bad, use your valuable time on something that excites you instead!

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  7. You know I struggle with this too but, for the good of my sanity, I'm trying to get more with the program. If I give something a good try to make a wearable muslin (and I entirely share your definition btw) and it just doesn't grab me, I'm not going to waste time feeling unhappy about it. Look, you figured out you don't like shirring. Consider that your successful outcome. you'll never waste time on shirred things again!

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  8. Ugh, how annoying! I'm sorry-- it's so frustrating when you fall out of love with a project.

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  9. I almost never make a pattern the first time with a fabric I love, so I have a lot of wearable (and unwearable) muslins. Yes, this is something I've realized about myself as well -- if I attempt to make something in fabric I can't stand, it's not long before I can't stand the project and sometimes even the pattern. Cut it loose! Life's too short for fabric you don't like. ;-)

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  10. What a bummer for you. But perhaps this material was meant for something greater. I do frog if I'm not feeling' the pattern anymore. Why suffer? I need to love my project since I'll be wearing it.

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