Am I the only blogger who struggles with perfection? I love sharing my work with your here on Fabric Mutt, but I have to tell you, it's tough when it comes to sharing my mistakes. I want everything to look perfect all the time, and sometimes it just doesn't. As hard as it is for me -- and believe me, it's hard -- I'm trying to be better about showing the good and the bad when it comes to my sewing. Take this sweet little tote above...
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| That fold in the back may annoy me, but it saved my bag... |
I have been so excited about the tutorials that my friends have shared in the Girl Friday Sews Blog Hop these past two weeks. Since the last time I posted on here, Lee shared a fantastic cork board makeover, Svetlana showed an adorable way to store your pens, and today Beth has a tutorial posted for making a darling messenger bag (and a giveaway too!). Last week, Becca shared the Traveling in Circles Tote -- a simply brilliant tutorial for an incredibly useful little storage bag. To make a long story short, I used a 24" zipper instead of a 22" one. Who would have thought that two inches could make such a difference? I didn't see the impending disaster until last night when I was putting the final pieces together. For a moment, I wanted to chuck the whole thing and start over -- I couldn't see any way to erase my mistake without taking the whole thing apart, and that just wasn't going to happen.
And then I thought, why should I trash this little bag? After a few minutes of thought, I figured out a way that I could fix the issue enough that the bag would actually work. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would work. And I could live with less than perfect, couldn't I?
So here's my Traveling in Circles Tote, and I love it. I really do. It's the perfect size and shape for carrying my hexagons, especially now that I'm accumulating a rather large stack for my Denyse Schmidt mini quilt. I won't lie -- that little bump in the back still grates on me a bit, but I'm getting past it. This is a great tutorial. There are plenty of steps, but they're completely doable. Just make sure you use the right zipper...
Linking up to Fabric Tuesday.
awww it is gorgeous so glad you didn't trash it! We all make mistakes :)
ReplyDeleteI love this project. About perfection. This is my worst enemy. I am try to start a blog, but every time I start it isn't perfect. And this really bugs me!
ReplyDeleteWell done for not chucking it away and for sharing your faux par! We all make mistakes and it's a relief to see others making them too. It's still a gorgeous little tote. xx
ReplyDeletePerfection torments me too. In fact my heart dropped when I saw your picture and the word mistake by it. I can go edit the supply list and make it more clear. I meant to say shorten any longer zippers to those lengths. Sorry about that!
ReplyDeleteI love your tote! So glad you didnt trash it. Thanks for making it!
I think it's really cute--I love the design of the bag! Kind of retro, almost.
ReplyDeleteWeirdly, sewing is the one thing where I don't struggle with the perfection bug (see my latest post about my squashed dogwood petals--I promise there will be some hilariously bad pictures of those coming soon!) I don't know why this is, since I really do tend to beat myself up in every other area in my life: the dissertation, not being able to lose 5 lbs., my hair looking like crap some days, you name it! But I'm glad that I allow myself to be a beginner in this area... maybe it will spill over to other areas of my life? I can always hope. :P
Your bag is adorable.
ReplyDeleteI think your bag is super cute. Sometimes we are our worst critics. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing! It's still so cute!
ReplyDeleteOh it's still a lovely little tote bag! Good on you for sharing the non-perfection. It happens to us all!
ReplyDeleteIt is still gorgeous :-) And looks so useful too!
ReplyDeleteI love it! It is so sweet!
ReplyDeleteOh thank God a blogger who's work is as imperfect as my own!! It is easy in blogland to feel completely intimidated, to the degree that you just read blogs and cease sewing altogether. Thank you for showing your darling tote complete with the zipper shortening innovation. Those of us who are much less than perfect salute you!!
ReplyDeleteIt is gorgeous, and the fabrics you chose are adorable. I am such a perfectionist, and generally when you see pictures with only half the item in... it is not an artistic take on my photographs but a huge avoidance on mistakes. If in a little bit it still bugs you, just give it away... my mum is always happy to have all my fist attempts at things!
ReplyDeleteoh man that tote is SO cute! I'm gonna have to make one! I always try to share my mistakes...because well they're part of life and happen all the time in sewing! And sometimes I come up with good fixes or 'good enoughs' that may help others. Plus your finished result is totally worth sharing, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute. Who cares if it has a bump on the back. There are no quilt police and mistakes are part of learning
ReplyDeleteYour bag is adorable! I am so glad that you didn't pitch it in the rubbish bin, that would have been a terrible waste. It would be nice if we didn't have to make mistakes, but I feel that if we don't make mistakes we aren't doing anything or learning. Just part of life I guess. I love the fabric that you chose for your little tote, how can you not love Heather Ross?? I hope you enjoy your tote for many years :)
ReplyDeleteAdorable and wonderful! Thanks for not trashing it, and thanks for sharing your dilemma with us!
ReplyDeleteof course you are not alone! Bummer but it is still SO adorable!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great - with or without seeing the inside. I would say everything I have made has some kind of mistake - glaring or small but if I didn't post about those, I seriously would have nothing to write about!
ReplyDeleteI struggle with perfectionism too! Thankfully, I'm gradually getting over it. I'm proud of you for posting something you weren't 100% proud of. :-)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the only one Heidi. I'm a perfectionist too, but have learned to let go if only slightly in recent years. I would feel like chucking or not completing stuff ups. Nice to know many of us are the same!
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