PatternReview.com online sewing community
Join our community of 579,269 sewists!
SIGNUP Membership is free and includes 1 free lesson
Login |
Join our community of 579,269 sewists!
Signup | Login
To participate in the PatternReview.com forums please Login or Join PatternReview
12345   ..6 
Board Moderator
Member since 10/11/03
Posts: 1020
Send Message
Posted on: 4/17/10 10:14 PM ET
Is this covered at nauseum in the stash sew along thread or in a U.F.O. thread? Do we have this pinned already somewhere? If so, just point me in the direction:):)

Quote from Kristine Kay of "Just Keep Sewing"

"I have a bad sewing habit. When I get to the end of a project, the little finishing details bore me, so I put them aside and move onto a new project and a fresh piece of fabric."

I couldn't agree more!!!

Why is finishing so boring? Why do we have mental block against it? What are your tips for forcing yourself to finish? If you like it, why?
-- Edited on 4/17/10 10:15 PM --
  
Member since 3/9/03
Posts: 2858
Send Message
Posted on: 4/17/10 10:24 PM ET
I actually don't mind the finishing stage at all. Once I've reached it, I know I'm in the home stretch. The fitting is done. Any difficult construction tasks are safely behind me.

I usually just settle in comfortably in front of the tv with my needle and thread and pincushion and take my time.
------
Carolyn
  
Member since 2/7/02
Posts: 1111
Body Type:
Send Message
Posted on: 4/17/10 10:38 PM ET
In reply to CarolynGM
Carolyn, I'm going to have to adopt your tact. I can't stand finishing. I just today started the finishing process for a top I started in September. I think I'll just zen out tomorrow and finish that sucker.
  
Member since 4/22/08
Posts: 432
Send Message
Posted on: 4/17/10 10:43 PM ET
I hate finishing too - I blame it on my perfectionism. When you're in the early stages of a project, everything is shiny and new - no mistakes, no frustrations. By the time I get anywhere near being done, I've redone every seam at least once, made errors I can't/won't fix perfectly, etc. I have this mental block that says "I'd rather not do it than do it imperfectly"

I've also discovered that switching between the machine and hand sewing is hard for me. Once I'm going, I want to keep going! So I give myself permission to let two or three "almost" projects build up, then take an evening to hand-finish all of them while I watch a movie or something.

Another thing I do when I get frustrated on a finishing step (zipper, tricky hem), is I rotate. I do one step on a garment, then switch to another and do one step there. I used to push myself to finish one thing before starting another, but I finally admitted that I need variety to keep me going. Then I think "oh, I worked on 3 projects today" instead of "I've been trying to finish this for 2 hours and I'm still not done"

And of course, I take lots of PR breaks to reward myself!
  
Member since 2/8/07
Posts: 599
Send Message
Posted on: 4/17/10 10:48 PM ET
I love the finishing details. To me that's when the real skill is needed.
I find the finishing off to be the most satisfying part of sewing. I love stopstitching and hemming, I love using different needles, threads and techniques to finish of a project.
I guess we all enjoy different aspects of sewing :o)
------
Sew Much Fabric, Sew Little Time
  
Member since 7/31/08
Posts: 780
Send Message
Posted on: 4/17/10 10:56 PM ET
Yes, count me in the bored group! I don't know why I do it. However, once I finally do get back to the project and finish it, I feel great! I finally accomplished something. Only to do it again on the next project.
  
Member since 7/23/07
Posts: 7276
Send Message
Posted on: 4/18/10 1:38 AM ET
I'm getting much better at finishing. As a teen I rarely finished anything and wore many a skirt with a safety pin closing the waistband etc. I partly get myself to finish things to prove to myself that, at 50-odd, I have outgrown those teenage habits. I also am trying to work on the idea of doing quick and easy things NOW instead of putting them in a pile in the sewing room. Design paralysis is another thing, though. I need to post some photos and get help on my current project.
------
http://bgballroom.wordpress.com to follow the progress on my next ballgown.
  
Member since 1/20/10
Posts: 3195
Send Message
Posted on: 4/18/10 3:08 AM ET
In reply to CarolynGM
Quote: CarolynGM

I usually just settle in comfortably in front of the tv with my needle and thread and pincushion and take my time.

That's exactly what I do! It takes a little longer, but I usually multi-task when watching tv anyway, & the finishing hand work is the perfect accompaniment to a semi-watchable tv show
------
http://jillybejoyful.blogspot.com/
a blog about creativity, sewing, vintage sewing machines, and...... life :)
  
Member since 3/24/08
Posts: 54
Send Message
Posted on: 4/18/10 4:20 AM ET
In reply to tourist
Quote: tourist
As a teen I rarely finished anything and wore many a skirt with a safety pin closing the waistband etc.

most of the things i make for myself end up like this. customers always come first, so i always end up sewing for them till the last minute, and then freaking out and whipping up something for myself in the hour before i leave to go out. i still have a skirt (that i wear all the time, actually) that is un-hemmed, and still has a small hole in the waistband from where i inserted the elastic...

i hate hand sewing with a passion, and i hate the little details that come in the end, i'll have to agree with idahodogs, i have to "rotate" my projects too so i don't get too bored. i'll hem part of one project, then put buttonholes on another, then sew a zipper in the third...

though thank god the "deconstructed" look is in, unhemmed items, things with rips, tears, and the like. i saw a wonderful jacket in a shop the other day, the zipper was just topstiched on...i thought OH AWESOME, cause i hate putting in zippers too...my mom makes fun of me, but i just tell her i'm at the height of fashion.
  
Member since 12/3/05
Posts: 6572
Send Message
Posted on: 4/18/10 7:22 AM ET
I hate to assemble the linings of jackets. And the part I most hate about the lining is putting in the sleeve. I'm going to have to figure out a better way to do it -- a way that makes it more fun.
------
No sewing project is ever a complete success nor a total failure.
  
12345   ..6 
* Advertising and soliciting is strictly prohibited on PatternReview.com. If you find a post which is not in agreement with our Terms and Conditions, please click on the Report Post button to report it.
Selected Reviews, Classes & Patterns
Discovery Fabrics
High Performance Fabrics
Specials!
Fancy Frocks Fabrics
Fine Designer Fabrics
Elliott Berman Textiles
High-end Fashion Fabrics
Specials!