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Today has NOT been my best sewing day. I bought zippers for the 2 tote bags I'm working on and totally botched them both. I ended up just cutting off the top of the bags because they were such a mess. Then I tried to make a little coffee sleeve for my travel coffee cups.... well I made it and it's finished but it looks a mess. SIGH.
I guess I need to give up for today and hope for better sewing karma tomorrow. :(
Susan
What happened with your zippers Sue? Maybe we can help you. I'm not having such a great day sewing day myself. It's taken me hours to cut & piece the backing for a quilt. I have such limited room and my dog thinks it's play time when I lay fabric on the floor to measure. Every time I measured, I got paranoid to cut!
Some days it just pays to stay in bed! :icon_sniff::icon_sniff:
Susan.......when you are that frustrated it definitely is better to walk away for awhile........possible have some chocolate! :)
Try looking up some zipper tutorials...........I haven't sewn a zipper in so long.......I don't know if I remember how.
Sorry you are having a bad sewing day - take a deep breath - hope tomorrow is better.
I hate days like that. I make so many goofy mistakes now--I think it's a by-product of menopause. I just quit for the day and start anew the next day.
I haven't done zippers before but I watched several tutorials and thought I understood.. but obviously I didn't! On one of them I got the first side of the zipper installed beautifully, but when I installed the 2nd side somehow I had trimmed the zipper too long.,.. even though the first side fit right, I ended up with a fat wad of excess zipper at end. Not the zipper pull end, the other end of the zipper. AND then I thought I could salvage it by putting my binding on the top of the bag and hiding all the ugly fudging, but I accidentally sewed over the zipper teeth and broke some, so then the zipper didn't even zip anymore. That's when I cut it off and threw it away!
On the other one I tried the method where you add a little flap of fabric to each side of the zipper and just sew that flap to the bag, rather than sewing the zipper itself to the bag. Again my length was totally wrong somehow, so the side flaps were sewn in right but the little tabs on the end were way too long, tried chopping them down and again just made a total mess of it!
I am lucky that I don't have a dog to cause more havoc, but I do have a 4 year old home with me! LOL
Susan, I am sorry that you had such a challenging day. :( But at least you did some sewing. I have been in a "funk" lately and have gotten a whole lot of NOTHING done. :icon_angry: Each night when I go to bed, I am determined that the next day is going to be a productive day of sewing, cutting etc....but when morning comes, I just get the old "I don't feel like it" feeling and end up doing nothing. I am a fairly new quilter (how long can I call myself "new"?? :0 ) I think part of my problem is actually getting started....I am so afraid of making mistakes, making wonky cuts, not having a good 1/4 seam, not pressing correctly etc etc....that I just don't do anything. I think I need a good kick in the pants!! :icon_mooooh:
We all have them. Like suggested, check out some zipper tutorials to see what you can do. As for the coffeee sleeve, I've not made one, but pictured one in my head while reading your post. I hope walking away makes it better for you.
Terri...yes you do need a kick in the pants! LoL...sometimes, I'm the same way. With some of my fabric, I'm afraid to cut it because it is just so beautiful! But, as the Nike commercial says, "just do it!".Quote:
Originally Posted by Terri
Susan, I'm so sorry you have had such a bad day, and hope things will improve by tomorrow.
Some days it seems that whatever can go wrong, does. I think sewing/quilting is like typing. Once you start making mistakes, you should just stop, because it will only get worse.
Wishing you a much better sewing day tomorrow!
Sandy
I understand completely. I have taken a break from my wave flag I have been working on. The first time I tried quilting with a wave stitch and they looked terrible so I ripped out the 4 rows I had done then yesterday I decided to try STD and did one row and I didn't like that either. So now I am thinking of asking someone else to quilt it for me.. I am tired of messing with this one.
We all have those days and I have them more often then I care to think about then I go through a period I don't want to sew at all. I think just leave it for a day or two and try something else. Good luck .
Susan, you know I made some video tutorials on how to insert a zipper into a tote bag. I did this in January, then haven't done it since. When I went to insert one into a purse in July, I totally screwed it up, had to rip so many times, I just finally cut it out of the purse and went to the fabric store and bought a new zipper! It took me less time to do that than to rip out 6 rows of stitching! So, everyone makes mistakes! I should have watched my own video prior to attempting to put in the zipper!
My link to the video is in my user notes! Remind me next time I make a zipper tote!
I've sure had days like that too...and worse! Hang in there, take a breather, things will look better tomorrow!
I was going to suggest you watch Jean's tutorials. They are really good.
Boy can I sympathize with you! I've had many a day like that. Walk away-start to play-you will sew another day. LOL:icon_bigsmile:
I hate days like that. We all have them, mine was yesterday I was making half square triangles and every time I sewed one then cut them apart and went to press one was wrong side up. I must have ripped 10 out. Think I would look before I cut them...NOPE not me sew, cut press, rip repeat
We all have stories like your day, when we learned it was better to quit and start again a new day.
Here's mine:
I made a gorgeous wall hanging, about 60" square. After mitering the last border, I used my rotary cutter to cut off the excess. Unfortunately I didn't get the border out of the way and I sliced right through it. So I picked it out and cut another one.
When trying to miter the second try, I couldn't get it to work. Then I realized I had cut the border 1/2" too narrow. So I picked it out and cut another one.
When sewing the third try, I got to the end and I had not left enough on the end for the miter.
I said several words I will not repeat here, then went to bed.
Yes, do as I say, not as I do! I need to take my own advice!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisapc
Oh my gosh you all! Thank you for the laughs as I was reading all the stories just as bad or worse than mine! Thank you for commiserating with me, it makes me feel a lot better!
Jean I will definitely watch your video before I try again. I have plenty of time, since I have now ruined every large zipper that I own and will have to go buy more! LOL
We all have those crappy days - that is why God invented wine! And I didn't know that Jean had tutorials - I'll need to remember that now!
I refer to it as "mental-pause", because that's what I feel like. Someone/something hit's the pause button on my brain & I just can't think straight or make sense of the simplest things! Then the clouds part, the sun shines & my mind is clear again!! Or my brain will just go on vacation for a while. Ain't getting older just grand??? :icon_woohoo: NOT....
Quote:
Originally Posted by lhayes1976