Sewing Flops with a Happy Ending

Exhibit A:  The Skirt with Backbone

My trusty yellow skirt is worn out, so I bought new yellow (unknown) fabric from the fabric outlet to replace it.  After much travail and repeated washings of the fabric in vinegar and salt, I realized I was trying to use canvas to make a skirt.  Canvas may soften over time, but what on earth do I do with a skirt that stands up by itself until then?  (Off to Goodwill - couldn't stand to look at it and I hope someone has a better idea for it).

Exhibit B:  Made-up Tea Cosies

I tried to sew a teapot cosy from my own design.  It was supposed to be a warm little bag with a drawstring top with places for the spout and handle to peep out.  The drawstring was too long and awkward and out of frustration and impatience, I sewed faster and consequently, the work is sloppy. (Stuffed these in my scrap boxes, where my daughter pounced on them and started using them as bags until I pointed out that things were falling out the holes.  She pinned the holes closed.  Hello, Grandma Weaver!)

Exhibit C:  Slippers

First I used this pattern and made a horrible, strange slipper with pretty fabric and a red leather bottom (no photo - couldn't bear to look at it).  Then I used this tutorial, scavenging the red leather soles from the first failure.  These slippers do not match and need some tweaks (thicker cushioning on the sole, 2 layers of fabric on the upper), but I see possibilities here.  Genevieve has claimed them for her own.  I offered to cut them down and remake them for her, but she insists on pinning them to her size with pink plastic clothespins.

In the meantime, I found a pair of Goody Bon Bon slippers on ebay that I love - so whimsical, cushy, and pretty. My husband was commenting on how I wear these slippers with irony and I had to ponder that (out loud, of course) for a while, until I understood that, yes, I am wearing them ironically.  I think they're fun, but they're definitely a joke for me, and I am definitely channeling an ageing Southern belle with a whispery sweet voice and a cool shadowy house with tall ferns at the shuttered windows.

In all of this, I kept asking myself why I was pursuing these projects instead of buying ready-made things. It's because I like solving the problem, figuring things out on my own, and experimenting.  Sewing is really a hobby for me.  There are times when I sew for thrifty reasons, but the thrift is largely a side benefit, and the real reason is my deep satisfaction and pleasure when I sew something just right.  Stay tuned for a happy lot of "just rights" coming up!