Ask the readers: What intimidates you?

After 16 years of sewing, including two years at high school with a sewing teacher, I’m still really quite bad with zippers, especially blind zippers which I just plain avoid at all costs.

This will change eventually, but for me it is sleeves. I only have stiff cotton fabric (african wax) that I work with, and they don’t really allow a lot of movement. I also have flabby arms so I’m always afraid that sleeve won’t fit me and I’m not at the point where I can draft my own. Then, if I do actually decide to do sleeves, sometimes they don’t look the same on both sides. Either the left has a bit more poof or the right a bit less, it isn’t noticeable to others but the asymmetry bothers me. Thankfully right now I’m living in a place that is hot all year round so I just omit them most of the time! But I will confront my fears of sleeves once I am back in a colder climate.

zippers. most definitely zippers. and for some reason sewing a hemline that is straight and even.

Although I’ve been sewing for a year and a half now, I still consider myself a beginner…but I don’t think I would feel put off by anything on a pattern, if I happen to love this pattern enough. After all, this is how you learn – making mistakes because you’ve tackled something a wee bit above your skills. But this doesn’t mean I have no sewing Nemesis.
I just recently overcame my fear of trousers, but there are still several things that I slightly dread : knit fabrics, zippers (okay, I basically know how to insert a zipper, but don’t look at them too closely, it would make your eyes hurt) and sleeves (but I’m working on that one). Oh, and I don’t like having to match a curved seam and a straight seam, either.

Using a clothing pattern properly. I realize that may be a bit of a taboo comment on this blog, but I’m 6’1″, short-waisted, and a size larger than most patterns are available in. Patterns stress me out in general, but I know they lead to pieces that don’t look homemade and should theoretically fit you perfectly. However, a lot of patterns/styles don’t work for somebody my size and/or require adjusting that stresses me out. You have some darling designs in my size, but I still feel intimidated by the process somehow. I think I just need to take the plunge!

fit issues really bother me.
I am new to sewing and I am just getting down some of the basic technique (which is not really subjective. It tells you what to do and you do it) then I try on the muslin and see that it doesn’t even close to fit, I don’t know where I am suppose to fix (are the shoulders too far out, the darts not going to the right place, etc) I just know that it isn’t right.
That is the reason that I haven’t tried pants/shorts at all yet. The bum and crotch are a sensitive area in fit, you sure do not want to get that part wrong, but trying to figure out what is wrong with it (is it smiling or frowning, etc) seems like more than I can handle at this point.
But I had better get okay with it soon because I really need some clovers for spring/summer

Just the sheer amount of time it takes to do everything right:
* fit properly (always an unknown quantity)
* cut
* sew, press

And if you really want to do it well… well then it might take even longer.

Fitting. Always fitting. Especially my broad back, swayback, large bust, big arms and thighs…oh and I’m 4’11″….

Just about got over the zip thing….

Buttonholes. My machine is somewhat temperamental.

The fact the clothes which look like they should suit me, don’t. I’ve had massive success with a handful of patterns, but some others that I think would look great are frumptastic :(

Invisible zippers! Although my most recent one inserted in cotton velvet came out quite well.

Fitting seems like a mystery to me. Button holes make me really nervous too.

Trousers are scary… specially fitting and inserting the fly zipper. I bought the Juniper pattern months ago, but I still didn’t have the courage to start it…

There’s only three things that intimidate me about sewing: zippers, zippers, and zippers. I don’t know why but they just make me nervous when I go to put them in. I’ve even thought about taking projects to someone else and having them put in the zipper!

I’ve been sewing for over half of my life, and have a degree in clothing design, but I’m still intimidated by fitting. I’ve learned a lot along the way, and am fairly confident now (most of the time – fitted jackets and pants are still a bit scary!) but I think it will take a lifetime to perfect, especially since our bodies change over time.

For me it’s silk or other slippery fabrics. I have only been sewing a year but I CANNOT seems to get it right. I can’t get the grain to sit properly and when I cut it out it ends up all warped. I LOVE silk and want to make silk blouses and skirts but can’t seem to get it to work.

For those who have trouble with zippers, I did too until I started handpicking all my zippers. It’s SO much easier and really doesn’t take long at all.

My problem is shirt making, I’m rubbish at getting collars to look and lay right and cuffs never seem to look anything other than ‘homemade’. I usually blame the interfacing on the cuffs but the collars, well I give up, plain round necks for me !

Cutting out. I spend what seems like hours making sure everything is on grain and really obsessing in a less than confident way. Alas, this has been my big bug bear for years. Fitting too but since I came to understand that you could change the fit of a pattern I have sorted out my waist dart positioning and bust dart too. I’m still not sure about small bust adjustment. When you always have had RTW it is hard to know what exactly the perfect fit looks like and that can get a bit obsessive too.

Loads of things: choosing the right fabric, setting in sleeves (nicely), tailoring, trousers… but I have to say my biggest one is FITTING. I’ve been sewing for a couple of years now but have steadfastly avoided the issue of fitting. Luckily most patterns I’ve made more or less fit (certainly no worse than RTW) but it’s something I do need to learn. And I just don’t get it! I think half of it is knowing what good fit actually is, being so used to compromise with RTW. The second half is knowing what to do about it. It’s just so scary, and full of intimidating terminology and maths!

Funnily enough, compared to a lot of posts above, I actually enjoy putting in zips! I find it quite straightforward and satisfying! Same with buttonholes (machine stitched!).

Fitting. Definately fitting.
Playing into the discussion you had last year about body image and body type and sewing for your body, I think that fitting means facing your body in a very real, honest way, which is not always something I am terribly keen on doing.

Adding the finishing touches seems to be the most lingering task for me though… hems, sewing on buttons, and all of the detail things at the end that you have to get right always seem to sit. For weeks. Months, even. Until I am guilted into a day of whirlwind finishing everything all at once.

Buttonholes and making bias strips and bias tape.

At this point, there’s very little that intimidates me (bias cut chiffon is the only thing on my list). What really bugs me, though, is a pattern whose armscye is so low that it restricts movement, causes weird pulling at the bust, and looks like something out of a bad 1980s movie. I recently worked with a pattern (from another company) where I had to raise the armscye up 1 3/4 inches. I did it, but I’ve been sewing since the Pleistocene. I can see that it would be terribly disheartening to someone who’s new to work so hard on a garment and end up with something unwearable.

I’m a mess with a full gathered skirt. It usually takes me multiple attempts before I’m able to get things to work properly.

For me it’s not the actual technical aspects of sewing (i.e. buttonholes, zippers, etc.) because a good tutorial always helps save the day. My issue comes in conquering the elusive perfect fit. I have a hard time “reading” muslins and figuring out what/how to change my flat pattern to get things to fit properly. That is the big sewing mystery in my books!

With large hips, large bust, narrow shoulders, a short waist, and sized between regular and plus sizes, I have a lot of alterations to make to any garment. The amount of alterations intimidates me and often, now that I understand how things should fit, keeps me from trying out new patterns. :(

(Doesn’t stop me from buying them, though!)

A full bust adjustment. That s my biggest issue with fit. I’ve tried 3 times on 3 separate garments using several techniques and tutorials, but nothing has worked! I just can’t get it.

Also, I’m very intimidated by slippery fabrics like silk, chiffon, slippy rayon, etc. I usually choose RTW tops in these fabrics, but haven’t even attempted to try to sew a garment in these fabrics. Cutting, sewing without slipping, hemming – I need a class in just this alone!!!

Thanks for asking the question Sarai and getting me think about this. I’ve been ‘sewing’ since I was a kid and 30 odd years later I have only really started learning some better skills in the last 3 years or so, with help, instruction, and inspiration from sites like yours! In doing so, I have now finally done a couple of full bust adjustments, and made a few (partial) muslins. It has really been worth it to overcome these stumbling blocks and get better fitting results, so thanks for your role in that developing process. Proper fitting still scares me, but less so than before. Another big one that remains for me is using up the ‘special’ fabrics in the stash that I have had sitting there for years! Logic tells me they are no use sitting in the cupboard in one piece, but they still have such potential to be something beautiful while they remain untouched. They also tend to be shorter lengths of fabric that make it harder to find the right match for a pattern. The number of shorter ‘special’ fabrics I have that I got thinking ‘that would make a great feature’ is simply ridiculous – they never get to feature anywhere!!!

Oh, fitting for sure.
I have only been sewing for a couple of years, but I feel confident tackling zippers, buttonholes, sleeves, cuffs, facings, etc. Hemming is sometimes still a bit of a challenge (to do nicely), but it is anticipating and fixing fit issues that seems to wear me down. All of my “failed” projects have been related to being unable to fix the fit.

Lining. I’ve never even tried to line anything I’m so afraid of it. That, to me, is crazy. I have several patterns requiring lining and I’ve not attempted them for that very reason. Looney, I know.

Apart from not starting on a project for fear of another failure it certainly is the fitting. I have figured out five changes I have to make to every pattern before sewing the first muslin. In some cases that means basically constructing the pattern anew on the basis of the given pattern and that can take the fun out of a project, especially with sewing time at a premium.

Fitting! I’m pretty petite and almost every pattern doesn’t include my small size!

I think the thing I find most intimidating is matching a fabric and pattern. I have a tendency to buy fabric because I like it, but then I run into a bit of a roadblock when trying to match it with an appropriate pattern. The converse of that is true as well – I buy patterns I love and then have trouble finding the right fabric for them. For me this is the most difficult part of sewing, and is probably something that will get easier with practice. The problem is I have a hard time “practising” with fabric that I love and so I end up hoarding fabric out of fear that I’ll make something unwearable and therefore “waste” that beautiful fabric. I find that other sewing challenges, like learning how to put in a zipper or set in a sleeve, are things I can learn how to do relatively easily if I take the time to look up a few tutorials and practice on something I don’t care about. But this fabric-pattern matching business is really holding me up!

Fitting is the most challenging. But I’m learning more and more and it’s getting easier. Craftsy has a great class on fitting which I just took. Wish I had a sewing buddy so I didn’t have to fit myself!

I’ve conquered some fears as of late. The Juniper pattern has be obsessed with pants where a year ago I declared I wouldn’t. Same with jackets. My next fear to conquer is working with denim and wool.

My biggest work stopper is adjusting fit and transferring changes to patterns. I’m working on not over fitting the joy out of sewing! Also catch stitching stops me cold.