Hello All! In thinking of plans for my next sewing class, I'm reminded of times I've started a sewing project, got discouraged because of a mistake, or just lost interest and completely gave up. This doesn't happen as often now a days but it happens to everyone. I'm determined to learn more about why this happens and what we can do to lessen the frustration.

I want to know - what sewing project have you started but given up on recently and why did you give up? No shame here!

I'll tell you about my recent abandoned project: A client asked if I could make a very specific 90s style dress, and if so, what I would charge - I told her I'd need to find a pattern to follow as I was unfamiliar with that style, and test it out on some spare fabric before I would make one for her or give her a price.

I figured the practice dress could be sold to someone else, as long as I finished it, so wouldn't be a waste of time or fabric! Guess what - It was much harder than I initially thought, lots of gathers and a pointed waistline! I struggled through until almost the end - and I think mentally I had already checked out and didn't want to take the commission for the client's dress anymore. I was almost done though - and started installing snap buttons that went up the ribcage of the dress. In haste I installed a full set on backwards - rendering the closure of the dress unusable, and since they were snaps that poke through the fabric, the dress now will have holes in it if i were to remove the snaps to make it close properly. I have a big unfinished dress hanging up in my sewing room and I have no idea what I should do with it! I contacted the client and told her it wasn't going to work out, that the dress didnt' come out as expected. She was disappointed but not as much as me and the feeling i get when i glimpse the unfinished sample. The lesson I learned is that if i want to make a practice dress, it should be part of my own growth and I should strive to use a dress design I am really in love with - then I won't feel pressured to rush or add a different type of closure than I'm used to. Now I know!

Here is the ill-fated dress pattern, I just never like it to begin with:

Please share your abandoned project story here!

Maura Marcks

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