Three observances on and reactions to skirt-making

Observance 1.) Sewing a zipper in by hand, if you are very, very careful, is tremendously rewarding.

Reaction 1.) "Look what I can do! Hey friend! Look at this zipper! It opens, it closes! I did it myself! By hand! Hey boss, look what I can do! Look at this zipper! It opens, it closes! I did it myself! By hand! Hey, customer, look what I can do! Look at this zipper! It opens, it closes! I did it myself! By hand! Hey, Postman, look what I can do! Look at this zipper! It opens, it closes! I did it myself! By hand! Hey, stranger! look what I can do! Look at this zipper! It opens, it closes! I did it myself! By hand!"


Observance 2.) Seam allowances are not friendly guidelines. They are Laws of Nature. Do not add a 1/4 inch when you cut out the pattern, "just to be safe". Do not then sew a 1/4 seam allowance instead of the specified 5/8 of an inch seam allowance. I can't do the math, but it adds up to having an extra twoish inches of waist opening, which will not then fit the waistband pattern piece.

Reaction 2.) "Merde!" Pin, repin, eighteen times to make sure you're right about how wrong you are. Pin! Pin! Pin! "Merde!" It's still wrong, even though You've checked it eighteen times! Baste, baste, baste, check 18 times to make sure you've corrected the mistake. Rip! Rip! Rip! Get struck with a chilling thought that because you sewed in the beautiful zipper, and cannot possibly bear to take it out, you're going to have to make the correction a whole inch on one seam instead of half an inch on each seam, (or whatever it is) and this is a circle skirt, you may be completely throwing off the symmetrey of the thing.


Observance 3.) No matter how careful you may be in your stiches, sometimes you're still going to make a stupid mistake.

Reaction 3.) Maybe if you'd paid attention in geometry, you'd have a better idea of how serious this might be. Wait a minute...serious? This is a skirt, not an open-heart surgery. Chill. Yep. Chill.