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September 29, 2005 Sewing for Dummies 
I have discovered why these yellow-jacketed patterns are termed "for dummies": they assume you have never beheld a sewing machine before. It's like Home Ec in an envelope. Among their many helpful hints: Make sure you have bought enough fabric. Make sure your sewing machine is in good condition. Make sure that the pieces are matched up at all the notches as indicated in the instructions. When you sew, make sure you use the seam guide on the sewing machine. Make sure you are using a straight stitch. "Basting" is a type of stitch that is long and loose and easy to tear out. If you have never sewn before, this is exactly the kind of pattern you want. If you have sewn before, you'll probably snort in derision a few times. If you've sewn before but you're a mother short on time, you can at least be assured that the construction of the pattern is very simple and it won't take you long to complete. The challenging thing is going to be modifying the pattern, since the six-month size is so massive. I put one of her just-too-small sleepers up against the front pieces when they were pinned into their approximate positions and spent about an hour planning how to cut it down without ruining the shape. I haven’t actually made any cuts yet; I want to be about as sure as I can be before I make the first snip. But I think I’m looking at ½ to 1 inch off the torso, and maybe two inches off the legs. I might want to slim it down a bit, too; I mean, I want her to have space underneath for warm clothes and a jacket, if she needs it, but she doesn’t need to be able to hide the entire Canadian army in there. Working with this fabric is interesting. The fake fur is so fluffy and light that bits of it drift around the room, getting inside my nose and making me sneeze; the carpet is even whiter than it was before, and my black sweat pants are now grey and sparkly. But it’s going to be so cute when it’s done. Posted by Andrea at September 29, 2005 8:18 AM under Me EMAIL this entry (comments fields are below this section) Comments Wow, I am a sewing idiot (er, dummy). This book sounds like the one for me. Now, to get a machine....
Posted by: Running2Ks at September 29, 2005 9:31 AM
This made me laugh and then go through my old web page looking for a post I thought I remembered :) Halloween 2001 I bought one of the "For Dummies" patterns to make my then-toddler a leopard costume. My take on that one was: "Apparently the "For Dummies" refers to the goal of making you feel like one!" -- the notions list on the envelope left out a key piece of material AND the instructions totally skipped a very important step (sewing the front to the back at the shoulders). Since I had sewn before, I fortunately recognized the need for this to have happened before I sewed on a facing. A real newbie might ahve found it very frustrating. But she is going to look so totally cute in that outfit! Posted by: sara at September 29, 2005 2:02 PM
R2K, sewing is so much less complicated than it looks. Turn on machine, have fabrics pinned together correctly, follow instructions. Kind of like cooking. If you stick with the recipe, it's hard to fail. Sara--that is too funny. Wow. I wonder if the complaints were what led to the current state of "please remember to turn ON the sewing machine before pressing the pedal"ness? Posted by: Andrea at September 29, 2005 8:08 PM
Whoah - I too should buy some dummies patterns! I am also making my Halloween costume this year, and am going to be, in a bizarre coincidence . . . A Polar Bear! Casey is going to be either "the island" or Sawyer (from the TV show lost - there are polar bears on it too). I will have to post a picture and see how much I end up looking like Frances, lol. Posted by: Abbey at September 30, 2005 1:03 PM
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