Wednesday, October 28, 2009

a sewing dilemma.

skull_hoody

ps. i have not gained weight. contrary to what this photo might lead you to believe.

so what is this, you ask?

it's a low-quality photo, taken by my computer, of a zip-up hoody that i sewed. from scratch [i don't really know if you would say you sewed something 'from scratch'. oh well].

i'm taking a sewing class at school, and this was our first project. it's a little emo. the fabric has skulls. i finished it today. no tears were shed in the process [i came close], but there was some blood - that's a whole different story.

now i'm on to project number 2. which is where i need your help.

project 2 is a men's tailored shirt. 

i'm making it for the boy.

it will be a 20-ish hour investment. seriously.

my teacher told me to make sure and inform him that if we were to break up, i would need the shirt back. seriously, she did. [i told him, and he didn't think it was very nice].

anyway, here is my dilemma. i had wanted to make the shirt out of very high-quality fabric. if i'm going to invest that much time into constructing an article of clothing, i want everything about it to be high quality. that way, when the boy wears it, he will happily tell everyone in the vicinity that his woman made it for him. because she is awesome. 

but today, i went to the fabric store.

and the high quality fabric i had wanted was expensive.

and i mean expensive.

like $50 for the amount of fabric i need - that kind of expensive. 
[ok, maybe that doesn't sound like a lot, because you would pay a lot more for it in the store. but think about that + 20 hours worth of my time. that's a lot of value. plus, i'm cheap].

so here's the thing. the money is not the major deterrent in my not wanting to spring for the awesome fabric. it's more the, what if i mess up? or what if it doesn't even fit him well and he never wants to wear it in public? i would kick myself for splurging on the pique - that's the fabric that feels like heaven.

so then i thought, maybe i'll make the shirt out of a not-so-awesome fabric... and then, if i mess up, it's not a big deal. and if it doesn't fit him perfectly, it's not a big deal. and then i can know how to make a second shirt of perfection, which i can construct out of the fabric that better be laced with 24-carat gold thread for how much it costs. plus, i'll then have an instant christmas present.

but what if the first shirt turns out perfect? but i made it out of crappy fabric, so the boy definitely isn't going to want to show it off to anyone.

this post is way too long. and i have obviously put way too much thought into this.

so - for all you seamstresses out there [or you can pretend] - what would you do? have faith in your seamstress skills and go for the big girl fabric? or hope you have 20 more hours of sewing left in you to make the real deal after you do one for practice?

if you help me, i'll bring you a cupcake.

or mail it to you.

seriously, i have 40 sitting on my kitchen counter.


xoxo.
jana

7 left some love.:

Anonymous October 28, 2009 at 4:59 AM  

I would love you to bring me a cupcake. We miss you! You may not know this, but I made your dad a suit. My advice to you: Get the cheap fabric ... I bought very nice, very expensive material that wasn’t too much less than the price of a not so great suit, and I sewed my little heart out ... Your dad ripped the leg of the pants ... Buy the cheap stuff!

Anonymous October 28, 2009 at 5:03 AM  

What are you doing blogging at 1:25 AM. Go to sleep! Mom

Beck Family October 28, 2009 at 8:49 AM  

Uh Judy what are doing blogging at 4:59 AM. You Beck women's time clock must be off!! J/k.

I'd go for the cheap fabric too. I bet it will be a way complex project and if you buy the expensive fabric you'll feel even more pressure and stress for it to be perfect and you will definitely shed tears if you mess up. Go cheap, go expensive later. Good luck! The hoodie looks awesome, even in all its fuzziness.
FYI Jessica who won your photo shoot is my friend from Cali and she's the one I took family pics of a while back. You'll have ton of fun working with them. Have fun!!

Shauna October 28, 2009 at 10:29 AM  

Jana, look up joannes printable coupons, and use a 40% off coupon on the fabric. Thats what i do. I never pay full price for the fabric.

That way you get the fabric you want for the price that is right.

kristina October 28, 2009 at 12:33 PM  

go for the good stuff, you'll be fine:) and DONE with the Christmas gift for the boy.

Erin October 28, 2009 at 7:39 PM  

I know nothing about sewing but I do know that if you spend the money on the fabric the pressure to make it perfect will kill you and who needs that? Buy the cheap fabric for your first attempt and if it turns out great, do another one with the expensive fabric for Valentines Day.

I like yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. You already have my address. ;)

Kell & Anna October 30, 2009 at 4:17 PM  

Have you signed up for the JoAnn's email list? They send coupons!! kind of relatable, but also very different. I sewed Camden a Halloween costume this year, when I hadn't sewn for ages. I wanted to get the fake fur stuff b/c I wanted him to be soft in addition to cute. However, the store did not have the right color so I went with the very cheap on sale fleece. I was able to get lots of fabric in case I messed up (which I didn't and now have tons of extra), and did not have a headache while I was sewing it because it did not matter if I messed up!
BTW what class are you in?!