May I start out by saying that after all the patterning, measuring, tracing, cursing, cutting, assembling, cursing, pinning, basting, seaming, cursing, seam-ripping, cursing, re-seaming–and cursing, did I mention cursing?– that goes into a garment like this, I am just happy that it is in the shape of a shirt at all!
But really, I feel overall pretty good about this, whether or not I feel like it is a “final product.” Here are a few glamour shots of me wearing it so we can look at the pros and cons:
Front View:
Not too bad from this angle. Some mild pinching at the corners of the black, but much better than last time. Some puckering near the armpits. I got the high collar I wanted (it actually has excess height to trim!).
I really need to clean that mirror.
Angled 1:
Mismatch between the front and back black at the waist. Same for the sleeve meeting the torso, but it actually forms kind of a cool point, almost.
Angled 2:
Much better match between the front and back at the waist. Still not so great at the sleeve/torso, but not horrible. There’s a particularly rough puckered spot at the chest, where the black takes a corner that should have been a curve.
Arm Mismatch: Don’t know what the heck happened there. Sheesh.
Back view:
So close with matching the black from the sleeve to the top of the back. But the seams across the top of the back and down the sleeve are pretty smooth, eh?
Lessons Learned & How to Apply Them
Lesson 1: Pattern Making, Marking, and Matching
In the course of this shirt remake, I think I discovered that a lot of my biggest sewing challenges have to do with the pattern I am starting with and translating it to the fabric. Part of that is getting more experienced at just planning and implementation, but even beyond that, making a good pattern, and then marking the important spots and measurements and transferring those markings and guides to the fabric pieces for better matching.
Lesson 2: Checklists for the Basics
I’ve read that one of the greatest and most important advances in medicine–surgery in particular, I believe–was the introduction of checklists. Many disciplines use checklists. Pilots, for example, have a pre-flight checklist. I worked in a residential treatment facility for teens where we used checklists for our important daily tasks.
Checklists are a simple form of genius. They allow us to package careful and deliberate thinking at an ideal time when we can focus on the big picture and the details. We organize and record those thoughts when we are not right in the middle of a situation, using the knowledge of others in addition to our own experience (and mistakes) as a guide. And then, when we are the midst of the situation or activity, if we have a good checklist, the only thing we really have to remember is to look at the checklist!
I am really good at making stupid mistakes. Over and over. I am the “don’t let this happen to you” motivational example for why one should use checklists.
I was making Spidey Shirt 2.o, and it came time to baste and sew the first sleeve onto the torso. I carefully laid it out, pinned and baste-stitched. I examined my work, pleased with how I had distributed the fabric of each piece smoothly along the curve. And then I proceeded to tensely stitch the seam on the machine, again careful of the curve. I really wanted that curve to turn out well! I pulled the shirt off the machine and took a look. What a beautiful seam!
It was really too bad that I had sewed the sleeve on wrong side out. (Insert cursing here.)
Luckily, I was able to rip out the seam (that beautiful seam…) and redo it. But something like that wrong side out sleeve, and things like the mismatched black portions on the shirt…those kinds of things could have been avoided if I had double checked some pretty simple issues, and a checklist is probably my best bet for doing that, especially while I am still learning. There are just so many details to worry about, and while you’re worrying about details A and B, detail C is escaping your attention!
Lesson 3: Slow Down
I know it’s a mite cliche, but like checklists, there is a simple genius in just taking your time. And–also like checklists–this is a lesson that I very much need to apply. I get very–I guess driven is the word. And sometimes frustrated. And when I am driven or frustrated, I just want to gloss over, i.e. skip, important steps. or I just rush through something because it’s not my favorite part and I want to get to the good part.
The longer I sew (I mean, I’ve been doing it for, like, weeks now), the more I make myself slow down, partly because I am tired of seeing things turn out like crap because I got into a rush. But I also find that if I push, I don’t enjoy the activity as much, and if the point of all this time and investment in my Costume Quest isn’t enjoyment, then I’m not sure what the point is.
A big part of slowing down is taking breaks. Sometimes it’s just setting down the sewing project to go eat, or work out, or watch TV, or do neglected housework. And sometimes it’s going for an overnight trip for my girlfriend’s birthday. Which is what we are going to do later this morning.
I could probably take the sewing machine, but somehow I think that would be a bad idea, relationship-wise.
Up Next: First, the Beach! Then, applying recent lessons and experience to making a mask.
Spider-Man Mashup Cosplay Costume: 