mary-masked

Calling in the Calvary

Published: May 3rd 2017, 4:19:47 pm

I'm  always a little surprised when people say I'm a great seamstress,  mostly because I'm not. I've made some great costumes but not because I  could sew well, more because I was crazy. I'm also pretty good at gluing shiny stuff over the mistakes I've made or otherwise jerry-rigging things to look good enough from 10 feet away.

So sometimes people say I'm a great seamstress, usually when recommending me to make a costume for someone else and I want to say "Are you crazy? no one should pay me to do this!" but then I remember that most  people think any kind of sewing is magic. So I just mumble "thanks" or  "I know someone else who would be great for this project."

I grew up in a costume shop so I know that sewing isn't magic. Rather it's a combination of hard work, immeasurable patience, and a vast array of technical knowledge. I have small fraction of that knowledge and even less of the required patience, which is why a pretty great idea is currently this tragic regresty candidate.

This is the result of a difficult fabric choice, my limited knowledge of patterning, and a mannequin that is not close enough to my body to make something that fits *super* well. And I'm glad that I was sensible enough to see that my reach had far exceeded my grasp this time. It was time to bring in the ringer.

I'm lucky enough to know a number of *actually* skilled people and I took this to the professional costumer I assist sometimes. It'll be an easy fix for him, though he was already planning to send me angry texts for my choice of fabric and zipper. And my time will be freed up to do the other crazy stuff I have planned for this costume.