Creativebug It’s happened to all of us: You finish sewing a seam only to realize something is facing the wrong direction. Or you come home to a half-finished garment that’s become your toddler’s art project. Your scissors become possessed. Or your sewing machine blows up.
We feel you.
We asked our Sewing Corner community to share their best sewing disasters and because they’re awesome people, they did. Here are some of our favorites, so please enjoy/cringe/laugh along with us. Names have been removed to preserve the anonymity and pride of our beloved posters:
Sewing Things to…Things
Stitched my clothing to the project. Only realized when I stood up. Doh.
When I was a girl I was embellishing my doll’s dress and sewed it to myself! Oh and the time at art college (I studied fashion textiles) I sewed through my actual finger on an industrial sewing machine! That hurt.
I was making my daughters prom dress (years ago), and the sewing machine needle went through my finger. I was more worried about getting blood on the expensive fabric.
Sewing over my finger and didn’t realize the tip of the needle broke off under my fingernail. Two weeks later it worked its way out. Painful two weeks!
Rookie Mistakes
When I was starting out I thought I would add inches to cutting out my patterns…just in case. Ended up I could fit two of me in it and had no idea how to take it in! I’m a bit better now.
Didn’t cut enough pieces so had to go find the fabric to cut some more. Sewed wrong side to right side. Pinned fabric to carpet because my table is to small. Ironed non-sewable fusible webbing to project, tried to sew it and jammed up needle.
Made a dress out of beautiful watermelon pink washed rayon and made all the pattern markings with an air erasable pen. Only it wasn’t. And never did.
Pick one:
A. The Exploding Draperies
B. The Vanishing Shears
Recently got a fabric strip cutter. Cut three of fourteen yards of five inch wide strips. They were a quarter inch too narrow. Had to go buy more fabric.
Made an appliqué cushion, it took ages, and was quite detailed. I finished it, and really liked it, but needed to trim a couple if threads…and I cut a huge hole right in the middle of the base fabric! Had to do the whole thing again.
My Dog Ate My Sewing
Watching my sewing machine crash to the floor as a result of my two dogs playing chase under the table!
Spent 3 weeks making a floor length tulle frilled Spanish style dress. Puppy arrived at the client’s house and destroyed in 20 mins.
I was using my serger to sew a pair of pants. It was raining out and then a crack of thunder came. My dog came running under my feet and sat on the serger pedal. So much for the pants I was making.
Don’t sew when your dog is tired. Just saying.
Backwards, Upside Down and Inside Out
I sewed the perfect zipper after 45 years of trying and it was put in backwards
Made a bucket bag and sewed the handles inside between the lining and main fabric! Doh.
When I first started I was sewing, I made some shorts for my son. They had sharks as design and one leg was fine…but the other was upside down.
Had a cloud fabric with rain drop and I managed to do the dress before realizing that it was raining up…
Wedding Woes
Down to the wire on a ring bearers pillow when disaster struck. Had to beg a bridal shop to sell me display. Pillow lasted longer than marriage…
I made the flower girl dress for my son’s wedding. While taking the basting out I accidentally cut a 1-1/2 in whole in the silk chiffon overskirt. I cried for hours.
Was making a wedding dress for a friend, cut all the pieces out, put them all inside a plastic bag. Next day was ready to sew. I couldn’t find the bag, my mother in law from italy had thrown it in the garbage she thought it was trash!Trash truck had already taken the trash, had to go buy more fabric.
Made bridesmaid dresses for 6 bridesmaids and then at the last minute was asked to make a flower girl dress. At the very end of the project something happened with my poor old machine and it sprayed oil all over the white satin of the dress, the day before I was to deliver the dress to the rehearsal at the church. I frantically called my drycleaner, explaining the problem and that the dress was white satin with a red satin underskirt, and they said they would try. I dropped it off on my way to work that morning and prayed. After work, I picked the dress up to head to the church with goo or bad news, and lo and behold my wonderful drycleaner got the oil stains out and didn’t bleed the red satin onto the white! Whew!
You can see all the stories (and add your own) on the original post here.