The Sewing Place

Would you..

Lyn-J

Re: Would you..
« Reply #30 on: June 21, 2018, 18:00:03 PM »
With these Minerva bloggers it a bit of a grey area. An individual blogging about their sewing is one thing but a business making money out of it is quite another. If she was with me in person I would suggest things she could do to improve her sewing.  A fair portion of the blame must lie with fabric.

Acorn

Re: Would you..
« Reply #31 on: June 21, 2018, 18:15:29 PM »
It would actually be so useful if she had said 'these are the things that went wrong and this is why'.  And that's why Fran would be an ideal blogger (although her rejects are something plenty of people would aspire to...  ;)  )
I might look as though I'm talking to you, but inside my head I'm sewing.

Bloobell

Re: Would you..
« Reply #32 on: June 22, 2018, 10:19:16 AM »
I've no problem with people being proud of something they make for themselves, even if it is not perfectly made and there are mistakes that are obvious to the more experienced.

I have problems when aforementioned "badly made" garments are put on a pedestal as something to aspire to.

I also have a problem when there's money involved.

I admit to having a fairly low tolerance threshhold for a certain former Sewing Bee contestant and her blog. It just seems that there is absolutely no critical eye when it comes to the designs and the garments made up from her "patterns". I saw one dress, made from her pattern by a member of her team, that had one sleeve inserted okay, and the other had been rotated in the socket so much, you could SEE the obvious twist. It was rotated back, if I rmember correctly. She'd obviously ignored all the notches (assuming there WERE any) and shoved it in just to get the dress finished.

And it was being presented as a garment to aspire to. It was wonderful. It was a gorgeous example of what can be achieved with her patterns.

No. It was a mess. It was probably really uncomfortable too, and it was something they ought to have spotted and corrected before they put it online. It's not hard to take a sleeve out and put it back in again, for Pete's sake.

A beginner sewist having a go and getting this result, I'd be cheering her on and saying "well done, but let's take a critical look at that sleeve, can you see it's not in the right place?".

A "professional" who's taking money off people should be doing it right.

UttaRetch

Re: Would you..
« Reply #33 on: June 22, 2018, 13:29:01 PM »
The problem with no honest feedback is that bad work is validated and the maker never improves because, hey, everybody loves what I do.

Holly Berry

Re: Would you..
« Reply #34 on: June 22, 2018, 14:11:15 PM »
Firstly let me applaud her for her enthusiasm. Her husband however sounds like mine, whenever I ask for his opinion, he tells you what he thinks you want to hear.

Personally I think it’s the wrong fabric, it’s too flimsy. She admits it’s got a lot of drape, so why use it on a pattern that doesn’t need it. It needs a heavier fabric or fully lining.

It doesn’t fit, the buttonholes/buttons aren’t even, the hem is atrocious and it doesn’t look like an iron has been near, let alone pressed it. However she’s achieved the style she wanted and the colour and style of buttons look good and she’s pleased with it.

It wouldn’t encourage me to buy from Minerva though   >:)


Procrastination get behind me

Sandra

Re: Would you..
« Reply #35 on: June 23, 2018, 14:27:52 PM »
She's done something funny with the centre back seam..does it really go straight through the facing piece?

Aaaargh...the hem. If she isn't able to do a good, neatly hand stitched hem, then she'd have been better doing a deep-ish machine stitched hem....and press it. Just press it...please.

But, she's happy with it and she feels good wearing it. Husband likes it. She's done the best she can, and practise makes perfect :)  I don't like unkindness but as has been mentioned...don't put it out on the internet if you can't cope with any criticism.

Sandra.
xxx

jen

Re: Would you..
« Reply #36 on: June 24, 2018, 14:25:22 PM »
It’s a bad choice of image to advertise your fabric, if only because it’s looking like one of those really uncooperative polys. On the upside, we get to see what that particular fabric is like. Someone more experienced would probably have made the fabric look a lot easier to handle.

Fabric Lover

Re: Would you..
« Reply #37 on: June 24, 2018, 23:31:04 PM »
My concern is that it may put off someone looking to take up sewing because they would not be prepared to be seen in an item so badly made. To hold an item up as a level to aspire to like this is not helpful.
Stitching in Staffordshire with Style! (Well hopefully anyway)

Snowgoose

Re: Would you..
« Reply #38 on: June 25, 2018, 11:08:29 AM »
It is a pretty  :frock: I admire the lady for having made it at all - braver than me  8) she is obviously delighted with it, happy wearing it, and surely that is all that matters?  A bit like wonky veg, absolutely fine, and so much nicer to wear 'me-made' :D

There is a lovely cut out scuba skirt made from Butterick B6326 on the blog which I think is so pretty, and achievable for me to make  :)

So Chic

Re: Would you..
« Reply #39 on: June 25, 2018, 16:52:10 PM »
I can't be the only one who has sewn something using a fabric that was totally unsuitable for the pattern.  I can remember and still cringe after 40 years about a dress I made using a lightweight boucle suiting and I think I wore it about twice.
So Chic
Bernina Artista 630, Bernina 800DL, Janome Cover Pro 1000CP and an elderly Singer Touch & Sew 720G as a back up

UttaRetch

Re: Would you..
« Reply #40 on: June 25, 2018, 17:13:31 PM »
I don't understand why the neck facing is so shockingly bad.

Efemera

Re: Would you..
« Reply #41 on: June 25, 2018, 19:33:07 PM »
I’ve just seen the post on the blog...I’ve sewn some real stonkers in my time but this is just beyond awaful..if this is the best she’s sewn then the mind boggles. I know she might be a beginner but don’t use it as something to aspire to.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Would you..
« Reply #42 on: June 25, 2018, 19:58:29 PM »
The more I see that dress the more I cringe. Of course we've all made bad choices of fabric for a pattern, we've all sewn something that in our own eyes is an abomination, we've all made something that's never seen the light of day. All of that is a big part of learning. None of us were "star bloggers", being given the fabric and notions for something in exchange for letting the retailer post our review on their website to entice people to purchase said items and make one of their own. She said she used a bodice she's used before-then why the back seam that even goes through the facing. See @Efemera s post before mine.

I'm pretty sure this gal is self taught completely. She probably learned all she knows from other blogs and YouTube.

About that hem. So y'all know that in couture they don't press the hems, right? So we can pretend she was using couture techniques there. The hand stitching though. Apparently she's skipped over the suggestions to test things before you do them on your fashion fabric.

I think we should all be able to wear things that we like that might not be technically proficient in execution. That's good. But not to use it as a sales tool unless what you are selling is sewing lessons and this is an example of why someone might want to take lessons. I do wish this young lady had a Mentor to coach her on technique. She has enthusiasm but good results require a bit more.

Oh- bad "me-made" is no better then bad RTW. Still bad. But trying, learning and doing, I applaud that.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

b15erk

Re: Would you..
« Reply #43 on: June 26, 2018, 09:04:23 AM »
Just to pile on the agony, the pleats are awful, and the seam at CF doesn't appear to line up.

She just shouldn't have put it out there if she didn't want the comment.

These things matter. 

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

jen

Re: Would you..
« Reply #44 on: June 26, 2018, 09:17:08 AM »
I still make stuff from fabric that is, shall we say, less than ideal. I think this happens more now because of the increased variety of fabrics, but mainly because of the increase in online purchases. Even getting a sample first (tedious process) isn’t the same as unrolling a length in a shop and seeing how it drapes and falls. There’s a dirth of info on sites. Probably it would be an impossibly lengthy process to photograph everything draped, and close up over something to see how opaque it was. These things are quickly established in a real shop.