Tuesday, September 22, 2009

How I Hate Button Holes, Let Me Count The Ways

So, yet again I have another fear blockage happening. I have got the skirt done for the new Steam Punk outfit for Steam-Con, mostly done. I guess I count done as all the main seams and just need to finish hemming. But I have been working on a shirtwaist, the 1909 Beatrix Shirtwaist by Sense and Sensibility, which so far has gone together fairly quickly. I only had to adjust on a seam a bit on the puffed sleeve, unlike other patterns of theirs where I have had to do a lot of adjusting.

Anyway, it's coming down to doing the bazillion button holes down the front. I dread this every time I have to do something like this. Why? Well, I have got a fairly new and good machine. It has a button hole feature. It is easier to do the button hole than on the old Pfaff. I guess it's the button hole gremlins. What is a button hole gremlin you may ask? It happens when you have done all the necessary prep for the perfect button hole. You find that after you have made up your practice pieces, you have perfectly wound up your bobbins so you can be consistent, go slow and all. And you will get a mutant button hole right in the middle of the blouse! Right where you will notice it. Or near the neck. The slubby monsters attack. The button hole mutates and then you must spend hours, if not days, picking it out.

So then, you procrastinate. You sew all the other bits that you can, you start several times, then walk away. I know, it is ridiculous. But it's blocking me right now. I only have a few weeks and gotta get it done. Now of course this migraine is not helping either.

Okay, I will practice with the practice bits, I will get past this road block. I will go forth.

2 comments:

canelure said...
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canelure said...

Oh yeah? Imagine how much those of us who can't use a sewing machine for anything other than a boat anchor hate buttonholes!

There is a simple reason they are called BUTTonholes; because if they were called by their real name, everything would fasten with frogs, hooks, or lace. I mean, who wants to sew an asshole on their shirt? (GR)