When I saw Burda Style's open call talent search for The Next Sewing Star I thought, "Why not?" I've been improving my sewing skills over the last 5 years and have had sewing knowledge for over twenty-five years since my mom taught me all the craft arts. Surely, I am a sewing star!
According to the official rules, the entry video must showcase my skills, using their script which was centered around The Charlie Reusable Grocery Bag. Although I hadn't made the Charlie Bag before, I had seen many of the 163 other members' posts of the bag and their variations (a couple of great versions HERE and HERE), and I knew it was a very simple pattern. I can always use another grocery bag, so before focusing on a video entry, I downloaded the pattern & basic instructions, as well as the instructions for the serger version, and got to work.
The Charlie is such a simple pattern with clean lines. Although I'd never actually made a bag before, I was motivated to try something new. As I worked my way through the construction steps I had visions of the final product and imagined applying an iron-on logo to the front or adding some trim to the edges, or maybe giving the bag a contrast lining. I could make one for each member of family with their initials embroidered on the front or modify the design and create a glam.spoon tote for customers! My mind was racing as I cut out the pattern pieces and then the fabric. I decided to use my serger for the whole project because it would be so quick, and it was. 40 minutes from downloading to stuffing it with groceries for a photo shoot!
I filled my new Charlie with groceries and hung it on the coat rack, then took a step back and looked at my creation. Hmmm. Why would anyone want to put their arm through the holes lengthwise? That doesn't seem right. I took a few photos and then removed the groceries and attempted to turn the whole thing inside out and pack it up neatly in its little pouch again. Hmmm. I guess I was supposed to sew the pouch with right sides facing so that when the bag was inside the pouch, you'd actually see the right side of the fabric.
I went back to the pattern and instructions, looking a little more closely this time, and then I took a second look at photos of other people's Charlie Bags. In my haste, I sewed the wrong pair of handles together (which is why the bag looks like a tee shirt with the bottom hem sewn shut). Not a huge deal, but still a tiny blow to my ego. I consoled myself with "It was my first try, after all."
For my entire life, I have forged ahead with mere intuition, flying by the seat of my pants and thumbing my nose at rules and instructions. When I was learning to knit as a child, I would sit right next to my mother on the couch, our needles clicking away and my mom would periodically inspect my work. If I had dropped a stitch or purled when I should have knitted, she'd see it immediately. Then she'd say "You'll have to take those last 9 rows out and fix that before you go any further." To which I'd reply, "That's OK, I like that it's different."
I can't explain my resistance to re-doing something or fixing a flaw, but I've come to accept the fact that THAT is exactly who I am. A non-conformist of the most harmless kind. I don't even see these deviations as mistakes, but rather, as opportunities for inventive design. Sometimes it doesn't work, but more often than not, it does. I end up with something I might not have dreamed up had I not sewn the seams inside out or used the wrong thread color. It's no surprise that I am more of a designer than a sewing star, but I'm OK with that.
If you think YOU'RE the next sewing star, I encourage you to click over to BurdaStyle and enter the contest yourself! Submissions are due by January 24th.
