Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Which are You?

Most of our assumptions have outlived their uselessness.
~ Marshall McLuhan


Liberty fabric bias tape - isn't it gorgeous?


I bumped into one of my long-standing assumptions recently.  

The topic was bias tape.  

I'm not good at sewing bias tape.  You know that whole theory where one side is just the tiniest bit wider than the other side, so that when you fold it over the fabric and stitch in the ditch on the front side, your needle just perfectly catches the very edge of the bias tape on the back side?  

For me - eh, not so much...  

But my assumption was that everyone else has got the hang of this and can do it perfectly, and I'm the only person who still has trouble with it.  So it came as quite a surprise when 2 people commented on my post that they weren't keen on bias tape either!  

Now, you'd think I'd know better.  I am a research psychologist - the bell curve is my life.  In fact, I am routinely thwarted in my attempts to find groups who are at one extreme or the other of the curve (rather than near the middle)!  ;)

And yet, when it comes to my sewing, I just always assume that everyone else has moved past my struggles and I am alone at the lower end of the curve...  

I know some folks who suffer from the opposite affliction - it always used to amaze me when we took some guy rock climbing for the first time and he just took it for granted that if I (a middle aged woman) could climb something, then of course he could climb it too.  The thought that I had been climbing for years and he had never done it before apparently didn't factor into his reasoning.  

Until he tried to follow me up the wall, of course...  ;)

In fact, we're all wrong - I am not actually alone at the bottom of the curve in my sewing weaknesses and those guys weren't actually alone at the top of the curve in their awesome athletic prowess.  

Ideally, I'd like to have an accurate estimation of my sewing skills - neither too low, nor too high.  So, how about you?  Do you think you have an accurate estimation of your skills?  Or do you tend to underestimate or overestimate your place on the curve?  

12 comments:

  1. Typically I underestimate my sewing skills. Any single weakness in an area, like your bias tape experience attacks the whole. Foolish I know. I don't apply this to my students, so why would I apply it to myself?

    On the bias tape issue (which I love for the look more then the application) I was taught a trick which has served me well. While you are stitching in the ditch, use a fingernail on your left hand to check for the "ridge"(fold of bias edge)underneath. You can feel it and adjust accordingly. Much better then trying to sew it blindly. I am also not adverse to sewing one edge by hand either-lol

    BTW - I love your new look.

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    1. Hi Lynne! It's so funny to hear that you underestimate your skills, because YOU are one of the people I have in my mind when I think that everyone else's sewing is so perfect and mine is so weak... The pictures on your blog of your sewing are so perfect!

      It's also funny that you mention your students - so often I see friends being hard on themselves when I know that, if one of their friends were in the same spot, they'd be very supportive and forgiving. We can be so much harder on ourselves than we are on the people we care about...

      Thanks for the hint on the bias tape! I'll definitely try it next time! :)

      And thanks for the compliment on my new look. :)

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  2. Sewing, just like most things in life, is something you never stop learning. Just when you think you on top of your game, along comes another sewing technique, pattern, fabric that you haven't tried. As for your question, I think I'm realistic about my sewing skills. What I know, I think I do pretty well, but there's so much I don't know. Yet.

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    1. Good point, Gwen. You're never "done" learning how to sew - there's always more to learn and room to get better. If "I think I do pretty well" is another way of saying that your skills are awe-inspiring to many of us, then I'll agree that you are realistic. ;)

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  3. I always thought I was smack bang in the middle of average when it came to sewing skills. Then I started reading blogs & found people who I thought were "better" than I who had never sewn a knit or couldn't do an FBA or had no idea how to fit. That's when I started thinking that maybe I'm more advanced than I thought. Who knows.

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    1. Hi Alison - that's a good point - the internet really provides a huge opportunity for us to see what lots of other people are doing and that can change our opinion of our own sewing skills. It's easy to take for granted the things that you already know how to do and assume that everyone else can do them too...

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  4. I'm trying to figure out how to answer you question. Many years ago, 25, I sewed more complex garments so the skill set is or was there. Many of the types of garments I made then I don't make now because they don't fit my lifestyle. There's that word again!

    I don't feel that I underestimate my skills but am quick to admit that there are many things I've never done simply because I have no interest in learning that skill at this point But, never say never!

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    1. Hi Debbie - it sounds like you have a pretty realistic view of your skills - that's nice! I'm going to have to work on that for myself. ;)

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  5. At a much younger age I thought I was average. Therefore, everyone knew what I knew and thought what I thought. Oh, so very wrong. After tumbling from the peak of the bell curve, I have given myself more and less credit as needed. As a lifelong sewer (see, if I was cool, I'd say sewist)......sewing has radically changed in the last years. Luckily wonderful blogs are sharing experience and guiding readers toward success with details and tutorials. My ego says hell yeah, I can make anything. My technical side agrees, but snickers at the fit and the hasty hem. Love your blog.

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    1. Hi Mrs. W. - thanks for the comment and the compliment! :)
      It's interesting how you and several others brought up time/age as a factor - we do think about the world and our place/role in it differently as we grow and gain experience, don't we?
      Let's call it "gaining wisdom", shall we? ;)
      And I agree - the internet has had a huge, positive impact on our sewing community! :)
      Thanks again for chiming in and sharing your thoughts! :)

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  6. I use a bias binder attachment foot just like this on my Babylock. Perfect every time! I've ordered from this seller before and they provide good service.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Binder-Presser-Foot-Feet-for-Brother-Sewing-Machine-/150658390313?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2313f09929

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    1. Ooh! Thanks for the advice, Patsijean! I'll definitely look into this! :)

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