Ah, there's nothing like curling up with a good pattern to read.We made it to the end of another work week and it's time for a Fun Friday poll. But in order to set up this week's poll, I must first share with you, dear readers, an episode of sewing bullying that happened to me long ago.
The scene: Late 1970's, a rental home Lindsay is sharing with two of her college suitemates—Lisa and Kathy. It's the summer before the girls' junior year of college and they have decided they'd rather stay in town and work than go home and live with their respective parents for the summer. When Lindsay is not working as a reservations agent for a hotel, she's sewing, being the shy nerd that she is. Lisa and Kathy are classic party animals.
The three girls are sitting at the kitchen table. Lindsay is reading the directions for a pattern she wants to make, a pink zip velour hoodie that's an early precursor to Juicy Couture's line.
Lindsay: "You know, I really like to read pattern directions."
Silence around the table. Lisa and Kathy look at each other with incredulous expressions, then simultaneously burst into wild, raucous laughter.
Kathy: "You like to read patterns?! What are you, crazy?!" More laughter by Kathy and Lisa.
Lisa: "Hey Kathy, read any good patterns lately?!" Continued laughter from Kathy and Lisa. [Note: Variations of this last line will be repeated often throughout the summer, as in "Hey, Lindsay, I need something to read. Got any good patterns? Ha ha ha."]
The two guffaw for several more minutes, while Lindsay silently wonders why her enjoyment of reading patterns is so amusing to these two idiots, and, more important, what the hell she is doing rooming with them. Seriously though, doesn't everyone like to read patterns?
Bet you had no idea sewing bullying existed. This little episode from my past brings us now to the topic of this week's poll, which was suggested by Marji via an email she sent me earlier this week: Read any good patterns lately? More to the point, what source do you rely upon most often to provide you with directions or instructions when you need help with your sewing? Are you like me, mostly turning to the pattern instructions when you can't proceed on your own? Or do you rely on sewing books or message boards to get you through sewing roadblocks? Maybe you go back to the lessons you took from a sewing class? Take the poll at right and let us know the source you turn to when you need help.
Results from last week's poll about the pattern company we would miss the most if it were going out of business tomorrow: This was a close race all week long between BWOF and Vogue, but Vogue pulled ahead at the end, capturing 35 percent of the votes (BWOF had 31 percent). Here are the results:2nd place: BWOF
3rd place: Simplicity
4th place: Burda, Butterick and "Other" tie
5th place: Ottobre, Kwik-Sew and New Look tie
6th place: McCall's
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People or companies deserving shout-outs this week:
1. Marji, for organizing and running the Great Coat Sewalong. This thing has turned into a blogging phenomenon! Let's all send good thoughts her way so she doesn't regret this huge undertaking. THANKS, Marji!
2. Hot Patterns, for their customer service. Two weeks ago I mailed an HP pattern to the company hoping to exchange it for another pattern. After waiting and waiting for it to arrive I gave up and sent an email to them. Turns out it never got there. I, with my trust in the U.S. mail, had no tracking information so I figured that was that. I sent another email saying ok, let me know if it ever does show up. And Jeremy of HP replied, writing: "Nothing has showed up here, we must presume it has gone missing, however unfortunate as that is I won't leave you without a pattern, what would you like?" Hey, let's hear it for good old-fashioned customer service! (Now, what pattern should I order?)••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Big weekend plans here—putting name labels in the clothing my son is taking to sleepaway camp. Oh joy. This is my first time sending a kid to sleepaway camp and I had no idea what an ordeal purchasing and getting all of the stuff together would be. Hope you have better weekend plans than me!
(Bonnie tagged me for the latest meme that's going around. I'll try to post my answers in the next few days, I promise!)
20 comments:
Oh, you're so not alone here. Yes, I read patterns. I read sewing books for entertainment, too, along with way too many sewing blogs - technical and otherwise. I read cookbooks. And somehow in there I still manage to find enough time to read a decent amount of fiction, but I don't always get as much from it these days.
Once I figured out how much faster a project moves with a "pre-read", it became a necessary step somewhere prior to threading the machine. Yesterday I picked up 2 books at the library, 1 on serging and 1 on leather, and ordered a book from Amazon today about working with knits (Thanks to Anne at Gorgeous Fabrics). Now, if only these math tests would grade themselves, I could get some sewing done!
Nice poll. Hard choice between internet resources and sewing books. I learn so much from both.
I agree that Hot Patterns have the best CS ever.
Last year they mistakenly sent me an order twice. To France, too, meaning there was a $11 shipping cost on top of the pattern. I only got charged once. When I emailed them about it and offered to send them back, they told me to offer the patterns on my blog!!
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As for reading patterns, ah, they are part of my bedside table reading material.
If I need more help than the pattern directions can give me, I go to sewing books. And yes, I also read patterns the way other people read magazines. Doesn't everyone?
Your story made me laugh. And it was timely too. I had to go pick up my DD. What did I take to read while I was waiting for her? Yep, the instructions for three patterns! You forgot to all of the above to your poll, because when I hit a roadblock, I do all of the things you listed. Talk about overkill! But I want to make sure I get all the information I can to then decide what to do.
I always read the pattern directions first, before ever cutting into a project. And I love to study patterns, especially "vintage" patterns for their techniques. Sewing Diva Georgene got me hooked on that. But if I hit a roadblock, my trusty 1980 edition of Vogue Sewing is the first thing I turn to.
I always have a look at the instructions on the way home from the shop! I have occasionally even bought patterns partly on the grounds of the instructions (e.g. if there's a choice between a Threads pattern and a similar non-Threads one for the same price, I'll go for the Threads one as they have tips and things. I also like the Simplicity retro patterns which have a snippet of fashion history. Goodness knows what your old roommates would make of me...
I enjoy reading pattern instructions too - I often take them with me if I'm going somewhere and will have some time to kill. :)
So, I just tagged you for a meme on my blog, http://afterthedress.blogspot.com, and then came here to let you know, only to find out that someone beat me to it! Drat! ;)
Amen on the HP customer service! Last year they accidentally sent me one wrong pattern in my order, and just told me to keep that and then sent me my correct one on top of it. As it turned out, my mom (who was acting as my maildrop) really loved the mistake pattern the most out of the whole order so she got to keep it for herself! :)
I love reading pattern directions. When I bring new patterns home, I feel just like I do when I bring new books home...I can't wait to dig in!
I like to read so I read all the directions, but that doesn't mean I follow them:-) My brain comes first, then the books, and finally the internet. If I have a similar item in RTW I study that too.
Back in the 1970s the patterns were worth their weight in gold. They were great sewing lessons, especially the Vogue patterns. Whenever I get a new pattern, once I get to the car I have to read the directions before I can leave the parking lot.
When I was using the commuter rail to get to work I used read to them them on the train. I got many curious and occasionally envious looks!
Yup, another pattern reader here too. I also used to read sewing books from cover to cover, over and over. You know the ones...Sandra B's, Claire S, fitting, tailoring, etc. I don't do that much anymore..although I should!!
Hotpatterns, hands down the best customer service (well..I can't leave out Ann-Gorgoeous fabrics too). I love Jeremy & Trudy (and Ann).
This weeks pole was good and hard as I go to sewing books and to online sources. I did vote online sources since that's the 1st place I look.
Sometimes I buy a pattern just to read the directions, knowing I will likely never make it (the Vogue RRucci dress is my latest indulgence)...now how bad is that?
Your note about camp reminded me when my kids (now in college) went away. The first year I diligently sewed labels into all items.....the kids hated the tags, wanted them removed....and I found that marking the clothes in an inconspicuous place (inside neckband of a tee or on the waistband of underpants/boxers e.g.) with a permanent marker did great and was a lot quicker. They grow up too fast.ML
I read patterns, too, just to see how things are made. I'm curious. As a child, I read the "Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing" book quite a bit. I know that is a bit strange, but I think I've read that old 70's edition half a dozen times or more. I really should have become a professional seamstress and not a science teacher!
Hi all. There seems to be some kind of technical difficulty with Blogpoll right now, so this week's poll is not appearing. Sorry about that! Please check back later to cast your vote.
I read those sheets too. A lot. Still. Even in my spare time these days. I'm such a geek. But your post also reminded me of my college days--virtually the only girl to bring a sewing machine with her to the dorm. I ended up sewing all the arm bands for my sorority pledge class. Then a year later, someone asked, "Who sewed those curtains?" (at the sorority house). Someone responded, "Oh, Kat made those." Uh, NO!!! I didn't! I wouldn't make such ugly curtains in my life. To get (dis)credit for my sewing skills LOL! I mean, I do have *some* taste.
I feel like such a wiener admitting this after reading all these replies but, more often than not, I don't bother reading the instructions ahead of time. I'm too impatient to be reading when I could be doing. Has this ever backfired on me? Sure, but not often enough to make me change my ways!
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