Making Mistakes

When I was still in school and taking my favorite sewing classes, I was usually the one in the class that was ahead of everyone else; not because I was any better (hardly), but because I am a fast sewer, and fast sewers usually don't stop and think about what they are doing and ask a million questions a few steps in advance in order to always be prepared for the next 20 steps. I'm sure I annoyed Dr. Burnham to no end on some days, but by the time I graduated she did tell me I was a joy to teach because I was adventurous in my sewing. I was fearless.

Yesterday I was thinking about what I was doing with some trepidation because I had no teacher for answers to my questions. Making my fist jacket pattern will inevitably be only a test run for the next jacket, and the next, and the next. There are definitely a few kinks to work out. But that is just what sewing clothing is-- it's all an experiment for the next project. Designers don't have just ONE end-all-be-all collection-- sewing and design is a living, growing creature of mistakes, triumphs, and overall learning. Sometimes I get really frustrated with the fact that I'll never really be finished. Sometimes it excites me. It has been a hard pill to swallow for sure. 

I'd like to point out today a few mistakes I made so far on my jacket so I know what to do for next time:

My collar turned out kind of weird. I messed up where the collar should end and the seam allowance on Center Front should begin. I'll be fixing this for next time, for sure. But right now, it may look kind of cool- i'm still deciding. 

I chose this lining for my jacket solely because of the print, and wasn't really thinking about how see-through it is. Now when I take off my jacket, the world will be able to see all the clipped seams and interfacing! Wonderful! Lesson learned: don't use chiffon for jacket lining. It's just weird (but houndstooth and leopard = genius).