Friday, January 1, 2010

When you can see the lights of the oncoming train at the end of the tunnel...

In certain categories, and perhaps only in those categories, I have been around the block enough times to recognize the lights of the oncoming train at the end of the tunnel.

I think the sewing project I am about to commence is made up of those lights.

It starts out by advertising on the package that instructions are enclosed.

I bought it

I read the instructions.

Let us just say...that I am rather glad indeed that I know enough to know that when it not exactly crashes and burns, but, rather, does not meet expectations, it will not be my fault, but the fault of a faulty plan based on simplicity at the expense of do-ability.

The parts of the instructions that should be there, but aren't, I can figure out for myself, or at least make a decision on myself. When there are four ways to do something and the way most likely to end you up with a bunchy, squunchy seam is the one provided, well, you can decide to go with that least common denominator, or you can substitute, here and there, for the inferior technique. And when you actually know there are four ways to do it you don't have to blame yourself if, doing it their way, you get the mess that could logically have been expected.

I would feel that new sewers should be warned, except that in my experience newbies don't actually notice how horribly things turn out, so long as they stay stuck together.

Warning - garments printed on a piece of cloth to be cut out and sewn are unlikely to be of couture quality...