“Fail February” and It’s Getting Easier to Say Goodbye

Happy February, everyone! I see we have all survived January… high five! Now onto a new month… I’m not sure if February is most people’s favorite month what with most people in cooler climates being sick of winter and looking forward to spring. Plus V-Day isn’t high on the list of favorite holidays from what I see. So, in the spirit of February being kind of a “blah” month (sorry for those who have birthdays this month!), I want to deem my blog posts this month in the spirit of Fail February!

I can’t quite locate the exact moment in time or the post, but the idea of Fail February came about last year when I was whining about a project that didn’t go right. With the help of some commenters, we jokingly said there should be a Fail February in the sewing world. So many bloggers post all of the awesome things they sew, but tend to shy away from posting about the fails. Well, not everyone is perfect and in order to be a good sewist, you have to have those fails so you can learn from them. Fail February can be a time where we swallow our pride and show off our projects that didn’t go right. What do you say? Are you with me?! Let’s do this!!

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Last year, I donated some of my handmade clothes for the first time. It was difficult to decide which ones would make the cut, but in the end, I don’t miss any of them (sorry, not sorry!).

Ever since Freya joined the group and I started making more tried-and-true patterns, I’ve gotten faster at sewing. That means my free closet space has been dwindling. Alas, it became time for yet another closet culling.

Last time, I donated 10 pieces. This time, I’m up to 15! It’s hard to believe I got rid of 25 handmade pieces (not counting gifts) and still have almost half a closet full of me-made items. I’ve been a busy little sewing bee.

In the spirit of my last donation post, I’ll pay homage to these pieces by reflecting on them and then finally saying goodbye.

1. [Unblogged] View C of McCall’s M6359 – I had such high hopes for this poor thing. I wanted a cool tunic top to wear over leggings, but this just didn’t work. It was my first rodeo with a McCall’s knit pattern and I didn’t understand that I needed to size wayyyy down in order to get the right fit. It ended up being way too big and in an effort to make the ginormous neckline look better, I ruched it with elastic. It looks better on My Lovely Sidekick than it did on me, so out it goes.

2. [Unblogged] Sparkly Circle Scarf – I made this for a friend’s “Sparkle Party” a few years ago. It’s a really pretty knit fabric with bits of silvery glittery fibers. It didn’t get worn a lot because it was a little itchy and I have a TON more scarves that get more wear.

3. [Unblogged] Retro Polyester Purple Dress – This dress was cute enough, but the semi-see-through polyester fabric and shapelessness didn’t do much for me. I have better summer dresses around. Goodbye!

4. [Unblogged] Christmas Leggings – These were only worn once at a Christmas party. I learned I needed more than 30% stretch in a knit fabric in order to have comfortable leggings. I could barely bend my knees in these.

5. [Unblogged] Second Leggings I’ve Ever Made – These got a decent amount of wear, but I’ve since made a pair with an almost identical fabric using a pattern drafted to my own measurements that fit way better. This pair was made with McCall’s M6173 and were a little baggy around the knees.

6. Asymmetrical Hems, Ahoy! (Part 1) – I adore this fabric, but not the top. I’ve come to learn asymmetrical hip danglies make me look very wide. Nobody wants that! Bye!

7. Asymmetrical Hems, Ahoy! (Part 2) – I cut off one hip dangly to see if it helped with the wide-hip problem. Nope, it didn’t. Goodbye!

8. Flowery Renfrew – This does not have a flattering color and it is way too short. The knit also doesn’t have enough stretch to make it comfortable around my bulging biceps, so this one’s gotta go!

9. The Vogue Shirt of Doom! – I never reached for this in my closet and the armholes almost cut off my circulation. ‘Tis a shame, the fabric was so pretty. 😦

10. Bridal Brunch Dress – This one was hard to let go because it came with fond memories. But the fabric got a little too bulky and the waist was not flattering (probably because I graded it too big or wrong). I figured it was OK to let this one go since I made better use of the scrap fabric here. Less is definitely more with this fabric.

11. Summery Summer Dress – I got a good bit of wear out of this dress; however, it’s a little too girly and sweet for my taste.

12. [Unblogged] Maxi Skirt – This was my first maxi skirt using Simplicity 1616. It was a little tight around the hips and the fabric was a little cheap. My second maxi skirt fits loads better and has more substantial fabric.

13. The Dress of High Hopes and Huge Disappointment – I think my face and the name says it all. Peace out, crappy dress!

14. Silky Purple Preggers Dress – This was a super cute dress, but no one wants to look very pregnant or have cheap polyester fabric clinging to them in all the wrong places (thanks, super Arizona static cling!).

15. [Unblogged] Swimsuit Cover Up – I made this using a tutorial from a sewing blog (forgot which one, sorry!). It’s basically a rectangle with a hole cut out for the head and two seams on either side to make fluttery sleeves. I wore it to a swim party once and it was OK enough, but now I have a cuter swimwear cover-up pattern… the Mojave from Seamwork Magazine! Plus, I don’t go swimming a whole lot here in Arizona. I know, it sounds weird not to in the desert, but we don’t have a pool and swimming parties are few and far between among us busy adults.

I have to admit it feels good to get rid of these. The more I sew, the more I learn about what is right for me and which fabrics to use. Plus, it leaves more room in my closet to fill up with new, shiny projects!

I know in my last culling post, most of you said you didn’t have the heart to get rid of your handmade stuff. How do you feel about it now? Have you made the leap and donated? I encourage you to participate in Fail February and pay homage to those pieces that just didn’t work out for you… and maybe they can be donated and be enjoyed by someone else! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure and all that jazz. 🙂

‘Til next time… I’ll be back with a sweater that failed so hard, I’m thinking about throwing it in the donation pile NOW!

-RED