What's Holding You Back.

June 26, 2025

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about problems and having a good mindset to get to a solution-type thinking.  This is a little different.  This is where you may feel that you don't have all the knowledge you might need to finish a project, so you don't even start it.  

Often, that can be simply because the project has many MANY steps, and that in itself makes the project look daunting; however, when you look at the steps, they are all simple. The same thing happens with patterns that have lots of pieces. After you get used to these patterns, you realize that those many pieces mean that the fit will be much better.  

But I'm talking about something different here.  Something that you might not be aware of.  When I was taking piano lessons from the best teacher in town (and that's relative, cause the town I grew up in was about 5,000, so this wasn't like studying under Liszt or Beethoven or something)!  But my teacher and I had a push-and-shove type of relationship.  When I first went to my teacher, she played Solfeggietto by C. P. E. Bach, by one of J. S. Bach's sons.  It's a fun, quick piece, and it's a showy one, which appealed to me then.  My piano teacher played it for me, and I immediately said I wanted to learn that.  She said fine, but we must do some fingering exercises first - Czerny, the bane of every piano student out there.  Scales and scales of dry notes are nothing fancy or exciting; just up and down the scales using the correct finger for each key.  ICK!  Who wanted to do that?  But I finally said OK, and after one book (bored to tears), my piano teacher thought she would foist another book of those boring ole finger exercises on me. Oh No!  I sat there, stared her down, and said, "We made a deal that you would teach me Solfeggietto if I did a book of boring finger exercises."  She finally relented, much to her chagrin.  I came in the next week for my lesson, handed her the music, promptly sat down, extremely proud of myself, and played the piece by memory!  

Secretly, I think she was elated because it had been so long since she had a student with such verve.  She also knew the key to motivating me.  I was pretty much an open-book person - still am.  Although we had arguments, and I like to play Bach schmaltzy and Chopin even more schmaltzy, we got along and ended with great respect for each other.  

After a year of classes, other students began to take from her.  This was probably the baby boomers who were interested in their kids learning as much as possible.  So my teacher started a class on theory.  MUSIC THEORY - ugh - that sounded worse than finger exercises.  But my teacher knew we needed it; therefore, the class would be taught.  There's more to learning music than just practicing.  And theory was the next step.  This was another one of those push-and-pull moments to get me to come to theory class, but I loved it after I learned it.  

Music makes sense because certain patterns are true to all music.  Music tells a story, and it has a start (in the tonic chord) and then development (in a 6th minor 7th or a 3rd minor 7th) and then it's resolved (usually through a 4th or 5th major 7th and back to the tonic).  This sounds like a lot of hooey, but there's a lot of sense to it.  Plus, learning all the chords in the octave, can pretty much write a song.  This is what music theory teaches.  The most magical part is learning how to change keys - it's called key modulation.  You often hear this from an accomplished organist cause it's a way for the organist to show their stuff.  Here's an excellent example of that.

So what's all the music talk?  My teacher didn't know what I knew (she didn't know if I knew theory, but suspected I didn't).  But she knew I needed to know about it.  She knew I would do something more with my music than play some pieces.  And I did.  In my small town, I would come home from college and play the organ for many churches  during the summer so the local organists could go on vacation.  I could also take that theory and do really showy key modulations for singing the last verse.  Congregations loved it, but I was back in school in the fall, so the organists' jobs were safe.  Since then, I've used music theory to do a lot of fun stuff on the piano  

I'm much the same way here.  I enjoy gently but confidently pushing my students into new things. I do have a couple of local students who I know need some techniques that I would like to teach them, but they are happy where they are. It's a little like taking a horse to water—you can't make them drink, or they will drown!  

I enjoy pushing you all and hope you feel challenged.  I'm constantly challenging myself, from my tool and denim jacket (BTW, the shop has some "suede-type" fabric that I'm printing these on to make my jacket), to thinking about working through dull and boring projects (usually timeless classics) that are like my old finger exercises. Still, once you have them in your closet, you think you can use about five more of them.  Right now, I'm in a white blouse deficit.  I have about 5 blouses, but they are all problems.  One is a waist tie for my Chanel jacket (but it has a killer collar), and another is a perfect length for all my jackets - short and long.  While another has huge cuffs that remind me of the Flying Nun!

The cuffs need to be cut down, and the blouse would be much more useful.  They are French cuffs with extended tips.  It was fun to prove I could do it, but the fun's over now, and I need classic.  Another is a silk white blouse, which is fine for dress-up, but I want a working white shirt that I can wear with everything.  But dang it!  These classic clothes are a pain because they are so boring to make.  I also need a black ponte jacket.  Have the fabric and all cut out, but again, boring to make.  

When I was learning how to sew, it wasn't in a classroom-type environment.  It was a group of ladies who met once a week in their spare time to piddle with something till it was finished.  Not me.  I was sewing at least 4 or 5 projects a week, and after I finished them, I would look at my teacher and say, "Teach me more!"  I left it to her to tell me what I needed to learn more.  Toward the end of learning, I knew I was learning about everything I needed, except one thing: tailored jackets.  I was scared to death of those notched collars, getting the collar to roll correctly.  I knew enough to know that they were the most dangerous thing you could make.  And believe me, they are more difficult than the Chanel jacket.  The Chanel jacket has like millions of steps, but the steps are all very easy; it's just that there are a lot of them.  

Today, I think that my classes are as much about pushing my students as they are about learning new techniques.  Once you learn these techniques, what's left? 

There's so much more to learn to do after you've learned the basics.  There are more advanced techniques, but what's after that again?  That might take a couple of years, but what's to do after that?  

After learning to sew, I didn't feel like I had learned everything.  What about all the ideas in my head?  I needed to know how to make those!  There were so many things I could make to not only remember those techniques I learned under my mentor but also develop them further with variations.  

And there's the part about individualizing my style and the little details in my garments.  I always make huge pockets - I love deep pockets.  And I never made any bumsters or hip-huggers - went through those in the 70s and do NOT want to return to anything like that.  There are the details I've always dreamed of when I wore RTW.  If this were just a little longer, this garment would be fantastic.  If that were better placed, then it would be perfect.  Maybe I want a zip closure, perhaps I want a double-breasted closure, maybe I want the jacket to hang like there's a closure but not look like it.  It's endless.  So individualizing my style is a key part of why I sew, and it's always a constant learning process on how to complete what I dream up.

And comfort seems to be a lost art, except for those who have their clothes made for them or make their own clothes.  I'm so spoiled now, I can't go back to RTW cause the comfort is zilch!  For me, that's why I love my clothes so much.

Finally, after comfort and individualization comes the fashion part, even though most of the runway shows are full of garbage.

Ugh - when will we get to beautiful clothes on the runways.

There are some who are still normal - thank heavens...

These are beautiful and remind me that I want a top with a flowing peplum or skirt. This is what designers should be doing.  

Finally, creating a garment that will make you look good.  Let's be honest, we all think we have problems with our figures.  That's a normal human thing, and some of us don't have problems, but are "taught" we do by the tall-building dwellers in the commercial clothing business.  

Anyone can look flattering, and making a garment with a favorable look projects beautifully and actually belies any figure problem.  People know your hips are big or your shoulders are broad, but when you wear a flattering look, they don't notice.  And they may even think, her hips aren't that big, and her shoulders are a nice size for her body.  

This is one of the most beneficial reasons for me to sew.  Remember, I'm the creature that started sewing because "A Red Dress Couldn't Be That Hard To Make," cause I couldn't find a classic red dress in any store!  Not only wearing something that fits the occasion perfectly, but because I'm comfortable, I walk a lot better, I think a lot better, and act a lot better.  I have more energy and can enjoy more activity because I'm so comfortable, I'm not worried about splitting a seam when I sit down, or get in and out of a car, bend over, or move in a certain way to put too much pressure on a seam or area of my body.  Why would I ever want to risk spending my hard-earned money on clothes that don't fit, don't last, don't make me look good, and do not make me feel good?  

Wearing a flattering garment is everything to me and just as crucial as the fit and the quality of the workmanship.  If it isn't comfy, I simply won't wear it, and it doesn't even make it into my closet.  

So there are three areas you can push yourself after you've learned most sewing techniques.
 

• Find the fashion that looks best on you, that makes you feel special.  Staying in the fashion trend, but with the features you like can be a challenge and yet very rewarding.
• Part of staying just as fashionable is making that certain fashion trend flattering on you.  Remember not everyone can wear long lengths, not everyone can wear full skirts.  Find the part that looks great on you and stick with it.  Make it part of your core pattern.  
• Comfort become so addictive, that once you discover the comfort level that you can have in your own clothes it's not even a contest anymore about whether to make something or buy something.  Making it will always win out. 
• Finally individualizing it - making the collar a little higher cause that what you love - or lower cause that's what you love.  Making those pockets a little longer, making the cuffs a little smaller, making a fun contrasting house-top placket for your sleeve - all of these are fun ways to individualize your garment and make it work for you.

And by all means, if you're insecure about using a certain technique, unsure about sewing up a style, get the jitters thinking about fitting yourself, or give up on being comfortable, that's exactly what you should be doing - practicing that technique, refining that style, become an expert at fitting yourself (letting the bad parts of your body flow away), and always insist upon comfort.  Where you are the most hesitant, is where you should be working right now - even if you don't think you need it!  

Work it, baby!!!!!
 

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different garments), 
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
 

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