I’ve had this thing about perfect. If it’s not perfect, it’s not any good or worth doing. I believe I got this from my Dad who was the perfectionist in our family.
As a teenager, one of my duties around the house was to cut the grass. My siblings were all gone so it was only me left at home with my parents. Anyway, I’d cut the grass and he’d often recut it. When I write that now, after all these years, I know he was just trying to help make me better.
It’s not that Dad wasn’t proud of me for my accomplishments, but what sticks out in my mind are my feelings of not perfect. I’ve dealt with this in everything from crafts to relationships. A guy I dated years ago told me that I expected perfect in relationships and I wasn’t going to find it. Oh, he was so right. But enough about that.
Several readers have emailed wanting to know what I was going to do with the paint cloth fabric from my last post. I ran out to JoAnn’s yesterday and picked up a zipper to match the fabric. I modified the pattern I was using so it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
This was only the second zipper I’ve attempted in my life. I think next time I’ll go with velcro or maybe I really need to learn how to add a zipper! It’s not a perfect bag, but I like it and I especially love the fabric. I was able to work with colors that I normally would shy away from.
Here is a bag I made the other day with some of my dyed fabric that I stamped. Unfortunately, I only had a white zipper on hand. I also set the zipper in wrong – with it zipping the wrong way! This was my first zipper attempt.
Even though they aren’t perfect, I made them myself!
Perfect isn’t important. What is important is pushing past the fear of failure, being open to new ideas, focusing on the process instead of the product, accepting the not perfect, and then working to improve. Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to learn this!
They turned out looking very cute–the top one is very sunny and summery. I hear you about the perfectionism. Mine came from a very similar background and it’s taken me years to (still not quite) get over it.
Pretty bags. I sewed for my girls when they were small and never mastered the zipper thing-never looked ‘perfect’ to me!
Your bag turned out SO cute! I love it…good job.
Oh, Linda,
What lovely work! You know, a painter’s brush strokes aren’t measured for consistency, and one flower to the next have imperfections that give them individuality. One thing I love about making art is that things don’t have to be “perfect”…..
your bags are perfectly charming.
Terry, Thanks for your kind words. If you look closely, that is your thread I’m using! What an inspiration you have been to me! Thank you so much! Lynda