Just had a talk with my grandma about her old sewing patterns

She was showing me a dress she made in 1973 and said she never used a pattern more than once because 'fabric has its own mind.' I always thought you had to follow patterns exactly, but she said she'd tweak them based on how the cloth felt that day. It made me think about how much we plan versus just working with the material. Has anyone else tried designing by letting the fabric lead a bit?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan4015d ago

My aunt used to make quilts and she'd say the same thing about the squares. She had this one bolt of blue cotton that just would not lie flat with the others, so she made it the center of every block. It taught me that sometimes the best plan is the one you make after you see what you're working with.

oliver_torres415d ago

Wow, that's actually a really cool way to look at it. I always thought you had to stick to the plan no matter what, like forcing that fabric to behave. But making it the centerpiece instead? That's smart. It turns a problem into the main feature. Your aunt was onto something big there.