Seam Ripping

I enjoy sewing. Love it, in fact. It is a way to express myself creatively while producing something practical. It is a do-it-yourself kind of activity that gives me feelings of accomplishment and self-sufficiency. It allows me to stand out from the crowd and, rather than following the trends, set my own pace.

However, as every seamstress knows, there is no getting around the need for a seam ripper because everyone makes mistakes. There are two things we can do when we have made a mistake: ignore it and hope it doesn't come up later or face it and take the time to fix the mistake to the best of our ability as soon as we see it. Having tried both methods I can honestly say that ignoring the mistake will inevitably lead to undesirable results later - and usually at the worst possible moment. Ignoring the mistake, especially when making a garment, can lead to great embarrassment and even to it being totally unwearable. There is honestly nothing more heartbreaking than to have put hours of work into something only to realize that a mistake you chose not to fix earlier has rendered the item you are working on being totally worthless.

Seam ripping is discouraging, but it can be a hidden blessing, forcing you to slow yourself down and pay closer attention in order to minimize the amount of seam ripping necessary. Sewing is a lot like life: Mistakes aren't the end of the world, but ignoring them can make life much more difficult for you in the future. It's best to do what you can to fix your mistakes as soon as they happen so they don't have a chance to compound and you end up paying with interest at the worst possible moment. Like, say, when the seam rips in an inconvenient location because your mistake put too much stress on it.