It's about exploring and sharing my creative adventures (mostly sewing these days) ~
~those activities that sometimes obsess, usually inspire, occasionally frustrate
~and always provide a delightful maze to wander through.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Life is Too Short for ____________ AKA: Lessons I (hope I've) Learned!

1.  Irons that spit (vow:  I will never buy another Rowenta!)

2.  Cheap Fabric (I'm not talking about the nice stuff at bargain prices here, although....beware of #3....


3.  Fabric that you don't love, but couldn't pass up the bargain. (My nemesis here = garage sales - how much muslin fabric can you stash, anyway???)


4.  Books that have one piece of valuable info, but now you need another bookshelf to house them all (this is what libraries are for!)


5.  Sewing Machines that feed a growing case of SMAD* (Reminder:  Sewing Machines are large.  Buttons are small.  Collect buttons instead.  Or thimbles.  Thimbles are cute.)  p.s.  ignore the SM group shot in my previous post.  Do as I say, not as I do....Besides which, Featherweights are small.....


6.  Another Sewing Machine Cabinet.   See #5.  And #3.   (Note:  I don't CARE that Singer #42 is the most gorgeous SM cab ever made....you only need ONE.  Not three.)  :(


7.  Late-night, tired sewing.   See late night post

8.  Running back to the store to get the right color thread.   Having obscene amounts of thread is a good thing.   Collect thread, not sewing machines.


9.  Ruining a nice project with sloppy technique.   Just practice the technique first!   The time spent practicing is time, money, and sanity saved with a project you'll be happy with!


10.  Living too safe a life.  Interpret this in any way that fits :) 


I blame it all on the Spitting Rowenta.....
Examples of #5, #6, and #8


#10 :)

More #10

Can't get enough of #10!


*SMAD = Sewing Machine Acquisition Disease/Disorder

What are the "Life is Too Short" lessons you've learned?  (or are learning.....or think that maybe someday you would like to learn.....)

10 comments:

dfr2010 said...

Along with irons that spit are those annoying irons that turn themselves off ... I just returned one that has a ***30 second*** auto-shutoff in the horizontal position this morning.

I didn't *intend* to bring home sewing machine #6 last week ... but Mom found it after all these years and technically it's #1 ...

And how many cabinets is "too many"? I am drooling over one at the local shop ... it would only be #2! Number 1 cabinet has been set up less than a week, and came to me with a pretty machine in it.

Local library is fueling my desire to buy more books. They only let you renew a couple times, not forever! LOL I looked at 2 of the 4 I checked out yesterday ... and added both to my want-list.

Maggie said...

ROFL, I'm loving this post! And that picture is just hilarious. Buttons are good to collect. I love button assortments. Especially those Vogue Fabrics button assortments. Other notions are good for collecting too. Like trims. (IOW, mystery box contents..)

You say to have plenty of thread, but then you show your thread rack full of little spools of thread, what's up with that?! Life is too short not to invest in a Gutermann real thread chart so you can buy the 1100 yard spools from CS/Wawak!

If there's only one piece of valuable info, you can usually find the same info somewhere online.. and print it out. A binder-full of the information you actually need leaves way more bookshelf space for all of the other books you want.

Mary said...

Life is Too Short for shying away from zebra striped dresses, panties and bras that don't match, not collecting things that make you happy and then giving away other things to someone else, and finally not sewing whatever you feel is beautiful (fashion critics be damned). Apologies to all English teachers out there-I did my best with the construction of this sentence.

Bella said...

I love your list, but it was the photo of the German Shepherds just looking at the cat that stopped me dead in my tracks!
What a laugh....!
I'm browsing around at the moment for a new iron - and I've duly noted your comment about your Rowenta (another blogger near worships hers!?). I'll never buy a Philips again!

Jillybejoyful said...

dfr - imho, cabinets that house working SMs (i.e., the machines that are actually being USED are the keepers - more than that...nuh uh.

maggie - you're only seeing the small spools. You're right about the real thread chart, but at least with a small spool of most colors I have what I want NOW! You're also right about the binder with organized info - I'm working on that!

Mary - you go, zebra girl! And learning to make my own lingerie is nearing the top of my list :)

Jemajo - I've had my Reliable v100 for a couple of months now, and I am LOVING it! Best iron I've ever used!

Fran said...

Great post! Also moved from Rowentas to a Reliable V100. Actually threw away my last Rowenta I was so annoyed with it leaking water everywhere.

Andrea said...

LOL, Jill, I am definitely feeling #1 and #7. Is it too much to ask to have a decent iron that doesn't leak or spit??

As far as lingerie is concerned, I posted reviews of Tap Panties (which I love) and a camisole with a shelf bra, both in a beautiful fuchsia ITY knit.

http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/readreview.pl?readreview=1&reviewnum=64966

http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/readreview.pl?readreview=1&reviewnum=64975

Andrea

shams said...

:D

Years ago I had a Rowenta. It spit too. I am now a happy happy owner of a Reliable v100. Never ever spits and worth every penny!!

Tanit-Isis said...

Hmm, my iron doesn't spit but it does spill. Blurgh. I will admit that I am terribly envious of your flock.

Life is too short for nasty, yucky fabrics that aren't any fun to sew. :)

Jean said...

#10 is a winner for me! Life is too short for dwelling on the negatives of a situation -- best to acknowledge and move on!