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Project Runway Canada

On Saturday night I debated about whether to spend the evening sewing or watch Project Runway Canada and knit. I'm not a big TV watcher and rarely sit to watch TV in the evening. But, I really like Project Runway, so I opted for that. I'm glad I did. What a great show. I haven't caught every episode, but I wish I have. This last challenge was to dress a female business executive. As the deadline was approaching, they were thrown an additional challenge: design some (coordinating) lingerie. Wow! Some of the designers had not done either of these things ever before. And the models were sent to shop for the materials to make the lingerie! Sewing lingerie with fabric and lace someone else with no sewing knowledge picked out? Eeek!

Each episode I find myself amazed at both the things the designers can do and the things they cannot do. Always, I'm amazed at what they can do in a short amount of time. Granted, sometimes their final product is finished really poorly - as in glued together, sewn on the model, etc. And I am amazed at their ability to design original garments. That is fascinating to me. But some of the things they struggle with are really surprising to me. Setting in a sleeve, cutting a pencil skirt on the straight grain, and basic construction skills are all things I've seen them struggle with. I find myself thinking, "Hey, even I can do that!"

But, I am one who sews. Allow me to digress a moment....I'm still not sure what to call myself - a sewer? That is easily misread as a place for wastewater and other unpleasantries. A seamstress? Seems like an outdated term to me. A sewing enthusiast? I have a hard time using that seriously, particularly in speech. So for now, I am one who sews and that is different than one who designs. I don't have a very good eye for design. I shamelessly copy things that I see and like. I'm not creative and rarely come up with anything original.

I did some minor designing today. I changed a T-shirt pattern into a dress for my daughter. I think I really like the construction process but not so much the creative process. I'm not sure how I feel about the end result of the dress. About halfway through the project I was pretty sure it was going to be a wadder. Now I think it might be okay, but I need to see it on first. We'll see what the lucky little girl thinks when she sees it tomorrow. She tends to have strong opinions and I'll know exactly what she thinks of it.
Sewing spring clothing seemed much less urgent today. Some snow accumulated overnight and just kept coming all day. It felt more like January than April. More of the same tomorrow. Ugh.

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