This dress came together one Sunday this summer in a way which I wish happened all the time. I was pottering about thinking I'd like to make something but not really settling on any one idea. Then my eyes fell on a skirt I'd got in Les Petits Riens ages ago with the intention of altering it. Before I knew what was happening I was drafting a bodice - inspired by the original waist tie of the skirt, which became the straps - and pulling out the skirt pattern from my Colette Patterns Truffle dress to go with it.
The whole thing came together really quickly and I was really focused on the task. Not only did I really enjoy the process of making it but I love the result too. For me that is the ultimate sewing feeling. Making something in a flurry of positive energy which you love and will wear.
My first instinct is to think that it would be great if it was like that all the time. But if it wasn't for those days when I can't get focused and I make something that makes me feel less than thrilled then I wouldn't know how good those other great days feel. And, while we might not realise it at the time, it is those 'awful' days that prepare us for the good days.
A friend recently told me that she was struggling to build confidence to write more, doubting why she was doing it and what she had to say etc. Then a friend said to her that it didn't matter if what she wrote was 'good' or not, or even if she read it back. What mattered was writing everyday as that way she'll be ready when her 'good' ideas come.
So I need to remember to remind myself to just make something, anything. Regardless of whether it invokes feelings of confidence and positivity or self-loathing and despair, it will make me feel alive!
