fi●nesse |fəˈnes|
noun
• intricate and refined
verb [ trans. ]
• do (something) in a subtle and delicate manner
fin●ick●y |ˈfinikē|
adjective
(of a person) fussy about one’s needs or requirements : a finicky eater.
• showing or requiring great attention to detail
My friend Maddie has a great post on her blog Domestic Anarchy. In it she talks about “Slap-Dash Sewing”. Go read it…then come back here. I’ll wait. Back?
Did it stir up something in you as it did me? I liked it. A lot.
After feeling so opinionated after reading it I had to question myself… Am I reaching for and desiring finesse or am I being just too damn finicky?
I love seeing what other sewists, artists, crafters and designers create. I smile when I see a beginner learning a new skill and would never expect perfection in their finished product. I wholeheartedly believe in allowing someone to learn the process first then refine the skill. BUT… there is a difference between learning a skill and improving on it -vs- throwing something together just to say it’s finished… and never wanting MORE.
If a person is going to put time and money into something why not make it a thing of beauty. Perhaps they do not know? Is it like giving a child continual false praise at something they are not mastering? I think you should encourage and guide and teach with honesty. My grandmother was raised in Hungary where you were taught extremely intricate textile and needlework skills. She taught me lovingly but did not allow me to settle for substandard work.
Am I being unreasonable? Shouldn’t we challenge ourselves to discover and learn new techniques? I am about to date myself…but do you know how to do a tailor’s tack..and why? Can you do a hemstitch by hand? I don’t mean stitch a hem, I mean a hemstitch. Do you know how to use the steam iron to manipulate fabric? Like Maddie said, Zippers and Buttonholes instead of glue guns for goodness sake!
Shortcuts can be awesome {What would we do without the rotary cutter techniques} but I challenge you to challenge yourself to learn some new finishing skills or art process. Be proud and shout from the rooftops, “LOOK WHAT I MADE !!!” And have fun dammit! 
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for drawing attention to a much needed topic. Did leave a comment on Maddie’s site, also. Do not understand the thoughts, lack thereof, behind some of the projects I have seen. Such a terrible loss for the one who creates the item ‘cuz they are missing out on a satisfying process done well. I have heard it said that there are those so focused on the results that that is paramount and the process becomes second place (almost an “end justifies the means” mentality). Just sayin’…….
You and Maddie have put words to the struggle that goes on in me when I am creating. I have such an excitement and strong desire to see the finished product. The temptation to cheat and get there faster is great at times. I don’t give in to that like I used to, though. I have had too many cute things fall apart on me. I appreciate the process now and enjoy it as much as the finished product. I love the crisp neatness of an ironed seam, the joy of a properly inserted zipper, and the triumph of yet another well-placed button-hole. I do take pride in learning a new skill and then taking the time to refine it. Now I’m off to google “tailor’s tack”! Thanks, Robyn!
I totally agree about short cuts.However you need to have mastered the basic skills first.I had made my first embroidered doiyley at 4 and was making my own school uniform at 13. I also am pretty good with a glue and staple gun. But there is nothing nicer than when you have put a lot of time into creating something,being able to complete the project with a finish that reflects the skill required to make it. Basics firsts ,shortcuts second.
An add on, To thid day I do not use a knot in my needlework, my mother expected the back of the work to look as good as the front, that was how she was taught. I spent many hours at her sewing machine sewing lined paper, to teach me how to sew straight.It wasnt until I could sew a straight line was I even allowed to have cotton thread and material. We have lost the art of nuturing and respecting skill.
This is something I have really noticed, too, and it does make you question, what were they thinking? Again, there is a time and place for shortcuts, but when I say I made it myself, I know that the work I did will speak loudly for me for YEARS to come. When a product leaves my home, my name and reputation goes with it. That knowledge alone has made me rip out a mistake that maybe only my discerning eye could see, and redo it, even if it was 2am! I would know it wasn’t right! And that could be the one customer who would really inspect my work; and there would go my reputation and integrity.
A lesson to confirm this is, a friend used to hire me for years to make dresses for her daughters. However, being thrifty, she really hated paying the price I had to charge for labor, because, after all, we were friends! So one year she hired a new neighbor to do their Daisy Kingdom Christmas dresses, with out seeing any of her work first., for $10 per dress. She later called me, almost crying, because her husband made her have the girls wear the dresses, even though the work was very poor; because that neighbor was going to be there, at church that day.
It so happened, that another mutual friend that I also sewed for was there, and saw the dresses, and was horrified, and said, “Please don’t tell me Kathy made those dresses, that can’t be her work!” So my friend confirmed that someone else had made them. I was greatly relieved to hear this story, to know that my skill could be recognized that quickly. And I have never forgotten it!
One other thing I have noticed in the tutorials is the lack of making sure that the fabric is neatly pressed during each step. You are taking pictures, for heaven’s sake! That tutorial will be around for years! Make it the best, or wait till you have time to do it right! AND, make sure the background in your pictures is also neat! Do you really want us to see the dirty laundry on the floor?
OK, I’ve had my say–anyone else?