A guest contribution from Women’s Transition Coach Marie Webber of Eva Marie Workshops.
HAPPY SPRING! Last weekend I was standing at my back door, enjoying my coffee, when I saw my first robin of the season. It was a beautiful sight. Spring is popping up all around us!
With the start of the new season, I’ve felt a renewed energy to sew again. The last time I made something was at Christmas, and I’ve missed working on my creative projects. I’d bought some new material after the holidays that I’d yet to use, so I decided to make a pouch.
Everything was going great until I grabbed the wrong pen to mark the fabric. I keep all of my fabric pens for sewing in a particular cup, but somehow a beautiful turquoise gel pen ended up in the same cup and that’s the one I pulled out.
Assuming it was a fabric pen–the markings of which disappear with the touch of a hot iron or damp cloth–I didn’t bother to look at the label.
And so the pocket of my pouch with all of its perfect stitches and straight lines measured just right was marked with permanent ink. Now you should know that I’m the queen of stain removal (just ask my children!), but all of my skills and tricks didn’t remove the gel pen.
I was so disappointed and disheartened.
Now what? I could cut out new pattern pieces and start again, if I had enough leftover fabric. I could put it aside and forget about it. I could chalk it up as ruined and use the unmarked fabric for something else.
But I didn’t want to do any of those things. I really liked the way the pouch was coming together. So I got out my seam ripper (my best friend) and started gently removing my perfect stitches.
After they were removed, I tried the stain remover one more time, but it still didn’t work. Instead, I turned the pocket to its opposite side (I’d lined it with the same fabric), restitched it, and it looks beautiful. I’m so happy that I didn’t give up!
What did I learn from my experience?
DON’T GIVE UP! There is always a solution to a challenge. Sometimes you need to walk away to get a new perspective.
HAVE PATIENCE! With myself and the project. There was no deadline for the project to be completed. It was okay to take a break and rethink how I could do it differently.
LEARN FROM THE CHALLENGE: Challenges are inevitable; it’s how I choose to handle them. What do I want to learn from this particular challenge?
KNOW MY WHY: Why was I sewing? I was doing it for me–for my pleasure and my enjoyment.
RESIST PERFECTION: Life isn’t perfect, and my project didn’t have to be perfect.
ENJOY THE PROCESS! Rather than only focusing on end results.
CELEBRATE MY SUCCESS! I didn’t give up, and I found an innovative way to correct my mistake.
READ ALL LABELS! 🙂
How do you handle disappointment when you’ve put so much love and effort into a project, and it didn’t work out the way you expected? What lessons have you learned from a project?
I look forward to reading your comments every week in my Facebook Group, Eva Marie Workshops. I learn more about you, and I also pray for each of you.
About Empowerment Coach Marie Webber – Mentor for Women in Transition
Marie is the founder of Eva Marie Workshops LLC, an Empowerment Coach and Facilitator. Her workshops provide a community where women can come together to be creative, encouraged and inspired.
Learn more about Empowerment Coach Marie Webber on her website, Eva Marie Workshops, here.