- When on vacation in another city, you make a list of fabric shops to check out, not just the standard museums and restaurants.
- Drawings that show a fitted, but obviously woven dress with no darts or shaping of any kind annoy you -- there's no way a fabric could just mold to a person's body like that unless it's a knit or some futuristic material!
- Actually, any kind of intended-to-be-realistic professional drawing where the fabric behaves in impossible ways.
- You appreciate it when historical fiction describes what people were wearing, and then get annoyed when it's not accurate.
- Even commercials are fascinating because you get to analyze fit on real people and try to figure out if they need FBAs or swayback adjustments. Also, you wait for them to lift their arms so you can see how the sleeve head behaves.
- You have nightmares about sewing an entire dress with poorly adjusted tension, and the climax of the terror is turning it all over and discovering a mess of loopy thread. Or you have a nightmare that your husband's jeans suddenly exploded into rips and tears, and the entire thing needs to be darned together.
- The worst kind of dreams are when you dream you found some amazing fabric deal (ten yards of the perfect red and white striped linen for $1/yd! Yes, I actually dreamed that once), only to wake up and realize that it isn't sitting in your stash, waiting to be made up into some fabulosity.
- You go to clothing stores just to examine the construction of the garments there. When you take items into the fitting room, you whip out your measuring tape (which you carry with you at all times, of course) and start measuring skirt lengths and widths in an attempt to analyze what styles look best with your shape, so that you can go home and recreate it for cheaper.
- While doing your read-through of the Bible, that section in Exodus 28 describing the priests' garments is suddenly fascinating to you, as it's basically garment construction directions given by God! Also, according to verse 32, God is a fan of seam finishing. Darn, I guess that means I need to finish my insides now (I am well aware that that conclusion is terrible hermeneutics).
- When you overhear someone saying something about frogs, you assume they mean the buttons, not the animals. And when someone talks about scallops, it couldn't possibly be about the shellfish; obviously they're discussing the hem of the Meringue. Which is a skirt, not a food. While we're at it, Peony and Macaron are dresses, not a flower and a delightful French pastry.
- You start doing posed shoots with your cat and your sewing equipment.
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| Walnut Gunn says to make it work, or else. |
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| Walnut tries to learn about sewing machine parts. |
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| Wait, you expect me to know what all these parts are called? |
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| Humph. This is ridiculous. |
Feel free to add more of your own! When did you realize that you had turned into a sewasaurus rex?
*Thanks to Oona for the best term ever!
When your friends stop inviting you to go clothes shopping with them because they're fed up with you saying, "How much??! I could make that for £3.50 in an afternoon" every time they pick something off a rail.
ReplyDeleteSo true!! One of my best friends has taken to waving her arms in the air and yelling "Bwaaaaahhh!" in a loud voice every time I say "I could make that" in an attempt to associate an aversive with that statement...
DeleteHilarious!
Deleteoh god that is so funny!
Deletecommercials! cats! anthropologie stealth missions! so much sympatico...i realized i was a sewasuarus rex when i sat through the first season of mad men, enraged at draper's behavior, but unable to tear my eyes away from the construction of All. Those. Dresses.
ReplyDelete(i realized i was a madmenophile when i then devoured the rest of the seasons and began to root for the womanizing don. how did THAT happen.)
i must give all props to the mad (but not cheating) man i'm married to, ruggy, for coining the wonderful phrase. you should've seen his face when i announced his verbage made it into a post title.
Three cheers to Ruggy for giving a name to our er...condition! Brilliant!
DeleteYou know, I tried really, really hard to get into Mad Men because of the dresses, but two episodes in, I had to stop because I couldn't stand the behavior of any of the men in it. I had to content myself with stills and promo pics online.
DeleteBut please, thank Ruggy profusely for me (not that he knows who I am!) for coming up with that stroke of genius! I think he needs to be nominated for a Nobel in the field of sewing terminology.
The women on the show aren't a whole lot better...
Deletehe is drinking a toast to you all now, and humbly accepts his award.
Delete@ stephC, ain't that the truth!! but it seemed like at first the women were getting the short end, as it were. once i was hooked EVERYBODY got deep. dang it, it's brilliant.
Oh, this is too funny! And it describes me a little too well too, hehe. (Cat aside. I don't have a cat. Our dog CoCo likes to get in my photos though. Can she count?) Along with my measuring tape, I, of course, always pull out my camera phone to take close-ups of details and finishings I like. Oh, how angry the salespeople get when I spend so long in a dressing room and leave with nothing.
ReplyDeleteI was so thrilled when I got my iPhone, not because of the games or the cool touchscreen, but because it had a pretty decent camera and I could snap pictures of everything at Anthro...seriously, half my camera roll is close-ups of construction! The other half is Walnut pictures :)
DeleteBut yes, angry salespeople! I have totally brought in fifteen items and spent an hour documenting and taking notes, only to buy nothing...
one day, maybe a few months into my attempts at sewing, in an office meeting i spent the entire meeting examining the cuffs and flat-fell seams on my boss's dress shirt....and then ordered david page coffin's shirtmaking book later that day!
ReplyDeleteNice! I've toyed with the idea of making my husband a Negroni, but then I realized I would much rather make dresses for myself :)
DeleteRight on! I've got the affliction, and I think it's incrable... So, I'll just have to learn to manage it!
ReplyDeleteYup! It's all about management so that people on the outside don't realize you're terminal :)
Delete- When your boyfriend notices you're not listening to his story because you're analyzing the seam finishes and pleat details on his shirt.
ReplyDelete- When you find yourself staring at people's boobs because their bust darts are too high/low.
- When you start accumulating WAY too many ugly thrifted clothes because you have ambitious ideas about how you can fix and refashion them all into beautiful garments... only to never actually touch them because you'd much rather start from scratch with nice & fresh fabric yardage.
- When you give the bartender a lower tip because the plaids on his shirt don't match across the seams (mayyyybe I'm exaggerating here).
ZOMG I am always worried people are going to catch me staring at their bust darts! Also, I totally snorted with laughter at the non-matching plaids!
DeleteHow about when any major event that involves gifts comes up and you think, okay, what am I sewing everyone?
ReplyDeleteOr how about when you give your friend a 10 minute lecture on natural fibers when she just wants to buy a cute top?
Or how about when you find your self weaving (heh) the fact that you sew into every conversation, like, what size coffee would you like, miss, a large please and leave room for cream because I don't want to spill on the skirt I MADE WITH MY HANDS.
Or how about when you go shopping for shoes to match the dress you haven't even made yet, because you know it will happen eventually, that's just a give in.
strugglesewsastraightseam.wordpress.com
I am actually a little embarrassed to tell people I made my clothes, for fear that that will suddenly reveal all the telltale mistakes or threads that I imagine to be obvious. Thankfully (?), my husband has no such qualms and will usually make the announcement for me.
DeleteBut oh yes on the natural fiber lectures!
Five minutes ago. Hello my name is Sassy T and am a sewasaurus rex. Take a seat Sassy T.
ReplyDeleteA few more:
ReplyDelete*When you go fabric shopping with other people for dance/skating/competition/costume fabric they leave with nothing because for every fabric they point out you name every single person who has worn that fabric over the last decade and they no longer want to be associated with it.
*Your family can no longer buy clothes because you have pointed out all of the fit problems on everything they wear and they can no longer justifying spending money on things that don't fit perfectly.
*Said family members then ask you to make clothes for them. You agree, but only if they give you foreign sewing pattern magazines or more fabric as payment.
*You have more stash fabric than actual clothing.
*Despite having more stash fabric than actual clothing you still manage to take in an average of 15 yards/month.
*You check pattern websites daily just in case there are new releases.
*You stalk patterns on Ebay daily.
*You have a list at least 30 items long of things you are planning on sewing in the near future.
Erhm... yeah, I am pretty much a sewasaurus rex for sure!
Yeah, I have quite a bit of stash fabric, and as I give away more and more RTW clothes, that ratio might start getting skewed like you describe...
DeleteI turned into a Sewasaurus overnight!!
ReplyDeleteLast night I whipped out my sewing measuring tape to measure my mum's car boot! Then thought to myself, hmm, I should always carrying measuring tape. Up until now, when checking out patterns or measurements of clothes or furniture online I use a 12" ruler lol. Measuring tape ftw now! Oooh and last night I had a nightmare! My nightmare was that I was on a plane, with my sewing machine, I left in behind and some kids took it and trashed it. So sad. I cried in my dream and woke up in an angry sweat! Lol!!
PS. I am nominating you for the Versatile Blog Award - now I know you have been nominated many times and just turned down a nom yesterday, you don't have to take part but I would still like to include you on my list of noms becuase you definitely make up my top 15 fav blogs x
DeleteThanks, Neeno! You are so sweet! And that nightmare sounds totally plausible!
DeleteI ONLY go to Anthropologie to take notes and pictures! It's like a little treat for me.
ReplyDeleteI also hate when I see an outfit I like on TV (ex. Juliana Margolies' suits on The Good Wife) and can't find any information on them through the TV show's own site. Don't they realize we want to know this stuff!
Right??? For a while when I was watching Glee, I used to stalk What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear all the time!
DeleteYou know you're a sewasaurus rex when...
ReplyDelete... your significant other knows the difference between a box pleat and an accordion pleat as well as what a peplum is because talk of such things over dinner is the norm.
...when you walk down the street and rather then seeing stylis RTW clothing on everyone you pass, you just see grievous errors in fitting.
...when your family gifts you with zippers, buttons, sewing gadgets, sewing machines, yards of fabric, lace, or other sewing accoutraments for your birthday/Christmas/Halloween/etc. and you're more excited over those gifts than any other.
...when you find yourself not only staring at people's boobs darts, but also staring at their crotches in an attempt to suss out how inseams work.
...when not only do you stalk patterns on Ebay/Etsy, but you scoff at the people paying more than $10-15 bucks (high end for me, at least!) on patterns that originally cost $0.65.
...when you just HAVE to have more fabric EVEN THOUGH you have no place to store it.
...when you realize you've missed a major plot development on (fill in the blank TV show) and don't really care that you missed it because ZOMG! DID YOU SEE THAT DRESS!!!??
Incidentally, this last one usually goes like this in our house:
ME: Would you be so kind as to give me the remote, dear?
Mr. RETRO: Um...are you going to rewind the DVD again just so you can look at that dress?
ME: What? No! Why would I do that... just give me the remote. What, you don't trust me?
MR. RETRO: No. No I do not.
ME: Dear... just give me the remote! (Desperate lunge)
MR. RETRO (as he hold me at arm's length, with his palm against my forehead as I flail like some crazed four year old): Do you even know what's going on in this show anymore?
ME: YES! No. JUST GIVE ME THE REMOTE! I NEEEEEED to see that dress!
LOL! I have totally done that with Downton Abbey! But I totally agree on not spending $10 on vintage patterns that were originally less than a dollar!
DeleteI paid $40 for 2 vintage patterns once!! My first purchse! Now I shall be more thrifty and smart! I'b prob still pay $10 cos I can't find them cheaper than that :(
DeleteHAHAHA I totally LOLed even though I can't relate!! HAHA
DeleteI am going to start taking a tape measure shopping! I usually just eyeball, and forget. Or, I snap a picture with my camera, which is very naughty but sometimes worth the risk!
ReplyDeleteI am all about tape measure and photos and notes on my iPhone...but my consolation is that I'm not making any money off of my reproductions, and they're not losing any money since I never would have been able to afford the original in the first place!
DeleteHehe have done most of those - especially the last one - making my cats pose with cutting tools and fabrics! Love Walnut - what a handsome chap. I'm being taken on a mystery birthday trip next month and I've asked my husband to do a list of fabric shops for the destination, because... y'know... I won't be able to... just in case...
ReplyDeleteHe is quite the looker, isn't he? And I do hope you get to see some nice shops on your mystery trip! I know my husband would refuse to make such a list because he knows he'll inevitably be bored out of his mind for hours, only to be forced to carry bags of fabric afterward for me.
DeleteHaha aww I love the pictures, so cute! These are definitely true, I had had good and bad dreams about sewing and do go into shops just to see how they have made a dress! XxxX http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Can I add that you know you got bitten by the bug early when....
ReplyDelete-You go to prom with a needle and thread down your cleavage, just in case anyone's dress breaks. You know *yours* won't, because you made it properly, but you want to be prepared.
-When a random classmate's dress looses a strap at prom, they know to ask you if you can fix it, *before* they think to ask a chaperone if they have a safety pin. And they aren't surprised when you have a needle & thread down your dress front.
-When you routinely realise you have broken FAA regulations and flown with sharp objects because you have random needles stowed in so many different places...just in case (I always find them in my camera memory card cases after flights).
- You notice someone's label is hanging out, and don't just tuck it in, but offer to sew it down, or even cut it off, because of course you have scissors in your purse.
-You have to restrain yourself from pulling out your scissors and trimming loose threads on stranger's garments.
-You immediately recognise what pattern was used for every costume in most stage shows you attend.
And that dream about buying stuff. I have that ALL THE TIME. Breaks my heart. Sometimes I'm so convinced I find myself looking for that fabric in my stash a week later.
Love your list! Hmm, good to know that you've gotten away with flying with needles. I've always wanted to bring my embroidery things with me for long flights, although on second thought bringing the needles out and using them might not be so bright. And oh, that dream. I keep having different versions of it and it's heartbreaking every time.
DeleteOh, gosh - I certainly don't advocate flying with needles. I'm always mortified when I unpack and find a needle in my luggage. I'm terrified that one day I'm going to be caught out in a scan and have to try to explain that I'm always randomly sticking needles in the laces of my shoes, and the spare space in my camera case, and in with my bobby pins, and in the cuffs of garments, and etc. etc. , and no, I'm really not interested in hijacking my flight!
DeleteIt was a sad, sad day when they banned needles though. I used to get so much embroidery and quilting done on flights and waiting in airports. Sometimes I take a not-great needle with me, sew until the absolute last minute before I have to go through security, toss the needle, and fly.
I knew it was bad when I was doing pattern drafting minutiae in my dreams and found it is extremely difficult to buy any clothing, even cheap clothing for my kids. And when my husband gets disturbed and says, "Why are you looking at me like that?" I'm not looking at him at all, of course, just the details on his clothes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think your hermeneutics are spot on. Isn't it what's on the inside that counts?
Cindy! This is hilarious!!! I especially love the point you made about Exodus 28 - I've never thought of that! How fascinating it must be to read about God's instruction on garment construction!! :)
ReplyDeleteDoing a hand rolled chiffon hem in bed while watching TV...waking up surrounded by fabric, needles, pins, scissors (and a cat or two) with a bad infomercial blasting. DH given up and gone to sleep on the couch. What do you do? Change the channel and pick up where you left off? Of course!
ReplyDelete(Lisa of Lisa and Robin and fellow VPLL-er)
I admit I don't do all of these. I don't try on things in shops only to measure them. Maybe because so few RTW things fit me that I don't even bother... But! I carry a measuring tape in my pencase. And I carry my pencase with me VERY OFTEN.
ReplyDeleteI also suppose the fact that years back, father gave me a book on the history of laces, embroidery and the likes is telling. I mean, the fact that father, who usually does not bother much with gifts, noticed and gave me such a book - that is telling!
I burst out laughing over your hermeneutics. Ah, now if only I could share that! Sadly, I'm the only Sewasaurus in my family. So nobody else would get just how funny that is.
Also, you know you're a Sewasaurus Rex when:
- You watch a very lovely fairy tale TV film, but cannot enjoy it fully, because you keep noticing how bad the fit of the costumes is on the actors, and how the costumes are apparently trying at a historical period but missing the mark. (Happens to me all the time! My fairy tale-loving sister must be going crazy. But then, she's also getting the hang of it, because she began recommending fairy tale films to me with words such as "There are beautiful Renaissance costumes in it.")
- Your family starts bringing you photos of (historical and folk) clothes from their travels.
- You watch the inspirational short film about George Washington on Mt Vernon, and the only thing you remember from it years later is how Martha Washington had a lapped zipper in the back of her dress...
- You are constantly distracted at church, because you keep looking at people's clothes and analyzing them. (*ashamed*)
- Your loved ones start making jokes about being smothered in an avalanche of stashed fabric.
ReplyDelete- You just spent 3 hours window shopping vintage buttons on etsy.
- You can't bring yourself to BUY clothing any more, because you could make it better for a fraction of the cost, their fabric looks cheap, it was too short anyway, look at the poor construction, etc...