So I'm crazily trying to finish my Scrabble Halloween costume by this Friday, and I'm realizing that I'm firmly in Stage 5 of the DIY process: Regret and Frustration.
What exactly made me think that quilting an entire dress was a good idea? I mean, seriously, I'm not much of a seamstress. Following a simple dress pattern (even quasi-successfully) is enough of a stretch. But then to quilt the fabric first? It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r!
Last night I had to make a decision about the white lines between the squares. On the one hand, I need to have them. They are clearly a necessary part of creating an authentic Scrabble board. On the other hand, they are a major pain in the ass. Seriously! I have to sew a little piece of white fabric between each square and then sew long lines of white fabric between the rows.
And, in my quest to make a more authentic Scrabble board, I'm actually making it more messed up because it's much more difficult to get the squares to match up from row to row. Argh!
As you can see from the photo, I erred on the side of making it more difficult on myself (although more authentic!).
When engrossed in DIY projects, we are inevitably faced with these kinds of decisions. Do we deviate from our original grandiose plans and settle for less than perfect in order to make the project a little easier? Or do we suffer through, confident that the pride we feel at the end (in Stage 6) will outweigh all the frustration of Stage 5?
It's a tough call. Sometimes I make the decision to stick to my original vision (as with the white lines) and other times I opt for a less-than-ideal-but-easier option.
Case in point: I originally wanted to sew plastic over the dress to create little pockets that would hold the Scrabble tiles, so I could be an interactive board. People could make new words. Very cool, but not necessary and certainly not time-efficient.
Sometimes, there comes a time in the middle of DIY projects when you just have to say enough is enough.
I'm reminded of Kristina over at A Lovely Morning. She had sweet visions of making homemade jam as favors for her wedding. She knew when to say enough is enough and instead decided to make individual jars for the smaller group of people attending her rehearsal dinner.
Do you have any examples of saying enough is enough when it comes to DIY wedding projects?
4 comments:
I know how you feel, Sara. Ooooh, I know how you feel.
When I started trying to please everyone, I had to take a step back and say "You know...this is only one day and they need to understand I can't afford this and I'm not taking out a credit card for it."
I just finished my fifth batch of homemade jam this past weekend...and so I can definitely relate to feeling overwhelmed by that effort! For me, knowing when to say when happened when I decided to quit trying to force a homemade DIY "photo booth" into the plans...it felt good just to release that desire and be OK with it.
Word of advice on the sewing dilemma...try fabric paint to substitute for complicated designs. Nothing is easier than cheap muslim sewn into the right shape and then painting your design on the fabric. I've made LOTS of costumes over the years and this works. Your scrabble board could have easily been done this way. Also...don't forget Velcro; SO much faster than buttons, zippers, etc. Your plastic squares for the letters could be done that way.
Still being new to the wedding planning bit, I don't ahve anything to "say when" just yet.
I do however recommend that instead of finding a way to carry around scrabble pieces on Halloween night, instead iron on some letters in whatever word/words/phrases you want on the dress itself and call it a day. It looks great, but don't kill yourself over it!!
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