December 7, 2015
Pattern Tester Fail
A sewing friend on the other side of the continent just told me she applied to be a tester for some pattern designers, and that reminded me…
It was about, oh, 18 months ago, I got it into my head that I would like to test a pattern. So I joined a pattern testing group on Facebook. Experience not required.
Sweet, talented Angie Hebert, a new designer at Beaser Bags took me on to test the Timeless Take Along Wristlet and key fob, at her own peril. The sample photos looked great and I would get a free pattern for giving my opinion (which I usually give for free.) I wish someone had told me that I would have to follow the instructions exactly.
By the time I was done with adding this here, subtracting that there, substituting another thing, the poor wristlet had been hacked to death and my photos were useless to Angie. Not only because I had done everything ass backwards, but because my photography sucks. (Yes, it sucks badly!) Don’t believe me? Look! Just look!
But I digress… Seams that unless I’m in school and writing an exam, I don’t follow directions very well. Not because I can’t, but because it’s much more enticing to make it up as I go, take detours, go on tangents, and generally get lost in things. (Ah the freedom of accepting one’s oddities.) Now, what’s a girl to do if she can’t/won’t follow a pattern or recipe or GPS directions? She accepts her fate and just goes straight for the hack. That’s all.
I also must apologize to poor Angie for demolishing her lovely pattern, which despite my best attempts at sabotage turned out beautifully. The pockets are the perfect size and the pieces fit together effortlessly. If you want to see the real deal, check her out on Craftsy at Beaser Bags. Sorry, Angie! At least Clark gave my efforts the paws up.
What’s my point? Point is, embrace the thing that makes you weird. If you can’t paint inside the lines, paint outside, or better yet, erase the lines and just paint. If you can’t touch your toes, then reach for the sky. And in this case, if you can’t follow the pattern, hack it! Hack it with all your might. I pretty much failed this testing test, but I passed hacking with flying colours.
And on that note, I’m out!
