Oh! The Horrors! Worst fabric/project ever?

**Bessiemae** · 01-10-2005, 07:04 AM

This just occured to me while posting on the machine thread...and remembering a particularly wretched fabric which gummed up my machine and caused a $100 repair.

What has been the worst fabric you have ever worked with or the worst sewing project you have ever tackeled??

Mine? Without a doubt the Harry Potter style robe/hat ensemble I made for DS1..with fabrics of his choosing. Simple pattern, but the fabircs!Stretch velvet ...slid all over while cutting, despite using a zillion pins...the iridescent knit hood lining that I couldn't really tell front from back on and had to cut 2 sets...and the *&^%$# confetti dot sparkly knit that gummed up the machine-despite using 1/2 bottle of rubbing alcohol to clean the needles(yes, plural) every few linear feet of sewing. Dh and I had to handsew the costume to finish it in time for Halloween. Luckily, Dh does beautiful handsewing!

It was stunning, but NEVER again will I work with the confetti dot stuff.

**homesteadmamma** · 01-10-2005, 11:56 AM

It has to be trying to sew a dress for my oldest dd years ago with velvet. I've never tried that material again. It was probably made worse in that I had a horrible sewing machine and didn't know a whole lot about sewing either.

**Michele Annette** · 01-10-2005, 12:06 PM

I hate sewing polyester linings...for lining garments, like skirts, jackets, etc. The sippery material keeps me from sewing a nice straight line, especially if there is a hidden zipper involved...ugh!

**blueknitter** · 01-10-2005, 12:21 PM

It would have to be an SGA costume I made for a good friend of mine ages ago. The shirt and pants weren't bad at all, fairly straight forward. It was the black burlap for the full length cloak for a guy that weighed close to 300lbs and was 6'4" tall. It killed my overlock stitch and I spent hours blowing/picking all the black fuzz out of the bobbin case. Never again.

**sunshine** · 01-10-2005, 02:06 PM

Probably the costumes for the boys dance. . . they don't make bigger boys costumes for dance much (ready made) and never in ones to match the girls costumes. . . so I sewed nearly all of them over the years.

Sequins were terrible on my needles-- bent, dull. . . .

any of the slippery type fabrics. . . . sateens, satins, linings. . . ugh.

**Jayne** · 01-10-2005, 02:29 PM

Sheers for under living room curtains!!!!!!...AKKKKKKKK

They kept sliding all over, the pins kept falling out and I couldn't see any markings I had made on them

**santoria** · 01-11-2005, 04:06 PM

i haven't had a horrid fabric experience. but there have been quite a few sewing projects that should never have been! the shorts I made in home ec class - I had made quite a few pairs before but the teacher said I had to make something in class. I whipped these off then she told me they had to be something I would wear. turned out that the material (yellow with palm trees) was almost sheer when on a person.

She made me put them on then troop all the way back to class through the highschool. of course the guy I had a crush on saw me.....

that is the worst.

my other worst thing is ZIPPERS!! Even with all the instructions and stuff I can never get the hang of it.

stops me dead in my tracks every time. oh that and hand sewing whichI don't care for. LOL good thing dh is a good hand sewer.

**mrscornbread** · 01-11-2005, 04:28 PM

A costume that I sewed for a fellow teacher's daughter. It was for a civil war reenactment...I still get stressed out just thinking back! It was FULL of ruffles and lace AAACKKKKKKKKK

**kimmee** · 01-11-2005, 04:31 PM

I made this one outfit out of stretch sateen flame printed material - I worked and worked I ripped seams and redid it - I tailored it and tailored it on my mannequin and when I finally got this sodding dress done about 300 pitchers of margaritas later I realized the flames were burning down , not up, and the whole out fit was crap!! ( i.e. - I cut it out upside down

)

**santoria** · 01-11-2005, 07:19 PM

that is one reason why I HATE one way fabrics!!!

did that with the train for my dd flowergirl dress. it was the edged lace. ugh. good thing we got an extra metre!!

christien

**SewCrafty** · 01-12-2005, 04:56 AM

Working with lamee (not sure how to spell it) but I KNOW I won't ever work with it again!

**daddys3chicks** · 01-12-2005, 08:59 AM

Ugh - stretch lycra hands down! I was trying to make DD an Ariel Mermaid costume for Halloween and got the bright I idea to use flesh colored stretch lycra for the background fabric. I had never used it before and had no idea it was one way! When I went to sew the green bra top onto the lycra, the lycra ended up being 3 times as wide as the bra top. What a nightmare! I think whatever people who make skating costumes get is way too little! LOL!