Emily and Fin Win

So, I wore the dress that I made from my own pattern this weekend, and it was less than perfect.  The zipper is too long, and the waist band in the back needs to be higher (I have already altered the pattern, but haven’t made another copy yet).  Also, the fabric is super itchy, although a slip would help with that. 

Really, I should have modeled it more after this Emily and Fin dress that I wore yesterday, since this is my favorite shape for a dress.  I have featured this dress on the blog before, but not with these awesome thrifted shoes!  I usually consider this a travel dress because it is so durable, packs up so well, and is so comfortable, but I got a hankering to wear it yesterday on a normal work day and went for it. 

Even though the dress I drafted didn’t turn out perfectly (and the first one was too small for an adult woman to fit into), I don’t feel discouraged.  I think that part of the reason that I have learned so much this year is thanks to my ability to make mistakes and not let them bog me down.  I truly do feel like I learn more from mistakes than when everything goes smoothly.  I don’t actually have the skill of letting mistakes roll of my back in all aspects of my life, but it comes naturally to me with sewing, perhaps because I enjoy the process so much.  That is not to say that I don’t get frustrated, but I don’t let it keep me down.   

This ability to bounce back and keep going made me think about ways in which our perceived failures can sometimes work to our advantage.  Another example of how my “failures” serve me is the fact that  I am not a perfectionist.  My house is always messy, I cut my own hair by cutting random chunks out of it, and I have never mastered make up.  Good enough is good enough for me, and that really doesn’t bother me anymore.  In sewing, the fact that I am not a perfectionist has helped me learn faster because I don’t worry about every little detail, and I don’t fixate on my mistakes.  I think a lot of seamstresses who are perfectionists are served by that quality because it forces them to be meticulous with every project which may lead to some beautiful pieces.  For me however, as someone who is just starting out, I never would have been able to learn as much in just one year if I had allowed myself to fixate on any one project for too long, and frankly, I think I would have gotten sick of failing and given up.  Instead, I have a closet full of wearable, if not perfect, clothes. 

How do your "failures" serve you in your life?   And on the flip side, what qualities that serve you in some ways do you have to fight against in other circumstances in order to succeed?