Heather Cluff Photography Old Blog: Working on it

I'm working on #2 of my list of things I want for 2012. I wanted to spend some one on one time with the kids while I could. I asked Courtney (my ten year old) if she wanted to sew a skirt for Cali, so we did. Cade actually ended up wanting to sew also, which seemed so funny. We decided on making a teddy bear for him:).

Now, when it comes to sewing, I like to sew if I can do it my way instead of the way someone else does it. Also, if it takes too long, forget get. I don't have the patience:). When I was at Ricks College I took a children's clothing sewing class with my mom. Oh boy, that was killer. My mom's help was the only reason I got through that class. It was my first sewing class and we made a children's coat, and a blessing dress! Are you kidding me?! I would never recommend starting there. You might rip your hair out! Anyway, it was pretty cool to say that I made those two things in the end. It make me feel pretty pro:).

Sewing, for me, must be a very imperfect science. If it has to be perfect, I won't want to do it. That's what I was trying to tell the kids when they were worried about messing up. It was funny because toward the end when I was working on the bear's tie, I said something like, "Well, it's not perfect, but" Cade then had to remind me that it didn't have to be:). I love to see the end result of something I worked on. There is something pretty cool about saying that I created it.

If you haven't tried sewing, you should give it a shot. Sew something you like and something very simple.

Perfectionism is killer. What have you not tried because you fear it won't be perfect, or you can't bare the thoughts of the time it would take making it perfect?

I once went to a photography workshop and he told us "perfectionism only leads to procrastination" Wow, that hit home! My photo editing was just daunting because I could hardly start on what I thought had to be perfect. He told us to be ok with great pictures. I'm going to create great pictures this year, and not perfect pictures. If you have the same problem as me and drag your feet taking pictures because you are worried about perfectionism. Stop, document your family. Years down the road you won't care, you will be so drawn to the child in the picture and how much they have changed. Shooting is the only way to get better anyway:).

With sewing, I'm even ok with ok results:) They don't even have to be great. I think that's why I like it.

So go and find something that inspires you and try it. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Back to Cade.

This sewing project was not necessarily about the end result, it was about time. Time with him. Think of it, in the end he had a teddy bear, time with his mom, and more confidence because he helped make it. What's better than that? He loved sewing so much that he has kept asking me since. We were going to spend the night at his grandma and grandpa's and he wanted to bring the sewing machine with us! That didn't happen, but you just never know what your kids will like if you don't try it, right:)?

Check it out: