Hey Folks!
Tell us about some things you love and yet hate at the same time. It could be a relationship with someone (friend, family member, neighbor, etc.), a hobby or interest, an object (your car?), event, organization, job... whatever comes to mind.
I have a love/hate relationship with sewing, which is my inspiration for this thread. It's a hobby I've dabbled in on and off since I was a kid, but admittedly, I've had much more off time than on. I know clothes seem pretty simple but have you ever tried to actually put a piece of clothing together that fits??? Piecing together flat pieces that drape and move properly around angled bodies is truly a work of engineering and I admire people who can whip up entire outfits in a few hours or days.
I am not one of those people. I spent half my morning going through 10 different patterns for pants just trying to find a certain kind of pocket (cargo) to put on a pair of shorts that originally does not even have a pocket. My brain is also foggy from the 12 different steps I've read over 3 times to insert the zipper (fly zippers are especially challenging vs. something like a zipper on the front of a hoodie), along with my 16 additional notes I made the last time I did it that are supposed to make this next time easier!
My biggest complaint is that I will put my heart and soul into a project... and the stupid thing won't fit. Out of my last 15 projects, I've had maybe 2 that were successful. I felt better when I read in a sewing book that over 50% of patterns aren't designed as they're shown in the picture and will not turn out right anyway, making me feel somewhat better. Every failed project is still a learning experience, but I feel like I'm always spinning my wheels. In some cases, I'm able to turn it into something I can give to and adjust for someone else.
I often feel like I should just give my machine away and put down the needled for good. The only reason I still sew at all is because I have the hope of someday being able to make most of my own things... that will actually fit... instead of spending a day at stores and still not being able to find a pair of pants for work. I've also been able to make things for others (special pants for a girl who was pregnant at work; shorts for my Mom who wears a size smaller than what you find on the rack; a mint green dress for a co-worker going through a rough time, etc.) but it would be nice to be able to make some things for myself sometimes, too!
I love sewing--the creativity, the whole process of a "phoenix rising out of the ashes", the fact that it forces me to think in very different directions. But oh, how I loathe it at the same time. And yet, like a bad relationship, I just can't seem to walk away!
What about the rest of you? Why are so many of us so persistent at something that we love in theory... but part of us just can't stand it at the same time?
1