Essential Stitches and Seams (Classic Reprint)

In fact, the doors of achievement stand open to the fashion artist or to any one who riiakes a specialty of needlecraft. 3. Before you take up the study of dressmaking, you must consider many points that have to do with ultimate success. First of all, you should bear in mind that poor work is absolutely valueless; there is no place in sewing for carelessness of any kind. Set a high ideal and make an untiring effort to reach it. Take an active interest in clothes, so that you may obtain a knowledge of what others are wearing the material, the style, the workmanship and thus appreciate the good and avoid the bad. Encourage self-criticism; do not consider any work as satisfactory unless it is the best that you can possibly do, regardless of whether it is to be seen by others or not. Application and industry, as well as concentration and effort, are of utmost importance. Pay close attention to the valuable points brought out in the text and apply them diligently, so that you will become thoroughly familiar with every detail; and in this connection remember all the while that perseverance, judgment, accuracy, and imagination, as well as skill in construction are absolutely necessary. Some persons sew for pleasure, some for duty, some for profit; but whether you sew for any of these things or all of them, the element of time must be considered. To sew successfully does not mean that you must accomplish a certain amount of work within a given time; your aim, rather, should be to strive for a high standard of excellence and technical skill. Sewing is work that cannot be done well in a haphazard way; the person who does such work must be careful and painstaking. Self-confidence is a valuable asset in sewing; you should ever remember that if you have confidence in yourself others will have confidence in you. Therefore, never take up any lesson in a halfhearted manner;
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)