When my friend came to me about making her and her sister some Ninni culottes, I decided to make them for myself again first. Not because I need another pair, but because I wanted to make sure I could make a quality pair. I have only made a handful of clothes for friends and family. I still get anxious when I think about handing over a garment to someone. I know all of it’s flaws, even if the other person can’t see them. I am practicing calming the perfectionist in me, reminding myself what makes life beautiful is all of our little imperfections.

My second pair of Ninni culottes were made with a crepe fabric from Textile Fabrics here in Nashville. Textile is one of my favorite shops to walk through and peruse all the beautiful fabrics. When I saw this fabric, I immediately knew I wanted it for my culottes. It is the perfect weight and material to wear in the spring and summer. And the floral print had me all heart eyes.

As I began sewing, everything seemed to be going remarkably well. They were looking ten times better than a pair of culottes I made this past winter. Then I went to sew the crotch seam, and that is when everything fell apart. Unfortunately, I had sewn the two back legs as one pant leg and the two front legs as one pant leg. My heart sank. A huge part of me wanted to just throw them in the back of my closet and move on to the next project. But the fabric was so beautiful and giving up like that has honestly gotten me nowhere in life. So I grabbed my seam ripper and began to take them apart. It was the best decision I made.

Once I got the pant legs sewn properly, things started to look up. The elastic went through the waistband beautifully. I only had to untwist it a little here and there. I chose to stitch on the right and left sides to hold the elastic in place instead of sewing all the way around the waistband. I just like the look more. I did my best to finish all the seams and I’m really proud of what I made, despite the bumps along the way.

I’m ready for rounds 3 and 4. Making these for friends is only going to help me get better, and it will be another opportunity to see how much I enjoy sewing for other people. And if there is anything you take away from this post, I hope it’s to take the time to correct your mistakes – in life and in sewing. No matter the outcome, you’ll have more respect for yourself and you’ll be proud of the kind of person it makes you.

🖤